Moments

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Nova


Moments
Chapter Four: In His Eyes
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

She was pretty agile as well for a girl so...well...gifted. We moved up quickly even with the increasing damp of the levels and heaven knows what was in all of these pipes. The constant drip of the expected leaks in pipes such as these had become the closest thing to a noise breaking the eerie silence of the whole damn place.
“What level are you from?” I ask after we pass from the sewers towards the higher reaches of the lower areas. Small talk sounded a hell of a lot better than dealing with the splat, drip, splat, drip of the pipes. I also was getting pretty fucking sick of the reminder of how up we were, and how far down it would be should we lose footing.
“Orient town, it's a good ten levels from here above Kaka village.” Her voice has a well educated ring to it, not pompous but knowledgeable enough to be reasonable. Some one who has quite a bit of knowledge under her belt. We keep traveling in odd silence as each of us grapple for hand holds on the piping, one hand over another just trying to keep our footing on the catwalks and pipes of these lower levels. No one comes down here anymore, or at least not anyone in their right mind. Obviously that damn slime ball has made his home down here as everything reeks of him and rot. Rotting flesh to be specific, obviously his diet wasn't exactly vegetarian. Then again he seemed to be almost made of bones the few times my sword managed to connect with anything in his disgusting blob of a form. My feet place onto a ring connector where a flat portion of the pipe is placed the large screws digging into my shoe bottoms, this is how it's been the whole damn way up. One slimy pipe to another slimy pipe with nuts and bolts digging into my feet and that maddening drip, drip, drip. That's when I hear it, a sickening crack that echoes as the girl pulls herself up beside me.

“Aww...shit.” My eyes are searching, the both the green and red orb moving with certainty in an attempt to find the next hand hold. The pipe gives a shudder and I feel time slow down. I don't play with time, nasty stuff and a bitch to have anything to do with. Jubei warned me what time could do to a person so I learned fast to stay away from it, but in these few moments I wonder if time is with me or against me. My eyes spot another pipe and I leap, but the girl stays steadfast.
“Jump!” My arm slings across the pipe pushing me against it, it's damp and I feel it starting to seep through my coat as I out stretch my hand. I'm not entirely sure I can support her weight, but I at least have to try. Her eyes flicker with indecision and it's almost a moment to long. “Damnit, if you don't want to die jump!” The near scream my voice breaks through at must have gotten the fucking message across for she only gives a simple nod before she jumps. Time seems to stop as she floats within the air strings of hair flying around her as her dress bellows slightly like hung tapestries. I stretch out my arm and our fingers brush as time begins to move one moment as a time, she realizes before I do that she's not going to make it. Tch..damnit! I move myself down to only my fingers on the pipe and my outstretched hand makes a grab for her wrist. It holds and she slams into the pipe below with a gasp of air. She coughs into the cold dark silence as I feel my grip giving way.
“You know for such a feminine figure you sure are heavier than you look.” I manage to groan out as I try to pull her up. She's panting trying to force air back into her lungs and I'm sure she'll have bruises in places she never wanted them. Still she manages to grab onto this connecting ring and pulls herself upwards.
“Well that's twice today.”
“Twice what?” She's laughing to herself and I begin to wonder if she is sane. Laughing after nearly dieing is not my first choice of what to do.
“Twice saving me, or at least sparing me death.” She hasn't let go of my hand yet and I rip it away as I figure out why. Her fingers are running over my hand, particularly over the grimoire. My lip curls slightly and she cowers back, well as back as one can on such a small expanse. “Listen when we get to the village we go our separate ways. Neither of us need to be seen together topside.” I shoot her a look that was perhaps a bit nastier than it should have been. I was tired of her staring at my arm, dumb founded and thinking of something. I didn't need this to turn into yet another argument of wills. I finally feel something more like regular footing and soon we're climbing up the ladder of an older drainage pipe.
“Flat ground at last.” I hear her exclaim but only groan in response.
I feel the pot hole cover when I get to the top and my fingers slip into the holes.
“Righty tighty, lefty loosey.”
“That's an incredibly childish saying coming from the world's most wanted criminal.”
I suddenly wished my eyes could roll out of my head as I push the heavy metal top away. Cobwebs cover the damn thing and I am suddenly glad I have gloves on constantly. “It may be, but it works.” I am somewhat surprised of how she acts since she admits to knowing who I am, but it really doesn't matter to me.

Kaka Village 10:00 am.

We reached the village lit only the dim glow of candle burning street lights that were as ancient as the town itself. A relic of an older time before seithr was around, the cobble stone streets and hatched roofs so different from what I had heard of main Kagutsuchi, though judging by the fact that this is a Kaka village it wasn't really a part of the upper city. Kaka were frowned upon, though no one had a fucking clue why, all half types were generally looked down on. I climb out and don't bother offering her a hand I am too busy clearing webs off my jacket. Still she doesn't seem miffed in the least as she simply just pulls herself out without even a look my way. She seems comfortable enough as I stretch and check over my weapons. It was nice to not be climbing on all those damn pipes some of which were rusted out enough to make me nervous of it holding our weight, and others...others were disgusting and damp in a way that stunk through my jacket. I was going to need a hell of a bath and clean clothes to get that smell to go the hell away. Her eyes are boring holes out of me, and between that and the strange glances from red eyes in the shadows and I'm ready to get the hell out of here.
“Well here we are.” I'm suddenly glad he isn't here, between getting yelled at for not helping a lady up and my curt 'bedside manner' I wouldn't be hearing the end of it. For being my master Jubei's voice, even in my head, could be annoying as hell.
“Listen I'm heading up further, but if you get in my way up there don't think I'll spare you a third time.” I hate having to threaten her like that, but she keeps looking at my damn arm. My voice is curt and my manner less than. Her eyes are boring holes in me, and I can't take that contemplative expression
“That Grimoire is very dangerous-” She flicks her hair but her eyes are dangerously concerned if that was even fucking possible.
“You think I don't fucking know that?!” I cut her off and she starts at my sudden change of tone. I don't have time for this shit, I've wasted enough already and I'm on a tight schedule. “Listen lady I did you one favor, don't expect me to do another one. I have places to be and shit to do, now get out of my way.”
“It's Litchi.”
“What?” My voice is almost a hiss but she stands her ground, strong will for a girl like her.
“My name is Litchi.”
“Ah, and Litchi, why on earth aren't you going after the bounty on my head? Or my grimoire, considering your 'cute' seithr amp.” She gave a gasp of surprise, she must have thought I was an idiot. That 'Panda' wasn't fooling me. The damn thing stunk of the boundary and when she jumped in my way the seithr levels became fucking oppressive and kept choking us both until we got here. We were lucky one of us didn't collapse from the levels she was pulling to her.
“I-I “ She was floundering for words, but right now I didn't give a rat's ass about her excuses.
“Listen I need to go-AH!” I turned from her as the sounds of the Kaka were getting overwhelming and suddenly there was a full grown one in my face. The hoods were always disturbing to me since all you could see were the red eyes and their grins.
“Hey there weiird guy.” Her grin is wide and she is far too close, the edges of her hood brushing against the edges of my hair. “Tao wants to play with mew!” She was moments from tackling me, and I was mere seconds from pulling out my blade when once more Litchi leaped between me and a potential kill.
“Tao!”
“Boobie lady!” I'm suddenly old news, figures with a Kaka, as she runs over to Litchi and stands like a proper 'kitten'. It's sickening in a barely sweet way.
“I'm outta here.” I didn't have time for this shit. A Kaka was not exactly who I wanted to exchange blows with, besides I needed to be on my own. I wasn't exactly a 'people' person by any means. So much time on my own made it hard to get used to familiar company.
“Wait strange person!” This over-grown kitten was grabbing my arm and a roll of my shoulder brushes her off.
“Listen, I don't have time to play games.”
“B-but...”
“Just knock it off!” My blade leaving it's sheath doesn't seem to faze her but Litchi leaving a fierce crack on her skull stops her from attempting to pounce.
“Leave him alone Tao, he's dangerous.” Dangerous, damn right.

I wander the streets for only a few moments before I notice the set-up of this lowered city. All the lights lead to the stairs, and obvious enough those stairs probably lead the hell out of here. Kittens had to be dodged, others had to be side stepped as the curious Kaka are of course in the middle of everything. Finally I manage to get the stairwell and I suddenly can't wait to get this over with. In all the cities I have been in, this one has by far the strangest residents. I enter the stair way and instantly the air changes; the hot smell of Kaka is quickly taken away to a more familiar smell and as I step it becomes stronger. The smell of fresh air and trees, the smell of the upper city.

“About fucking time.” It's even lower lit here only enough glow from between the two levels to see. However I am grateful for it since I know the topside levels and sunlight aren't far off. I always hate the grime of the lower levels but some one of my 'caliber' can't be caught on a monorail. A sigh leaves my lips as I climb stairs one after another only turning every once in a great while and soon even that stops. My mind isn't even on the task of the climb anymore my mind simply off in some other world, at least it's not in this freaking tunnel of musk and cobwebs...though it is cleaner. My mind is on things that went on long before now. Saya and Jin, Jubei, and Rachel. Since this morning that damn rabbit has kept creeping in my brain like a virus. I try not to think of her often as she isn't really a part of this...a part of anything. She sits off to the side unable to 'interfere' like she fucking says. I call it cowardly, too afraid to interact. With her knowledge of 'everything' she could do something to stop all of the shit going on with our world, or at least bitch-slap the NOL into behaving. Instead she sat around doing fucking nothing and just calling it 'I can't interfere'.

Fuck that noise, your destiny was your own. She was a fool to think that she couldn't do a damn thing to help especially with the kind of powers she hid within those layers and layers of skirts. No she chose not to help, and it was that choice that made me wants to bash her face into my sword. Somewhere along the way I was no longer climbing... I had hit a plateau of some sort odd since it hadn't gotten brighter but instead darker. Smells that didn't belong were beginning to overcome the musk and mildew of the lower levels and overcoming even the faint smells of hope that I had that were of the upper levels. “What the hell?” The smells were sweet, overwhelming sweet. Identical to the inside of a candy shop it was just overbearing the moment you walked in.

A light was becoming brighter ahead so I had to be near something, anything that wasn't this pitch black darkness.

Alucard Castle 10:15 am

“Just what do you think you were doing Madam?!” I hadn't bothered to answer him and I could tell he was beginning to grow irritated at my silence. T'was his own fault...becoming so agitated upon my behalf. Especially things that he had no business becoming so touchy towards. It was not his place nor his concern. He set the tea before me with more clatter than was warranted and my eyes finally rose to him.
“That is quite enough Valkenhyn, I am not some toddler who needs to be spanked for misbehaving.” My hand dismisses him but his fingers catch it at the wrist squeezing my hand smaller. Quite like one would for a waltz though perhaps not so vehemently. “Must I remind you of my station.” My voice gives away my shock, but he does not relent.
“No perhaps it is you madam who does.” He pulls me up from my chair and his insolence shocks me into silence as he pushes me backwards nearly sprawling me into my flowers. “And I shall remind you. You are princess Rachel Alucard, the last of your clan. And it is high time you started to treat that like what it means!” His voice is a thunderous bellow in my gardens but my shock does not last. No indignation has now flared up in my breast as he continues his lecture. “Your father may be gone madam but his presence still means much, and I do not wish to see you sully the Alucard name with such foolishness as caring for one beneath your station.”
That is the final straw and deafening thunder echoes through out the realm in which we stand as my shoulders square and my chin raises. “What exactly are you implying Valkenhyn?” My eyes flair with anger as both of our concentration becomes much more dangerous. “I do not care to have my servants make such implications against me.”
“I may be at your beck and call Madame Rachel, but I have a promise with your father which I must uphold.”
“And that promise involves insulting me?!” My voice has reached a fever now as I stand my ground before a man both my elder and who is most annoyingly taller than myself. “I am quite tired of this world and this cycle. I plan to resolve it.”
“That is most unwise.” His eyes peer into me and I cannot help but feel that my dress is being stripped away that last marker of armor beneath those eyes. “You know you cannot interfere and to do so for the affections of some boy is-”
“What?! What did you just say?!” My mind is blinded by anger and within my garden lightening begins to flash. Thunder clapping behind it as if the gods were in turmoil as myself and Valkenhyn are now. “You shall never again insinuate that I have such feelings for anyone, or else you shall live to regret it.” Nago is shivering behind me as we two stare off in bitter succession.
“And what Madame were you doing beside him as he slept? The tenderness you showed him was most unwise.”
He was spying, that little bastard. Gii fluttered away from my side to curl into Nago away from us both. Yet before my lightening can strike him something unexpected happens. He raises his hand and hits me with the back of his knuckles following through with a force I am was not expecting. I feel my footing fall as I suddenly twist and my eyes catch a look at the petals of my garden before I fall forward.
“What did you do to the mistress!” Nago is shouting in shock more than rage as Gii is whimpering into his cushy form. I am too shocked to do anything. In all my time within my home never once had he raised a hand to me, had anyone. Not even my own father and the sting on my cheek burns brighter than any sword wound. A single tear falls from my eyes though whether pain has caused it, shock, or worse I do not and cannot know.

“Madame you have lost yourself and I will not allow you to take this folly any further. It is quite time you remembered your place and stayed within it.” I am beginning to rise as a flick of his wrist pulls me from my feet and hovers me in the air as he stares at me with a horrid look upon his face, a look of anger and disgust.

“Set me down this moments Valkenhyn. This foolishness should not go any longer.” Our eyes meet and the force of wills is there. Never in my life had I thought to harm Valkenhyn but in these flickering moments I am, with quite some earnest, considering destroying in his entirety my most prized servant. This time line is most unusual and it becomes more so as I am unceremoniously dropped to my feet and a figure has obscured Valkenhyn from me.
“Rachel?!” The figure doesn't look back at me until a sword is raised squarely at Valkenhyn at which point the shadow dares to look towards me. “Are you alright?” Concern, how very strange.

“Ragna?” My eyes widen for but a moment to see him here, but the mask of Alucard is wound much too tight for me to give him anything more. “I am perfectly fine and I would care for you not to harm my servants.” Inside I am shocked and some what appalled that he was here to see this whole dreadful affair. Valkenhyn was normally the very essence of discipline and calm thinking. What a simple sneaking away caused him to lose such finer qualities is beyond my thoughts but I believe that this is a momentary venture and one to be swept aside like dust should be.

“H-He was hurting you! And you just want me to...?” Confusion compounds his face, but eventually the sword drops, “Fuck it.” Is all he speaks as I see Valkenhyn beyond him. Ragna does not need to die this early in the time line and in a full fight I am not sure who would win between them. I am in no mood to find out.
“I shall get tea for you guest Madame.”
“Yes, please do.” He is gone in an instant and I turn to Ragna who stares at me in disbelief.

“Are all of your actions so deranged or is it only around me?”
I give a mere chuckle to his words before I sit offering him the chair beside me. He eyes it for a moment the fine make of it something quite strange to him, of course I am sure this entire realm is. There is no sunlight, only the pale moon that rises above us and blooms my perpetual garden. The smell of roses, tea, and a moonlit breeze hide away the anger that had just passed through this garden as I sit within my chair. Finally he seems to decide the matching seat can hold his weight and he awkwardly sits upon it. He looks so strange in such a delicate seat of furniture but I have no time to fetch one more befitting his countenance.

“Where the hell am I?” He asks after a few moments which I assume were silent only to collect his bearings.
“You are at Alucard Castle.” I state simply but the look in his eyes tells me he wishes something more. I am about to divulge a few more precious details when Valkenhyn reappears. His eyes are filled with warnings as he sets down the cup of tea that we both know will remain untouched.
“Do you need anything else Madame Rachel?” A simple formality is as good as an apology. For this moment things have returned to their places, each cog clicking in place. What has happened moments before the interruption are placed on hold and my nod is one of mutual respect.
“No Valkenhyn, that will be all. Oh, and please take Nago and Gii with you I wish at this moment to be alone with our guest.”
“B-but princess.” It is Gii but my look silences him.
“That is twice in one day,” I hear them each whisper but I do not respond. Best let them think they may keep their secrets and with the black of a rip within reality all three leave. We are alone within the garden. I set my tea down gingerly as my eyes do not leave Ragna's face. Confusion floods through those eyes as a deeper level has just taken place than the conversation at the the surface. He can see the rippling beneath the surface but knows not what it means. His thoughtful looks are amusing but I do not give him the satisfaction of knowing. In fact as he opens his mouth to ask, what I am sure is something akin to 'what the hell was that about', I raise my hand to silence him.

“This is my home, and the home of every Alucard since the first.”
“W-Wher-”
“Where?” I give an amused laugh and his eyes narrow in scorn at my amusement, “Not within Kagutsuchi I assure you. We are within a special place that lies outside of anyplace you have been.” The breeze ruffles the flowers and a few petals take to the air as I allow myself another sip of the exquisite Darjeeling that Valkenhyn had brought to me. It was somewhat cool but well steeped and satisfying. I did not give away the whirl of thoughts moving through my head. In any location it was incredibly difficult to find my home and yet here he was. On top of that he had shown himself at a most inopportune time which made me wonder upon his being here. He seemed just as lost within his own mind as his eyes had seemed to glaze. He stared into nothingness without his normal demanding of answers and a frown crossed my face.

“Are you truly so disturbed upon being in my company as to be thrown into silence?” This pulled him out of it, if momentarily, and his eyes gazed at me for long moments before shaking his head.
“Rachel, I've never seen you...I've never- You've never let anyone get away with hitting you like that. Hell I haven't seen you even let anyone try.”
I frown deeply as my eyes take him in this strangely concerned figure. Most disturbing to me for it is not something I am sure I like. It takes a few moments for me to chose what to say, but before I can begin he is already speaking once more.
“What the hell was that about? Is it always like this?”
I shake my head quickly as my eyes fall to the garden. Looking at him, at those eyes that show my sins, is beginning to take away my thoughts and I cannot allow that. “No, no it is not like this. In fact in all of my memories I cannot recall a single timeline where Valkenhyn has raised a hand to me. Not even in tantrums in childhood nor when my slight disobedience turned to haughty indignation. He has never laid a finger on me, no one has. It was quite...unexpected.”

I hate thinking of the fact that he saw Valkenhyn raise his hand, saw him knock me off balance. I am suddenly unsure of whether I want to stop this timeline here or not. For him to get to live on with that memory should my ploy be successful...I do not want him seeing me as a girl who could be harmed by a mere servant. Fingers were suddenly touching my face as my hair was pushed away bringing my mind with it. His eyes were intent and far too close for my liking. I tried to pull away but his fingers were quick to grab hold and stopped my movements.
“Just let me see it.” He eyed my cheek closely and I could feel the warmth of his breath across it. Far too close, I do not like people this close. I try to pull away again but he holds me steadfast as his fingers pull away a few more hairs.
“He didn't hit you too hard.” He finally states so nonchalant I almost believe he is unaware of how uncomfortable he has made me. In fact as he notices a slight pinch of red on my face he almost smiles. “You've got to stop spending so much time in your head rabbit...it let's people sneak up on you.”

My cheeks darken for a moment as I snap my head quickly away from him. “Is there something about my name that you find too vile to call me by it. I do not like being compared to something that often dies in pitiful ways and commands it's life only to fornication and reproduction.”
Now it is his turn to let redness appear though for quite the different reason. He obviously was not expecting my frank way of handling things and this gives me a much needed edge of my guest.
“I prefer Rachel and I shall always prefer Rachel. Madame Rachel if you must, Princess Rachel when in the right company.” My voice is perfectly accented and well versed. Each word an blossoming orchid of perfect annunciation and pitch. The sword of the Alucard family.

“You know I've never got that part of it.” His eyes are cast away from me, guilty eyes. I am confused as I look at his slightly down trodden face. Nothing I stated should have caused even a single bit of fret to befall his mind.
“What 'part' is that?”
“Princess.” He shook his head, “I've heard it from both your cat and the old man. I've only ever heard that word as a condescending nickname for little girls.”
“Condescending? I was unaware that you had any form of holding upon vocabulary. To hear such word usage makes me proud.”
“Rachel...”
His voice is filled with warnings and I relent in my teasing. “Come inside and I shall inform you about my history and a few other things you should probably know.” A touch of sorrow enters my voice for I know that soon our little visit shall be at an end, but it was time he knew what he was up against. If I was going to change things my own embarrassment could not be allowed to stop it. “There is so much you do not know.”