Kingdoms (kaimaki fantasy AU)

Chapter 35: Back From The Dead

Anything in italics in this chapter are flashbacks.

The sound of wheels echoed throughout the dark corridor. It was dimly lit by the lanterns that flowed down there. Despite the candles lighting the corridor, there was an eerie chill throughout it. Kaito's body shifted a little from the movement as he was taken along it. It was just laying lifeless on the bed that was pushed by two guards. Tsumugi was in front of them. She had the creeps every time she came down here. She wasn't a huge fan of this place. She didn't mind seeing dead bodies after an execution. It was just the thought of what happened to those dead bodies when they were brought down here. That's why she had grabbed the sword that Kaito had, just in case. The thought of a corpse coming back to life is ridiculous, but she can't help thinking that it might happen. Let's just say that the sooner she leaves this place, the happier she will be.

"Mikan!" Tsumugi shouted as she pushed open a door. As her only response was a shriek, Tsumugi looked around the room. It was lit up by bright candles. There were two tables, both permanently bloodstained. There was a sink and many glass cupboards filled with body parts and organs in jars. Tools for cutting open bodies were strewn about almost everywhere but the floor. Some of them weren't even clean. Since there weren't any windows, the whole room smelled heavy with blood and death. It almost made Tsumugi vomit every time she came into this room.

The shriek that she was met with came from a young woman. She had long dark purple hair that was chopped unevenly. She had greyish purple eyes with a beauty mark under her left eye. She wore a long light blue dress with a white apron and white slip on shoes. She had bandages wrapped around her right arm and left leg. She also wore an elbow length glove on her left arm and a glove on her right hand that went to her wrist. She had this seemingly permanent scared and shy look on her face.

"T-T-Tsumugi! H-h-how can I h-help you?" The young woman stuttered, her voice timid.

"I'm sure that you've seen his execution and what had happened. Find out how he died. It wasn't from the execution." Tsumugi ordered as the guards bodily lifted Kaito off of the gurney and onto one of the bloodied tables.

"I-i-is this the prince?" Mikan asked as she approached Kaito. Tsumugi nodded. Mikan smiled creepily as she examined as stroked Kaito's still, cold face. "W-w-well, for a dead prince, h-he is a lovely specimen."

"I guess. Just find out how he died." Tsumugi grimaced, wishing for this to be over already. Sensing her discomfort, Mikan decided to hurry up. She went over the grab the tools that she needed.

Kaito felt so angry. He wanted to cry more as he still had tears to shed, but his eyes felt incredibly dry. He looked for something to throw instead. Nothing but the straw pile that he used as a bed. He checked his pockets. He found something, clutched his fist around it and drew his arm back. He looked at what he had and stopped. He opened up his hand, revealing a small drawstring bag. He instantly remembered where he got it and what was in it. He opened it, a small, round, white pill laid in the palm of his hand. He looked up at the window, making sure that Maki wasn't watching him. Conveying a silent apology to her, he swallowed the pill. The minute he felt it go down his throat, his body felt weak. He felt like something was going terribly wrong with his body. The pill was working quicker than he thought it would. He only hoped that the little bastard didn't lie to him after all.

"Hey, Maki Roll? You trust me right?"

"S-such a shame to w-waste a l-l-lovely specimen like this." Mikan sighed, placing her tools on a tray beside her. She carefully unbuttoned Kaito's shirt with trembling fingers. Her eyes seemed to light instantly as she noticed how well toned his body was. "H-h-he's done a lot of m-manual l-labour it seems. He has a nice body."

"Just get those results, Mikan! The Queen wants them now!" Tsumugi ordered, losing her patience. Mikan only responded by shrieking and whimpering. However, she nodded after a few seconds. Her hand trailed over to the tray, drifting over each and every tool that was placed on it. She finally decided which one that she wanted to use first. She picked up a sharp, clean scalpel, and aimed for Kaito's chest.

"Don't tell your girlfriend this. I'm a professional liar, but listen to me very carefully. The pill I just gave you will help you with two things. The first thing is that if you're about to executed, it'll give you the symptoms of an illness and will give off the illusion that you're dead. It'll slow down your heart to the point that it won't be detected. The second thing is that it'll piss the Queen off so much that she might spare your girl long enough for you to come back from the dead and save her."

Kaito's eyes snapped open in seconds. He grabbed Mikan's wrist just as the scalpel was an inch away from cutting him. Mikan let out a scream and tried to pull away. She slipped out of his semi tight grip. Her body went back further than she wanted to. She tripped over her own feet and knocked her head harshly on the countertop. She wasn't dead, but she will be knocked out for a long time. And might have a bad concussion after waking up. A shout brought Kaito's attention to the other people in the room with him.

"Kill him!" Tsumugi ordered, pointing a shaking finger at Kaito. The guards charged at him. Thinking fast, Kaito grabbed the tray. With the other tools flying off from it, he whacked it hard against one of the guards. As he fell to the ground, Kaito jumped off of the table, ready for the other one. Just like the first one, he swung the tray hard at the guard's head, knocking him out instantly. The first guard tried to get up, but Kaito gave him a hard punch, rendering him unconscious. As soon as the guard went down, Kaito heard a whimper. He turned to Tsumugi, dropping the tray to the floor. She jumped and fumbled at the sword that she had. She was trembling so much that Kaito easily grabbed his sword from her. He slammed her against the wall, holding the sword to her throat.

"Don't hurt me! I was just following orders!" Tsumugi begged, trembling as Kaito glared at her. Kaito couldn't believe this. This girl is just being a pathetic coward now that she has no one to protect her.

"Where is she?!" Kaito sneered, ignoring the young woman's cries.

"W-who?" Tsumugi stuttered. She knew who he meant, but she thought that playing dumb would help her.

"You know who! The assassin! WHERE IS SHE?!" Kaito yelled, his eyes burning with rage. Tsumugi trembled so much that if it weren't for Kaito holding her in place, she'd be on the floor right now.

"Torture Room! Junko's made the assassin her new pet!" She shouted, desperate to get him away from her. Kaito glared at her for a few more seconds. He then slammed her harshly on the wall. She hit her head and passed out. Kaito glared down at her. He didn't want to kill, but it is a last resort. As he rapidly buttoned up his shirt again and started running, he thought of only one thing in mind. Find Maki. That's his only priority. He had to find her. If Junko was there, then he'll fight. He clenched his sword tighter than ever. He didn't care what happened to him. He just wants to get Maki out of here. Once they've regrouped, they'll come up with a plan to stop Junko. He just needs to get her out of this place. 'Maki, I'm sorry for abandoning you back there. Just hold on a little longer for me! I'm coming!' He vowed silently, his feet running faster and his strength getting stronger. He's going to find Maki. He's going to save her! That's a promise! He just hopes that he's not too late.