Trails of Intertwined Stars: Chapter 74 {Part 1}

~Chapter 53: The Cemetery~

Jiu had managed to loose Leora on the way, which he had not quite anticipated. After all, it was a pond was it not? And most of the trees had been pushed back, it should have been easy for him to spot the girl, yet he couldn't. He gave up on running by the first three minutes and walked, perhaps debating whether he'd gone past her and she'd simply sat down somewhere to be upset. Oddly, there was a slight fog blanketing the air the closer he got the manor, which was oddly unexplainable. Perhaps the body of water had induced it? He wasn't too sure. He stopped suddenly, noticing something peculiar before he reached half way around the the pond, pushed to the side where the forest was. Surrounded by the trees, was a large wall he hadn't noticed before, with a rusty gate in the centre of it. The gate was open. When walking with the guests, he hadn't noticed it, but then again, he'd only really been looking at the people talking and the pond. The fact it was open, however, intrigued him. The ghost glanced around before approaching it, and stepped inside. The fog was heavy, and he could just about make out the plot of gravestones in the bit of walled off land. A cemetery, undoubtedly belonging to Mohan manor, much like the pond. As he walked around, Jiu indeed noticed the surname 'Mohan', engraved in each, proving him correct on that assumption.

It was a miserable cemetery, but the fog was partly to blame for that. It was hard to see around, but Jiu could just make out the shapes of marvellously, gorgeous shaped trees, that now looked ugly and grim because of the foreboding fog. He halted in an instant. Crying. It belonged to someone young, no doubt about it, and they wept and didn't seem to stop any time soon. It was eerie. The fog was too thick, he could only see about two gravestones in front of him, and then the rest was a blur. He decided to follow the noise, but approached quietly; something about the cemetery unsettled him. Perhaps Duncan lingered there? If not him, maybe something else just as vengeful. Jiu took light steps, hardly breathing in his physical form. He saw it. A dark figure in front of two graves, hunched over and weeping, miserably. A twig snapped under his foot. The figures crying stopped, Jiu felt his throat run dry as he watched them stagger onto their feet, much akin to a zombie. They turned around.
"Jiu, did you follow me?"
Leora furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes tear stained and red rimmed; Jiu let out a shuddering breath of relief. It was just her.
"Can you blame me?" Jiu shrugged, walking over," When you run off crying like that. It worried me."
Leora blushed slightly, her hand instinctively going for her chest to grasp at the laces on her chest," Worried you..."

Jiu gently pulled her hands away," There's blood on them, it'll stain."
Leora glanced down at her hands to see the smudges and stains of blood that belonged to the poor rabbit.
"Ah, so there is," Leora muttered, pale," How horrible."
Jiu glanced around, confused," Where is the bunny, anyway?"
She pointed at the limp creature set in front of the two gravestones, she looked quite horrified by the sight, and turned away immediately.
"Poor thing," Jiu sighed, crouching beside it to inspect its corpse," Nothing much we can do, I'm afraid. Would you like me to bury it? I'm sure I could ask Edward for a shovel."
"That won't be necessary, what's done is done," Leora shook her head, pursing her lips.
Jiu glanced up at her, noticing her expression. Fearful and ill, and overall disturbed by the whole ordeal. He'd seen that expression many times back when he was alive. People who came to fight, yet did not know that every battle would not always be a victory; that nothing was a story made for children. It was an extremely sheltered expression, that back then would have made him quite frustrated, but on Leora's face, all he felt was a deep sense of pity for the girl.
"Do not let it trouble you so much," Jiu straightened up, turning to face her properly," It might have died some over grim way, and you were not the one who killed it."

Leora cast her gaze at the two gravestones, looking slightly ill-er than a moment ago, which was the opposite intention Jiu had meant to have. He, too, turned to cast his gaze at the gravestones jabbed miserably in the floor. Vincent Mohan and Emmeline Mohan.
"Which family members are these?" Jiu frowned.
"My parents," Leora stated.
Jiu's gaze softened. He'd noticed when he'd entered the cemetery the newer graves were at the front, where more of the land was, and the older graves at the back. Yet their graves had been shoved far behind, despite only being killed when Leora was a toddler. Mistress Mohan truly did resent her son, Vincent, for marrying Emmeline, there was no doubt about it.
"I visit this place occasionally," Leora admitted," It's quiet, and I can spend time with them...time I missed out on. I talk to them often, tell them my day, and tell them about current affairs. It would be sad, for them to be lonely, don't you think?"
"That's sweet, Leora," Jiu nodded, though he couldn't help but feel it was sad for her too.
"Nobody else ever sees them," Leora frowned," Nobody cares enough, though, Edward joins me occasionally to help maintain their grave."
"Not even Henry comes?"
"Especially not Henry."

Jiu glanced around, half expecting Duncan to be standing there. But, he wasn't.
"May I pay Duncan's grave respect, Leora?" Jiu offered," Perhaps it'll soothe his vengeance?"
"You can't, he's not buried here," Leora stated, miserably.
"He's not?"
"They buried him in Cornwall, I'm not quite sure why. They seemed quite happy to have him far away, though."
"Was his mother buried with him?"
"No," Leora frowned," They burned her corpse, they were scared we'd catch her tuberculosis; you see."
Jiu blinked, surprised," Isn't that a bit old-fashioned and uneducated?"
"That's the way things are done here," Leora sighed, glumly," We're so closed off from society, we haven't evolved with them. Henry wants to change that, though; he adores science. I imagine if poor Duncan's mother had died now, Henry would have told our grandparents how ridiculous burning her was, but oh well, Henry wasn't old enough then to know much about science. Duncan saw his mother being burned though, that poor boy."
Jiu shuddered at the thought; it was traumatic to say the least. Duncan clearly had his motives to haunt the manor, but why he haunted Leora still seemed ridiculous to the general.
"Did you see it too?"
"Yes," Leora admitted," It wasn't the burning that scared me, back then, I was a sniffling toddler who thought it was a big fire place. Then I told my daddy it had a horrible smell, he looked quite distraught by that, she was his sister after all. No, the part that haunts me is Duncan's face, and the way no adult had the heart to comfort him. So, I did."

Jiu couldn't help but smile slightly from the adorable thought of that young toddler from his dream, that was Leora, hugging the upset boy who'd always been there for her. Why Duncan would haunt her seemed to become less and less understandable.
Leora sighed and glanced behind at the foggy gravestones," We should probably head back to the manor...I promised Edward I'd join him in the kitchen today. He sees me less and less of recent, because of the wedding; it's quite upsetting for us both. I'm sure Soren has taken good care of him, though."
Jiu nodded, but when he looked around the fog had only seemed to have gotten thicker; he could only seem to make out one gravestone in front of them now. Not to mention, he'd made the grave mistake of forgetting the way out.
"I can't quite remember how to leave," Jiu muttered, squinting, trying to discern the shapes through the fog.
Leora smiled," Don't worry, I know the way out well. Here, take my arm, that was neither of us shall trip."
Leora held her arm out. Jiu blushed slightly, looking at the pale, delicate limb; before setting his hand on it. Leora smiled softly, and they started to walk through the fog.

"You know, usually it's the guy offering the arm," Jiu laughed, softly.
Leora shrugged," Technicalities, technicalities. I'm more man than that Jacques fellow Henry invited. Perhaps Frenchmen are more feminine than Englishmen?"
"Well, you've only met one so far," Jiu smiled," Surely that's not enough to base your opinion."
"True," Leora hummed, glancing away in thought.
They walked in silence for a while, treading cautiously and slower than usual to avoid tripping. The silence was awfully heavy and burdened them both, admittedly.
"The fog is quite bad, isn't it?" Jiu smiled, awkwardly; deciding to make small talk.
"Yes," Leora nodded, indulging in his attempt by broadening the conversation," We can blame Industrial England as a whole for that, can't we? All these factories..."
"You live quite far from any factory though."
"Pollution is a dangerous thing, and can catch up to you dangerously fast. Then, by the time society as a whole notices the consequences for such greedy behaviour; it is often much too late."
Jiu smiled, softly," A great way of looking at it."
Leora grinned back at him. That, however, was short lived; for the girl twisted her ankle as she stepped, and her body jerked and tugged her down. Jiu, with a swift reflex he did not even notice, grabbed her firmly before she was sullied by the hollow earth.

He pulled her up, in such a way that she was pressed against his chest and staring up at him in shock, on her tip toes. They stared at each other for a moment, unsure what exactly to do in this situation. Oddly, neither of them pulled away. Jiu's lips parted ever so slightly, looking at hers. Leora saw this, and her's did to, in a timid, shy sort of nature. The general slowly moved his head down, but suddenly, Leora tugged away, flustered.
"I should..." Leora mumbled, shyly, staring at the floor," go back to the manor..."
Before Jiu could say anything, the girl scurried into the fog, hastily. He felt like an idiot. She was to marry Lord Bramston, of course she'd pull away. He'd been foolish to even attempt that. Yet, she'd parted her lips too, hadn't she? Or had he dreamt that in a haze of boyish fantasy? Jiu cursed himself. Why had he ever wanted to kiss the very girl who'd shoved him into this trouble, without a second thought, and left him stranded in this foreign land till she composed a beautiful art piece of him? Jiu glanced around, realising Leora had just stranded him.
"Great, now I'm lost and lovesick..." Jiu grumbled, miserably.