Dance Of Night (A Diabolik Lovers Fanfiction)

Chapter 8 Strangers

I got lost immediately. The noise that had made me go into the woods was inaudible within some mere metres inside.

Deciding I was not going to be one of those kids who get lost and need to be rescued, I tried to help myself. After all, Father would be utterly displeased if I caused a scene by needing any sort of assistance.

Therefore, I approached the nearest climbable tree and tried my best at climbing it. I had never performed anything of the sort, being usually inside the house with the books and seldom allowed out into the gardens, but I had to try to get a better view of my surroundings. The dress, being long, prevented me from being able to move much, so it was a very uneasy task. The seams of the dress got caught in branches and I knew it was getting torn. I did try for it not to get too damaged though, lest Mom would scold me since she had loved the garment and Father would probably punish me for such an inappropriate appearance when I returned to the ball.

It was quite frightening, as the ground got farther away from me, but I was driven by the resolve not to need help. At a considerable height, I stopped and looked around.

It was mesmerizing. Beyond the forest, the night extended beyond the horizon, the sky engulfing the land far beyond. The stars, freckles that sparkled surrounding a beautiful half moon.

"I need to learn constellations," I thought to myself.

Finally turning away from the beautiful scenery, I looked to the side. The tree I had climbed was taller than most other trees and to my left I could see far beyond the mansion in which the ball was held, all lit up. I looked up at the sky, picked a pattern of stars that were in the direction of the house in order to confirm I was heading in the right way whenever I had a chance to look at the night sky amidst the trees. As I was about to start heading down, the same sound of shuffling leaves I had heard before caught my attention. It came from my right.

Following the noise with my eyes, I realized that to my right there were only five or six rows of trees left and that there was a small round clear after that. I could see perfectly within this clear, and in the middle of it, I could see a person, male judging from the garments.

Upon placing my gaze on him, the person suddenly turned around. I could not see his face clearly, but I knew he was looking back at me.

Suddenly, the world seemed to stop. Seconds became minutes and our eyes were locked the whole time. In my chest, my heart started beating violently.

In an instant, the person turned around and fled into a small structure that stood in the clear, which I was noticing just then. He hurried inside and I could not see him anymore.

Without even thinking, I picked another constellation in the sky in the direction of the clear, rushed down the tree as fast as I could and started heading that way. I ran almost. I did not need to look up at the sky, I knew I was taking the right route.

Soon, I was in the clear, and I then rushed into the structure. It had no door; all that was there were a few metres of concrete and then stairs, which led down into a seemingly dark path just some three metres below.

I knew then I was being reckless; it was absolutely dangerous to head in there.

But... who had this person been? Why had my heart beat in such a frantic way? Besides I was beyond curious. The darkness was frightening, I had to admit, but I knew in my heart I had to go in.

I climbed down the stairs, and there was nothing but darkness ahead of me. I took a deep slow breath, lifted my dress up to my knees, and sprinted as fast as I could, eyes open, head high.

I had not been even ten seconds since I had began sprinting, that I saw light ahead, coming from a few metres above. I ran even faster, if possible, and almost did not see the stairs that were under the light. I stopped just in time in order not to trip and fall.

Looking up from where the light poured, I realized it came from a large opening to which the stairs led. Through it, I could see the night sky once more. I went up the steps, and found myself inside a small structure, just like the one I had come from. I headed out and was in a small clear, just like before.

"What?" I thought. "Is it the same clear? It cannot be, I could have sworn I ran in a straight line. But it does look exactly the same."

Confused, I looked up at the sky, and then I realized. The stars. The stars were in a completely different position. Actually, based on the two star patterns I had picked earlier on, they were exactly the other way around.

I was completely certain now that I was not where I had been before, but, where was I? And why was it all so similar?

"You are brave," said a voice from one side of the structure, which now stood behind me.

I turned around, and there he was, the person I had followed here. He was a boy, a little older than me, with blonde, orangey hair and the finest blue eyes I had ever seen. He wore formal attire, not as elegant as that of the Sakamakis, but elegant enough for the ball, the suit the waiter servants wore, although he seemed a few years younger than the ones I had seen at the dance.

He was leaning against the side of the structure, much like Subaru when I first saw him, with crossed arms resting on his chest. He looked at me intently, and my heart beat wildly. His eyes scanned the whole of my body and I felt very self-conscious about the way my dress looked dirty and torn.

"I had to climb a tree," I mumbled, looking away from him while lifting the dress slightly, as if to excuse myself for my appearance.

When I glanced at him I saw a light smirk resting on his face, and amusement in his eyes. I was embarrassed by this, blushing a deep red.

"You should head back," he told me.

"Who are you?" I asked, disregarding his statement.

"My name is Sora, I wait at the party, although I have gone away for now," he explained.

"Do they not notice your absence? Do you plan on returning?" I inquire.

"I do," he answered, "but later. You should really head back now, Ayame-sama."

"Please do not address me formally. How do you know my name?" I wonder. I was now suspicious of him, knowing who I was before I told him.

"Everyone knows your name at these parties now, even the staff. Ayame Uta, the girl of the finest blood. You have danced twice already with the Vampire King, calming his volatile temper more than once. If anything happened to you he would be most displeased, since he seems so interested in your person. Now, please return," Sora demanded.

"Why are you here?" I asked, still ignoring his demands. Since he was a waiter boy and I was a guest of the party he could not refuse answering my questions.

"I have some matters to take care of in this realm," he disclosed.

"This realm? Is this not the demon realm?"

"Of course not, it is the human realm. You just went through an underground portal there," he said pointing at the hole in the ground that led to the stairs.

"I did?" I was confused. The human realm... I had not been here in years. That explained the position of the stars, I had gone somewhere else. "Can anyone come through that portal?"

He hesitated for a moment.

"Yes," he finally answered. "Now please, Ayame, you should go down those stairs at haste, lest anything should happen to you here."

I knew arguing with him would be futile, and I did not wish to force him to take me with him, so I decided to do what he said.

"I will be leaving now, then," I told him. "I bid you farewell."

He seemed surprised by my giving in so easily, but did not question it, simply bowed and waited for me to leave.

I went into the structure and down the stairs, and there was just darkness once more, but unlike before, I did not sprint. I waited in the dark for some ten minutes, making sure I had heard Sora leave, and then resurfaced. Looking around, I went into the forest in the direction I thought he had ventured in.