Chapter 10: The Mirror World
Ameko stirred as she realized Nikado wasn't in bed. She had mostly gotten used to the cat's habit of getting up in the middle of the night to wander before he came back for another hour or two to nap. Even with the human blood in him, it was difficult for him to stay asleep for hours at a time, or stay awake for hours at a time. Smiling slightly, she sat up, looking around for him.
Nikado was seated on the windowsill of the bedroom, looking out at the forest beyond, the cat illuminated by the moonlight, making his ears almost seem to glow as the fur caught the light. "What are you thinking about?" she asked softly.
He started, turning toward her, and the expression in his eyes made her pause; he looked sad, and afraid. It was quickly replaced with a soft smile, the ears shifting forward. "Did I wake you?"
She shook her head, looking at him. "Are you all right, Nikado?"
He looked back out at the forest, turning his head away from her. "I was just thinking about some stuff, that's all."
She swung her long legs around to the edge of the bed, standing up. The stone floor was cool but not cold under her bare feet as she walked over to him. "You can tell me, you know. I'm your Queen, right? And you're my King?"
He let out a soft sigh, ears falling back again. "It's difficult to explain. And you'd probably be mad at me."
"Don't make me compel you, Nikado the Cheshire."
He scowled at the full use of his title. "I hate it when you do that."
"Then talk to me, Nikado. What's the matter?"
His ears flattened against his head briefly, and she wondered if she had pushed her luck, had accidentally compelled him. But then he sighed, ears springing back forward and down again. "I'm scared," he said at last. "And I just can't seem to shake it."
"Do you have a bad feeling about something? That maybe something's going to happen?" she asked, taking a seat on the windowsill across from him.
He shook his head. "It's not like that. It's difficult, like I said. I think I'm still scared...of you."
"Of me?" She frowned at that.
"I told you you'd get mad," he sighed. "I'm still scared of humans, Ameko. Some nights I just wake up and think that the next night you won't be there. I've come to rely on you, Ameko...and it scares me deeply."
"Do cats just have some fear of commitment or something?"
He scowled at her, ears flattening again. "You're not listening. I can't shake my fear of humans, Ameko. It's not that easy. I know you, but even so...I'm scared of being with anyone. I've always been alone. I mean, I have a sister, but we didn't spend a lot of time together. We more or less lived alone. I made a few friends, but I was never attached to them. Hell, the mirror is the thing that's been around me more than anyone else," he said with a gesture to the room where the magic mirror had been brought to after Nikado had begun staying full time at the castle.
"I can understand that, I guess," she said with a frown, "but you don't have any reason to fear me. Don't you trust me?"
"I do. I do, but...." He shook his head. "It isn't an easy habit to unlearn, Ameko. I can't help the way I feel."
"That sounds like an excuse to me," she muttered, folding her arms. "If you trusted me, you wouldn't be afraid of me. I trust you and I wouldn't be afraid even if you put that sword to my throat."
"Well, I don't have your courage," he snapped, tail puffing out in his irritation. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. You're just finding a way to turn it around on me. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you. I've been afraid of humans since that man killed my mother. Do you really think it's a habit I can break overnight because I'm close to *one* human?"
"Why not? You became afraid because of *one* human," she countered. "And that fear should have nothing to do with me. I feel like you don't trust me, Nikado, even though you say you do."
"Then you can believe what you want," he said with an irritated gesture. "There's no reason for you to become involved. I can work through this on my own. I don't need your assistance for anything, Ameko."
"You don't need me for anything? Then why are you still here?" She glared at him. "If you can do everything on your own, why are you here? Why don't you go home?"
"Well, then, maybe I will," he snapped back, ears shooting forward dangerously. "Someplace where I don't have some pretentious, know-it-all--" And then he cut off, wincing as he tumbled forward.
"Nikado?" Ameko questioned slowly, kneeling by him, unsure whether he had just worked himself into an injury or if something was seriously wrong. "What is it? Are you hurt?"
He folded his arms around himself, ears pressed against his head and tail fluffed out, and then his body gave a spasm, throwing him out onto the floor. "Nikado!" Ameko yelped in alarm, putting a hand on his forehead. "What's wrong, what's hurting you?"
He opened his eyes, looking at her with slit-pupils narrowed to mere slits even in the dim light, and then he cried out in pain, clawing at his arms from whatever was hurting him.
"Nikado, stop," she told him, removing his bloody claws from his arms, and then she gasped in surprise as the blood began streaming upwards. The blood flowed out in thick streams, looping around her, the cat's eyes wide with surprise and pain as he tried to break free, dropping to the ground.
She let out a cry as the blood landed on her skin, imprinting itself there in runes. She let out a cry as the patterns began to glow, then her voice faded as she tumbled to the ground, limp. "Ameko!" Nikado shouted in alarm, wincing as he tried to stand. "Ameko!!"
The woman didn't respond, still as death itself on the floor, and he winced at the wounds on his arms, feeling pain and sudden fatigue threaten to send him into the depths of unconsciousness. The stone floor was drenched with blood, his blood, and it was all he could do to move, claws digging at the floor.
Footsteps scampered on the floor outside his door, and then Keisuke and Daisuke burst into the room, the younger twin staring in shock at the scene. "Father! Mother!" Keisuke said in alarm, kneeling by Nikado and putting a hand over his wounds. "Daisuke, check on Mother."
"Mama!" he cried out, sitting by her and shaking her shoulders. "Mama, wake up. Mama!!"
Keisuke bit his lip, trying to heal Nikado's wounds as fast as possible. "What happened here, Father?"
He only groaned in response, reaching for Ameko again. A swish of skirts announced Yukita's arrival, the woman looking down at the scene with a worried frown. "White Knight," she addressed Daisuke. "Please bring the Winter King here."
Daisuke managed a jerky shake of his head, ears pressed against his skull as he fled the room. "What's happened to Mother?" Keisuke asked.
"I intend to find out. White King?" she addressed Nikado. "What did you see?"
He groaned, ears flopped down in his pain. "It was...blood. My blood. I don't know. Something inside me went crazy, and...the blood came out."
Yukita frowned at the description. "Is it the bloodturner?" Domani asked quietly as he appeared in the doorway, Jun behind him. "Has he come here since he can't get into Winter?"
"No," it was Jun behind him that spoke. "Doing this sort of thing on an unwilling victim would require a stronger bond than complete strangers."
Yukita looked over at Jun. "What sort of bond, if you were to hazard a guess?"
Jun frowned. "For this sort of thing, it would have to be a familial bond. I would say the most likely instigator would be someone up a direct chain. Probably a parent; a grandparent might be too far removed."
"Well, White King?" Yukita addressed him. "Do you know if either of your parents would have this sort of ability and motive?"
"My mother's dead," he stated, closing his eyes. "My...father would have the motive. Possibly the ability. I don't know."
"Let us make that assumption for the moment, then." Yukita turned back to Ameko, examining her carefully.
"Is she...dead?" Keisuke asked softly, ears down.
"No," Yukita said after a moment. "But she is dangerously close. There may yet be a chance to save her. Winter King, if you would erect a barrier around this room for a while. Let nothing in or out, not even magic."
He nodded, and the air turned cold, the walls briefly shimmering with the barrier in place. "A bloodturner has used our White King to place a powerful spell on the White Queen," Yukita said at last. "Her soul has been sent to the Mirror World."
"Her soul?" Domani answered with a frown.
"To the Mirror World?" Daisuke echoed.
Nikado pulled himself into a sitting position with Keisuke's help. "How do I save her?"
"You would have to go after her," Yukita answered. "You would have to put your own flesh at risk and send your own soul into the dream that has been created around her."
"Then send me there. Please. You know how to do it, don't you?" Nikado asked desperately. "What do I need to do?"
"You need to listen and let me explain properly," the snow demon told him firmly, tone cool. "That is exactly what he wants you to do. To destroy the White Kingdom."
Nikado's ears fell back as he slumped against his son. "I don't understand," Domani said with a frown. "What are you talking about, Yukita?"
She tapped her fingers together, considering how to reply. "Her soul is currently lost and nameless in the Mirror World. That place has warped itself around her, giving her an existance inside the Mirror World and making her believe that it is her place. But if she is not retrieved from that place in time, if she does not remember her true self, she will die in this world."
"Then how--" Keisuke put a hand on his father's arm, urging him to be silent.
"There is a problem," Yukita stated. "Effectively, to the White Kingdom, she is dead, since her soul is not here. The White King is the only one who has a chance of being able to retrieve her...but should he go after her, the White Kingdom would believe he is dead, too. Once they return, they would be able to resume their posts, but the complication lies in the fact that White is not strong enough to lose its entire royal line."
Domani frowned. "I see where that's a problem. Isn't there something we can do?"
"There is an advantage that we have," Yukita explained. "This spellcaster, be he the father of the Cheshire or some other person, is unaware that Ameko is not the only successor to the White Kingdom."
"You mean she has a sibling?" Jun asked with a frown.
"No," Keisuke spoke up softly. "It means she has a son. Two sons."
Jun's eyes widened as he looked at Keisuke. "Although they are from a separate timeline, I believe the connection will hold long enough for the White King to enter the Mirror World and retrieve the White Queen. However, once the White Kingdom does not crumble immediately, our attacker may catch on to the fact that something is amiss. And the White Knight and White Bishop do resemble their father."
Daisuke's tail swished slowly. "So what are we supposed to do?"
"To summarize, you are to not die," she stated firmly. "Winter Knight, if I may have your assistance and that of the Winter Bishop on this? They must be protected at all costs."
Jun nodded. "We'll do our best."
Domani didn't protest, surprisingly, but only nodded. "We'll do what we can to protect our ally, White. Is there something I can do?"
"A barrier, once I have set things up. I would like you to encase myself and the White Queen and White King inside a barrier similar to the one you currently have on this room," she said, "although it would only need to be large enough to encapsule the three of us. Please check on me once a day to ensure they have not awoken. I will only require it for three continuous days. Is that too much of a burden?"
"It shouldn't be a problem," the king said with a frown, "but only three days?"
"Three days will be a maximum of time in which both their bodies can be without their souls before the strain tears their physical forms apart." Yukita nodded. "Do you understand your roles?"
Jun nodded, as did Keisuke, pulling his hand away from Nikado's healed wounds, the marks only leaving faint white scars against his olive skin. "I will be relying on Winter primarily to defend this castle in case of attack. Do not worry about meeting the enemy head on. You only have to deter them for three days, otherwise there will not be much left to deter." She looked over at Nikado. "If at the end of three days, you have not succeeded, I will withdraw your spirit and break the spell. Even though you are not of the bloodline, nor are you officially joined in a matrimonial ceremony, you are the White King. The Sword of the Lion and the Unicorn is proof enough of that. You will have to carry on the kingdom."
Nikado nodded seriously. "I'm not going to fail her. I'm going to bring her back without fail."
"I wish you the highest of luck in that regard." Yukita spread her hands, drawing a bit of power to herself. "Be cautious, White King. I know little of the Mirror world or its dangers. I do not know what may be lying in wait for you, nor do I know how the passage of time will flow while you are there. Three days may be three minutes in that world. White Bishop, please bring the White King over here, to the White Queen's side."
He did so, setting Nikado down on the floor next to Ameko. The cat reached out, grasping her hand with his own, purring from worry, his ears down and tail limp. "Please stand back," she ordered everyone. "Winter King, you may begin the barrier now."
He nodded, holding out a hand, and then the two royals and the snow demon were encased in a shimmering crystal, Yukita murmuring something as she touched Nikado's hand, the one grasping at Ameko's. His tail twitched, and then his eyes shut, as peacefully as if he had gone to sleep. "Thank you for your assistance," Yukita said, her voice sounding hollow inside the crystal. "You all are dismissed."
Domani and Jun looked at each other, then Domani let Jun leave, glancing back to the two cats. Daisuke's ears were drooped as he sat down by the crystal. "I've never seen Papa so still," he whispered.
"I have no objection to your observing us," Yukita said, "but it will not be very interesting."
"That's okay. I want to be here when they wake up."
"I doubt it will occur within the next hour. It would behoove your current state of mind to take a nap, Winter Knight."
"Come on, Dai," Keisuke urged softly, pulling on the other boy's arm.
Domani watched them with a frown, and then cleared his throat. "Could I perhaps ask you boys for a favor?" he spoke up, shifting a foot awkwardly as he waited for a response.
"Sire?" Keisuke addressed him.
"With the potential of an attack, I'm a bit worried about Fia and Rosabella. I don't suppose you two could stay in their room?" he offered. "I wouldn't want you in danger, so if something happens, just shout and we'll come."
Daisuke's ears stayed drooped, but he didn't seem to like the possibility of the human kitten, whom he had gotten rather attached to, in danger. "I guess we could do that." Keisuke picked him up by the arm, leading him out into the hall, letting Domani close the door behind them.
"Ah," Yukita observed from her sitting position as Domani put his hand on the knob to close the door. "So the Winter King can be nice to cats."
"I'm not an unfeeling bastard," he stated stiffly. "I just thought it would kill two birds with one stone, that's all. Good night, Yukita. I'll check on you in the morning."
The world was falling apart, he swiftly realized. They must have come to the end of three days, and now the world was collapsing in on itself as Ameko's soul lost its last senses, its own identity. Even as the scenery around him faded, he could see her ahead of him, walking toward the woman and man that she had been calling mother and father for the three years he had been in this world. "Ameko!" he shouted, and he could feel claws in his fingers again, feeling his magical senses start to return. He had to get her attention now, he realized, draw her away from the family she had created, that she had longed for. There was just enough power returning to him that he could try and compel her, if only he could find the proper words.
"Ameko Satoka," he called after her, putting every bit of power he could into the words, "trust me."
She stopped in her footsteps, turning to look at him. "I know it's a funny thing for me to request. But I trust you, Ameko. I would trust you with my life. I already have by coming here. With you, I don't have any fear. I believe in you, trust you that you will remember who you are and come back to me. To everyone that's waiting for you. Ameko, I want you to come with me." He extended a hand even as his human image was being stripped away, fluctuating.
She looked over her shoulder at the woman and man, her mother that she had never known and the father she had loved. The woman continued to keep her arms open, invite her in with loving words, but she saw the man step back, smiling, and say a single word that even Nikado could read on his lips from this distance. Go.
She turned toward him, then took one step, and another. He reached out for her, and she stretched out her own hand, curling her fingers around his. Pulling her in, he caught her in a tight embrace, locking his lips against hers and holding her tightly. "Remember who you are, Ameko Satoka, the White Queen," he whispered to her. "You are you. You're my wife and the mother of my children, no, our children. You are Ameko Satoka. Remember your name."
Ameko's eyes fluttered open, and she felt as if she had been having a long dream. Her body was unusually stiff and sore, as if every muscle had been pulled to its maximum, and Nikado was curled up on her, holding onto her waist tightly, purring with concern and worry. "'kado?" she murmured, reaching up to stroke one of his ears.
"Ameko," he whispered, clutching her all the tighter. "Ameko."
Yukita looked down at her from above, her long hair tickling the queen's face. "Welcome back, White Queen," she greeted. "Did you have a nice dream?"
"A dream?" Ameko echoed. "I...I was somewhere that wasn't here. There were oddly shaped buildings and paved roads and no forest, no trees. I had a different name and lived with my parents. I wasn't a queen there. I did things that were completely different, had friends, dated boys, held a job...."
"You were having a dream, White Queen."
"But it was so long," she protested. "Years passed. And cats were there, but they were different, they were small and couldn't talk. Was that really all just a dream?"
"Yes, White Queen. In the simplest of terms, it was naught but a dream."
"And in the more complicated?"
Yukita smiled at her. "What do you think?"
Ameko thought about it, and let out a sigh. "I don't know. What am I supposed to think?"
"No one has any sort of agenda that they are supposed to think, Winter Queen."
The door to the bedroom--her bedroom, she realized--opened, and Domani stepped inside, looking surprised to see her. "Ameko, you're finally awake! Good to see you well again. I guess this means that the barrier can be dispersed?" he directed to Yukita.
"For the moment. Has there been any more trouble outside the walls?"
Domani shook his head. "Nothing came this morning. I figure they must have either concluded she was dead or that she was awake and ready to cause trouble."
"I nearly died?" Ameko echoed, dumbfounded. "What the hell kind of dream was that?"
Yukita raised a hand to forestall further questions. "Thank you for your assistance, Winter King. This barrier can be dropped for the moment, however I will request one of you again in the near future."
Ameko looked down at Nikado, rubbing his ear. "You saw it too, didn't you? The other world. You must have seen it, you were there."
He nodded slightly, continuing to purr as he butted his head against her stomach. "A second barrier?" Domani questioned, even as he waved a hand. In front of him, the barrier blinked briefly before vanishing into nothingness. "What for?"
"For the White King."
"For me?" Nikado asked in confusion. "I'm with him, what for?"
"In hopes that it will forestall the bloodturner using you as his spell component," Yukita explained. "I understand your desire to be with your wife, but right now it is not safe for you to do so. He could try and attack again, killing one or both of you in the process."
His ears dropped, but he nodded, letting go of her. "I understand. Where do you want me to go?"
"To the kitchens, first. You will need to eat prior to being locked away. Both of you will," she stated after a moment. "Neither one of you has eaten in the past three days, after all."
"Can we eat together?" Ameko asked, getting to her feet shakily. Her legs didn't seem to want to support her after three days of no use.
Yukita considered, then nodded, standing up and lending her arm to Ameko. "As long as the Winter King and I are both in attendance, I suppose it will be permissible."
Ameko nodded, letting Yukita guide her out, Domani helping the cat to his feet and helping him out. "This is a strange sort of role reversal," Nikado noted. "Thank you."
"It's nothing. You have done the same for me."
He nodded. "What happened while we were gone? Did they attack?"
"Yes, though nothing serious. Mostly a group of sidhe."
Yukita shot him a sharp look. "Sidhe?"
"Yes, the evil fae from Neverland," Domani said with a frown. "Surely you've heard of them."
"I was around when their original one was created. I am familiar with them. They did not breach your barrier?"
"No, they didn't. Not for lack of trying, but none were successful."
"Hm...." Yukita considered, staring straight ahead as she thought. "I will have to look into this carefully."
Nikado stirred on the bed he was in by himself, and scowled at the barrier around his room that he could see, the hated thing that restricted his movement. He could understand the need for it, of course, and agreed with it; there was no way he was going to let Ameko be nearly killed again because of him. Yet at the same time he felt himself restricted, and it was driving his senses crazy, making his catnaps even more fitful, alternating swiftly between awake and asleep. All because of a potential to have his own blood turned against him, again.
The cat let out a sigh as he went over to the windowsill. The barrier didn't quite encompass the windowsill, so he couldn't sit on it, nor could he open the windows. Not that it would matter if he could; given the impenetrable barrier around him, he doubted even the night breezes could get through. Ameko had come to see him from the other side of the barrier, as had the twins, and Domani came with the arrival of food to open a small hole in the barrier. The fact that he recognized the barrier as a necessary evil didn't stop him from feeling any less of a prisoner, resenting the barrier just as much.
That snow demon had better finish up this spell of hers, and fast. Yukita had retired to her own room to work on something that she said would stop the bloodturner from using him, but whatever it was apparently took a long time. No one had seen her since she had entered her room, the woman not even making breaks for tea. At least she was working steadily on it... he hoped.
Laying down on the bed with a sigh, he fell asleep again. He didn't even notice something was wrong until he awoke again, his jerk from sleep caused by the same familiar burning sensation underneath his skin, covering him with an overwhelming urge to claw at his own body, let the burning out. Oh, no you don't. Nikado buried his claws in a post of the canopied bed, catching his back claws in another one and digging them in, hissing at the pain. It didn't matter how much it hurt, as long as he didn't let his blood out.
Or so he thought. The burning sensation continued, culminating on his back, and he fell off the bed, digging his claws into the stone and biting his lip to keep himself from crying out. And then, in a burst of blinding pain, the skin on his back gave way, showering him with his own blood as he let out a yowl, falling still, barely able to breathe from the fire that covered his back.
A pair of footsteps near his head alerted him, and crying out as new pain filled him from his movement, he looked up, and saw the man he had hoped was dead, that he had hoped he would never see again, that had given him a fear of humans, including the fear of the human in his own blood. "Kanjiro," he hissed, claws flexing against the floor. "I knew it was you."
The man looked down at Nikado almost disinterestedly, taking in his appearance. "Hello, Nikado. Thank you for your safe passage into this castle."
The cat snarled at his name, trying to drag himself to his feet. His legs weren't responding properly, which gave him a new sense of panic on top of the fear and hatred at seeing the man that sired him. "Get out. Get the hell out. Go back the way you came, I don't care. But I will not... I will not allow you to do as you like here."
"You can hardly stop me," he stated, looking around the room.
"I can't, but this barrier can."
"I can fix that soon enough," the human declared, running a finger through Nikado's blood on the floor, drawing a line across the door with it. "You've been useful to me, cat. I suppose it was acceptable to let you live. Now, I have a clear shot at the White Queen."
"Don't you touch her," Nikado hissed, clawing his way across the floor, trying to get closer to Kanjiro. "Don't you dare touch her. I'll kill you."
Kanjiro paused in his writing in blood, then laughed, a chilling sound. "You pathetic animal. Don't tell me you've fallen for her. Didn't you learn anything from your mother?"
"Shut up. Not all humans are like you, you sick, twisted bastard. Were you working for Neverland all along?" Maybe if he kept talking, the man would stop, be delayed. He needed to find a way to stop Kanjiro from breaking the barrier, but how?"
"Ah, it has a brain," Kanjiro observed, continuing his work. "I guess that must be my blood in you. A common animal can't comprehend reason, after all."
"Shut up. I'm nothing like you."
Kanjiro finally paused, turning to Nikado with a smug look. "It was I who suggested the Bandersnatch come after White. I was hoping it would bite you, you see. I'm interested to know what the effect would be. After all, you're not fully cat. You don't get the protection of your bloodline against Neverland."
"What are you talking about?"
"How cute, it's trying to understand. Try and survive, cat. I have plans for you. You're going to become the first cat of Neverland, after all."
His eyes widened in shock, and Kanjiro finished, the barrier shattering, and as he left, Nikado let out a wordless howl, of fear, anger, and worry. Kanjiro only smiled to himself as he made his way down the stairs, looking for the White Queen."
Domani set down his teacup, looking over at Ameko. "Something's broken the barrier around Nikado."
She looked over at him, feeling a sudden chill of fear. "Could it be Nikado?"
"Not without seriously trying. I think something's amiss." Domani set down his teacup. "Jun, come with me."
The knight nodded, Ameko rising as well. "Kei, if you please." The cat nodded, falling into place beside Jun, and Domani led the way, putting a hand on the wall as he listened. "There's someone up there."
"No," came a voice, "there's someone down here."
Ameko barely had time to react to the black shape before it was upon her, and belatedly she realized it was a human dressed in black, hair of the same shade chopped short, his dark brown eyes cool and emotionless. He backed away, fading into the wall.
"Who are you?" Domani demanded, flexing the fingers of one hand. If need be, he could have a barrier around Ameko quickly, but given the attacker had already broken the barrier around Nikado and gotten into the castle somehow, he wasn't sure how much good it would do. "Show yourself!"
The man leapt at Ameko again from behind, and Domani put up a barrier to block the attack, the air turning cold and crystallizing in front of him. "Don't do that," he ordered firmly. "Who are you?"
"My name is Kanjiro and I've come for the White Queen's head. I'm a sub-general of Neverland."
Kanjiro? A sub-general? "Where's Nikado," she asked him in a low tone.
"Have you gotten attached to your pet, Queen? He's in his room. He might be dying," he added with a shrug. "It was a lot of blood."
"You bastard--" This has to be the man that had sired Nikado, it could be no other. With a wordless snarl, she raised her hands, distorting the air in front of her, hoping to distort him as well.
The man dodged easily, fading back into the shadows again, and Domani cursed, looking around. "He doesn't seem to want to be found, does he?"
"Hold on," Keisuke spoke up suddenly, "I have an idea." Raising his hand, he touched one of the mirrors in the hallway, all of them starting to reflect pure white light. Covering their eyes, Ameko and Domani could hear the muffled cry as the man stumbled forward into the white light.
"Good job, White Bishop," Jun stated, drawing his own sword and charging for the man. Kanjiro swept out an arm, tossing him aside as he backed up, the diminishing light of the hallway mirrors still too much for his Neverland eyes.
And then from behind him, Yukita appeared, touching a hand to his neck. "You left yourself wide open," she said softly. "I thank you for the opportunity."
He growled at her, turning away. "We'll meet again, Biela." And he then vanished, leaving only some drops of his own blood behind.
Yukita sighed, dusting off her robes. "What an obnoxious house guest. I am pleased that he was swiftly removed from the premises."
"What kind of curse was that?" Domani asked curiously. "I've never seen one like that."
"It is one of the oldest ones available, Winter King. It is called a 'bluff'. Still, he will have a hard time seeing it, and that should give us ample time while he attempts to remove it."
"You bluffed a sub-general of Neverland?" Ameko asked.
"You fought a full general. It is rather tardy of you to be intimidated at this stage, Winter Queen."
Ameko shook her head, then moved down the hall. "Where's Nikado?" She opened his door, gasping at the blood smeared all over the floor. There was so much, it seemed impossible to survive, but Nikado was still breathing, panting in pain as he struggled to move. "Nikado!" Ameko cried in alarm, putting his hands on his back. "Hold still, don't move. You're in danger."
"You're... the one that's in danger," he gasped out. "Did you see him...?"
"Yukita's driven him off. Hold still," she ordered firmly as he hissed in pain, drawing his claws across the floor. "Just relax, I'll fix this as fast as I can."
"Where is Yukita?" he asked after a moment of agony had passed. "Has she finished it?"
"Yes, she has," Yukita's voice came from the doorway. "What a terrible mess. I am right here in attendance, if you were still unaware, White King."
He sighed. "I'm in no mood for your sarcasm right now, snow witch. What have you prepared that's going to stop him from getting in here again?"
She held up something that made a little jingling noise. "Were you aware, White King, that bells are often used in the forest and most kingdoms to ward off evil?"
"Evil as in Neverland, or some other evil?"
"A bit of both, I suppose," she said after some thought. "At any rate, that is the basic premise?"
"So you're giving me a bell?" he asked, squinting up at the object.
She held it out, and he could see that it was indeed a round bell, attached to a collar with a little loop, the bell making a pleasant tone as it moved on the collar. "Bells ward off evil by disrupting the presence of evil energy with its tone, breaking it up. This works on the same principle. It is designed and spelled to break up the magic being worked through your blood. I cannot say it will completely eliminiate the effects; most likely, there will still be some pain caused by spells attempted within your blood. Still, it should prevent them all from being completed."
Nikado's ears went back as she knelt by him, attaching the collar with a smooth, quick move. Nikado held the bell out in his hand, looking at it, his ears flicking back and forth as he tried to determine how he felt about the magical item. Ameko smiled. "It's quite cute, 'kado."
"I'm not sure that makes it any less embarrassing," he muttered, rubbing at one of his ears. "So with this I should be able to move around, right?"
"I doubt you will be doing much moving in the next several days," Yukita pointed out to him, "but yes, you will be free to move about the White Rook and wherever you please. The collar is spelled so that you will not have to worry about losing it or having it come to harm. As a matter of fact, it is exceedingly difficult to lose or remove. That fact should protect you if Kanjiro discovers that you have such a protection and tries to remove it from your person."
"So it's difficult to get off?" he asked with a frown.
"Yes. For starters, you would have to have not shed a drop of blood for a fortnight," Yukita said. "Though, of course, there is a single fast and easy way to remove it."
"What's that?"
She smiled at him, her icy predator's smile. "It will be released if it should come in contact with the dying or dead blood of your father. After all, if he were dead, there would be no more use for the bell, am I correct?"
His ears flicked back at that. "I'm going to take you back to the bed," Ameko told him. "I want you to rest. I'll stay with you for a little while, okay?"
He nodded. "I shall leave you two to attend to your own affairs, then," Yukita said, rising. "Do make sure and take care that something is done about all this blood on the floor."
Nikado shook his head as she left, pulling himself onto the bed with Ameko's help and some difficulty. "She has strange priorities sometimes."
"Well, it's not like she's human. Do you want something to eat? I'll bring you a drink. Kei!" She went out into the hall, looking around for the boy. "I guess he ran off to give us private time as well."
"Come back to the bed," Nikado whined, kneading his hands against the blanket. "I want you to rub my ears and you can't reach from there."
She laughed at that, sitting on the bed and rubbing his ear obediently. "Say, Ameko," he murmured, "I know you don't think any less of me because I'm a cat, but...do other humans?"
"Other humans? None of the Winter Court thinks ill of you. They're all quite fond of you. Well, except for Domani perhaps, but I think he's warming up to you as well. Why do you ask?"
"Well...you don't think they view me as an animal, do you?"
"An animal? Cats aren't animals, Nikado." She scowled at him. "Did your father say something to you?"
"How could you tell?"
"Because you seem to get all your idiotic ideas from your father," she pointed out, leaning over and curling herself against him, resting her head on his hip. "Cats aren't animals, Nikado. To Neverland, I suppose anything that isn't them would be considered as such, I suppose. They view themselves as superior to everything in Wonderland."
"He frightened me again," Nikado confessed, pressing his back agaisnt her stomach. "He told me he wants me to become a cat of Neverland."
"But it's not possible, is it? Neverland's evil aura is poison to a cat. You'd never survive becoming a creature of Neverland."
"Ameko, I'm half human. Humans have no problem with going to Neverland." He sighed.
"Even so, I would think that your cat half would override that. A poison that's only half as effective can still kill you," she pointed out.
"Yes, but what about Keisuke and Daisuke? They're only a quarter cat. What if they have children with a human? What if someone tries to exploit that with them?"
"I think as long as they have cat traits, they'll be safe from Neverland," Ameko reassured him, reaching over and taking his clawed hand. "If at some point the cat blood stops showing up because it's so thin...then they're no worse off than I am."
"Did he try to take you to Neverland?"
"No, and I hope he doesn't try. You're not the only one afraid of Neverland, Nikado. I'm terrified at the thought he might try and take me there. What if he... did something to me? What if I get taken in by his evil and...."
"You won't," Nikado reassured. "You definitely won't. You of all people are the most safe from him. You're far too strong to be taken in by evil, Ameko. That's one of the reasons I feel safe around you. I know you'll stop me if I do anything wrong."
"Yes, but...." She sighed, then gave his hand a squeeze. "All right, you win. I guess you're right. I'll forget about it and continue on work in the morning."
"Will you stay here for a while?" he whispered.
"Of course I will." She gave his hand another squeeze. "I missed staying in bed with you. Even though technically you're not there half the time."
"I'm jus glad this is all over for the moment," he said with a shake of his head. "I was about to go crazy, being locked in this room. Cats aren't designed to be confined, you know. Some cats like staying indoors and I've heard of a couple that don't mind spending all their time in one or two rooms, but on the other hand, most of the time that desire is really just a fear of what's outside their room."
"It's over now," she reassured him. "You can wander all you like in the morning. Or tonight if you're awake after I've fallen asleep."
"We could go back to our room, you know."
"You probably shouldn't be moved far," she said, pulling his hand around and giving it a kiss. "I worry about you."
"I worry about me, too. And about what Neverland might try to do next. But right now...I think I'd rather sleep than worry."
She chuckled at that. "Good night, Nikado."
