Run-in with the Black Sheep Ch. 8

Run-in with the Black Sheep Ch. 8

Chapter Eight

Rain awakened to the sound of soft knocking on the door of the room she was in. Rain groaned as she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her as she tried to get up. She plopped her head back onto her pillow and gestured with her hand, "Come in..."

Riff came in, followed by Mary Weather, "Are you feeling well now, Miss Rain?"

Rain only stared at the ceiling as she nodded, "I'm alright..." She turned to look at the two, "What about Cain? I saw that I injured his arm when he was trying to control the Dark Angel..." Rain said guiltily.

Riff looked at Mary Weather, and then looked at the older girl, "Cain is fine, his arm was bandaged"

"How long was I out for?"

"A couple of hours..." Mary Weather said. "Riff said your breathing was faint and you barely had a pulse. You were lucky." Mary grinned tiredly, "Come to think of it, you're the only woman Cain has been fond of that hasn't died so far."

Rain rolled her eyes, Great...This guy has some real bad luck when it comes to relationships...Just great... Then Rain smelt something unfamiliar "Is someone else in the house? Besides the maids and you guys?"

Riff nodded while Mary Weather rolled her eyes, "There is our 'friend', Oscar..."

Mary Weather huffed, "He's almost as bad as Big Brother Cain! Except he wants to marry me for some reason."

"But you're ten!"

Mary Weather nodded, "So you agree! I've told him no for what seems like the hundredth time already! He's stubborn!"

Rain only laughed, "May I meet him?"

Riff glanced at Mary, "I don't think that's a wise idea. Since you look like Cain and Cain looks like Oscar's dead fiancée, it's best to avoid him. He might flirt with you too."

Rain tilted her head, "Okay then..." Rain stood up as Riff handed her a dress shirt. Your jacket's being cleaned, as is your vest from the other day."

Rain nodded, "Thanks Mister Riff. You too, Miss Mary Weather." Rain then looked at Riff. "Riff, can you escort me to where Cain?"

Riff nodded as he turned to exit the room. "Follow me."

Rain trailed after him. "Hey. Wait up!"

As they reached Cain's room, Riff stopped, "He's not angry with you, but he could be resting. It could be best if you'd..."

"I won't wait. He may not be angry, but I still injured him. I won't take that sitting down."

Riff smiled, "Very well," he knocked on the young Count's door, "Lord Cain, Rain wants to talk to you, Sir."

From the other side of the door, Cain spoke, "Come in."

As the two entered the room, Cain was reading a novel. As he looked up to glance at the younger teen and the silver-haired butler, Rain then averted her gaze to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with the Earl.

Cain gestured Riff to the door. As he left, Cain asked, "Are you well?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah fine... I just came to apologize about your arm. I didn't mean to cut you." Rain muttered as she glanced at him, and then back at the floor.

"It was only a minor laceration. No harm done."

"But-!"

"There's nothing wrong. Now, I have to ask you a question."

"Huh?" Rain finally looked at Cain, "A question? Ask away."

"Do you remember anything about your childhood?"

"...!?" Her blood turned to ice as she heard the question. "M-my...childhood? Why?"

"When you were in a comatose state, I was near you, and I could've sworn that I saw a vision of you as a child."

"Me...? As a child?" Rain thought it over and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I've been trying to figure that out for years. I can't remember a thing."

"So you're saying you have amnesia?" Cain said, raising an eyebrow.

"All I know is my name and a few memories everytime I so much as think about it when I'm in my house." Rain said solemnly, guilt and mortification evident etched into her facial features. "I won't be of any help..."

"What do you know?" Cain asked quizzically.

Rain drew a slow, deep breath, "Well, I remember this young woman, Rin. I think in a way, she was like Riff. She was always there for me. She was also lively and taught me many things, kind of like a personal caretaker." A tear ran down her face.

"Was?"

Rain clanked down at the floor again, "I don't know what happened to her, but something tells me it's my fault." Rain trailed off as she touched the pendant on her choker.

Then she collapsed to the floor, eyes widened as she fell into another flashback. "Rain, what's wrong? Answer me!"

"Rain is a curse to us all, Rin!"

"But Kuma, she's still human-!"

Hun cut off Rin, "That brat may look human, but her bloodline says otherwise. Her mother was married to her uncle! It's such a scandal to even have such a child in this house!"

"But Hun, Kuma, both of you, she's only ten! How can she seem so..."

"...Evil? Simple, inside of her, is also a genetically altered trait, one that can take her anger and mold it into uncontrollable power." Hun explained, "When we killed her parents, that anger built up, that choker on her is what's keeping us alive!"

Rain was hidden as she heard the conversation.

"I have heard enough out of you, Hun! I'm ending the conversation! Good Night!" Rin swiftly turned on her heels and she slammed the door behind her.

As she was turning the corner, she saw Rain sitting on the floor against the wall, hugging her knees as she quietly sobbed in her arms. She looked up at Rin and frowned deeply, "Am I truly a monster?"

Rin's eyes widened, "Oh my Lord. You heard, didn't you?"

Rain nodded.

"I'm so sorry," Rin said as she kneeled down to embrace the young child.

Rain gasped as she awoke in Cain's arms, tears streaming down her pale face. "No..."

"Rain, are you alright!?" Cain said as wiped away the tears from her light irises.

"I'm a monster...?"

"You were talking while in a semi-conscious state. But, why would they..."

"I don't know..." Rain sat up, earning her a jolt of pain in head and causing her to wince.

Riff then ran back to the room, "I heard you scream! Is everything alright!?"

Rain looked up at Cain's butler and shook her head, "Everything's alright, Master Riff. I just...uh...saw a spider and tripped over my own feet and Cain...uh...asked if I was alright." Smoooth, Rain. Real Smooth... she thought as she looked at Cain, who looked at her with slight amusement.

Riff turned to Cain, "Is this true, Lord Cain?"

Cain nodded, "Yes Riff, it is."

As Riff left, Rain got up and helped Cain up. She then looked at Cain, "Am I allowed staying over here for the night?"

Cain dusted off his jacket, "I don't see why not. We have plenty of extra guest rooms."

"Thanks, Lord Cain."

"Please, call me Cain." He said as he saw Rain to her room, "If you want, one of the maids can give you a nightgown to sleep in."

Rain nodded, "Okay, but you're lucky I keep a change of clothes in my bag, otherwise you'll have one ticked off mercenary on your hands."

"Yeah, I believe I would," he murmured as they reached her room, "Here we are. If you need anything, ask one of the maids to send you, or I'll just come to check on you if I hear anything suspicious."

"I appreciate that, Cain. Thank you." Rain spoke softly as she bowed slightly.

"Mercy," Cain said as he saw one of the maids pass by.

The woman stopped, "Yes Milord."

"Can you go fetch a nightgown for our guest here?"

"Right away sir," She curtsied as she trotted off.

"She'll be back in a minute." Cain said as he was about to leave. Then he looked over his shoulder, "If there's anything you remember, tell me at once."

"But-"

"Don't argue. It's not only important to you, but it's important to me too." He then turned and left.

Rain placed her hands on her hips and huffed. Who the heck put him in charge? I wonder... She then felt some unknown guilt for him, Oh well; I guess I should give him some credit. I mean, I've only known him for two days and he's save my life thrice! I must be getting weak...

She then went into her room to wait for the maid to come back.

That night, when she was sleeping, Rain had another flashback.

"I hate this place! Kuma, Hun, those two ought to burn in the deepest pits of Hell after a slow, painful death from drinking the deadliest poison ever discovered by man!" Rain said as she used a dagger to butcher the long locks of scruffy, brown hair-leaving her hair that way all the way up to the present.

She then played with her pendant; "Now for this..." she ripped the choker from her neck and threw it against the wall.

"No Rain! Don't!" Rin immediately ran into the room before Rain's memory blacked out.

Seemingly, an hour later, Rain awoke to find the choker back on her neck and Rin was lying on the floor in her own pool of blood. "Rin!" The young girl ran to her side and cradled her blood-soaked body in her arms. Rain started to cry, "Rin! Rin, please, speak to me!"

A pallid hand came up to her face as Rin choked on her own words. "Rain, please, look at me and listen to what I have to say..."

Rain looked at the fair-haired woman and sobbed as if her heart was being torn to pieces. "Rin..."

"Don't cry, love," Rin said, heard British accent almost broken as she felt blood pour from her stomach with each breath. "T'was not your fault, Rain-rain..." she said, using her given pet name to ease her pain.

Rain smiled sadly, "Rin-Rin..."

Rin frowned, however, "You should blame those monsters, Hun and Kuma. Those women kidnapped you, Rain. When you were a baby."

Rain only looked down at the older woman.

She coughed, making the small girl wince, "Then they poked and prodded you, using you as their little specimen and changing your genes, tainting your blood," Rin said mournfully...

"Hang in there, Rin! Please, what happened next?"

"That choker...should you take it off, your fury and thirst for revenge over the death of your parents and disappearance of your older brother." Rin felt tears fall freely from her blue eyes, "You got your name from your mother. Her final words to me were 'Please care for Ame no Shiboo...' or Rain of Death, hence your name. Your brother was said to have not been home at the time and was at Kendo practice."

"But does that mean I'm..."

"Please take this," the older woman said weakly as she handed the girl a box wrapped in black cloth and tied with a red ribbon, "Save us Rain, and damned Harpies..." were her last words before her eyes clouded over and the hand on Rain's face fell to the floor.

"Rin! Rin, speak to me! Rin!"