Hey guys here is the next VOLUME in this saga.
Hope you enjoy and review
HUNTER AND VAMPIRE
VOLUME 20
PARADISE
Previously on Hunter and Vampire
Rei, Asuka and their friends faces off against two Generals of SEELE, Matarael and Sahaquiel, two powerful beings stronger than Bardiel ever was. Having defeated them with near closes ends, the group reunited but notices that Shinji had gone missing from their group. Then a new enemy appeared, revealing himself as Adam and the true leader of SEELE. Asuka, feeling how powerful the new enemy was, was forced to give up the Angel Tear to him leaving them powerless. Now that all the Angel Tear had been assembled….could it really be the end of the world?
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Downtime
It was already night time.
The full moon was shining in the sky, bathing one side of the world in it`s silvery blue lights. In the city of Hokkaido, inside of the hotel room the group had been staying in, there was a tense silence.
The atmosphere was heavy with tension that it could be cut with a knife. Rei herself was beside the window, glancing toward the city around them every few minutes. Lilly was seating on the ground, the sword she had taken from her enemy lies on her laps along with a large sport bags. Kaworu himself was seating upon one of the armchairs, his aura relaxed, considering the situation.
Hikari was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall, her eyes not moving from Kaworu`s seated form. Asuka herself had her head lowered, her red bangs hiding her face from everyone.
Then the door leading into one of the room opened and Misato stepped inside, drawing their attentions.
"Shinji is going to be fine," she said, "He simply had a few bruises from fighting capture no doubt…but other than that, there is nothing wrong with him."
"Thank God," Asuka whispered the relief loud in her voice.
That drew Rei`s attention.
"He may be safe but at the cost of the rest of the world," she said.
Asuka focused her attention upon the vampire.
"This man…this Adam," Rei continued, "He is going to raise the Evangelion and destroy Humanity, and you Asuka just handed him over the pieces he needed to do that."
Asuka was surprised hearing what Rei was saying. She stood up from where she was seating down, looking at Rei dead in the eyes.
"What are you saying Rei?" she said, "That I should have let him kill Shinji?"
Rei narrowed her crimson eyes.
"You can`t save everyone Asuka," she said.
"I did what I had to do," Asuka told her, "To give us a chance to fight again."
"How are we going to that?" Rei asked her, her voice rising a little, "Without the Angel Tear, we can`t use any of our magical abilities…You are simply a Hunter now, just as I am only a Vampire. Those Paths themselves have all their powers intact."
She let out a dark chuckle.
"We`re as good as dead, and thanks to you the rest of the world might as well follow."
She spun around leaving a shocked Asuka looking at her back before the Vampire jumped out of the window and out of sight. Lilly let out a sigh from where she sat.
"Damn bloodsucker," Hikari cursed, "It`s thanks to what Asuka did that we`re still alive."
"It`s okay Hikari," Asuka whispered.
"Damn it Asuka," Hikari said, "She basically said that you should have let Shinji die."
"It`s just her anger speaking," Lilly said standing up, "Don`t take it by heart."
Hikari glanced at her.
"How would you know?"
Lilly smirked.
"I grew up with Rei," she said, "I know her better than most of you. She isn`t used to surrender to an enemy. She either kills him or the other way around. It could be her pride as a Pureblood, or a former soldier of the Shadow."
"The what?" Asuka asked.
"The Shadow Division," Kaworu spoke out, "They were Vlad Drakul`s personal army...kind of a last resort forces. It`s from where that the legend of Rei Ayanami "The Doll" had been born."
"Don`t call her that," Lilly said.
"The Doll?" Asuka was curious.
Kaworu nodded.
"When she slaughters her enemies," he said, "In the past, she never used to show any kind of emotions and followed orders to the letter. Heck, if Vlad Drakul had told her to kill herself, she probably would have done it."
"Kaworu, enough," Lilly snapped.
"No need to get snappy Elizabeth," he said.
"My name is Lilly damn it,"
Kaworu simply smiled.
"I won`t waste my time arguing with you," Lilly said before turning toward the three Hunters, "Look, how about you get some sleep. You three look dead on your feets."
"Yeah," Misato said, "We could all use some rest."
Lilly gave her a smile before walking toward the window and jumping outside.
"What about you?" Asuka asked.
"I`m going to take a stroll outside," Kaworu said, smirking at her, "I don't believe either of you will be comfortable sleeping with a Vampire there. But Rei had a point earlier…we soon may be facing the end of the world."
He gave her a knowing look before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
It didn`t take Lilly long to find Rei. It wasn`t like the older Vampire was trying to hide anyway. She saw her seating upon a random roof seemingly thinking. Lilly approached her, and she was sure Rei knew she was here.
"You know," she said, "You didn`t have to be so cold toward Asuka earlier."
Rei tightened her hands.
"But it`s true isn`t it?" she said, "We don`t have the Angel Tears anymore…We can`t face SEELE as we are now."
"You`re not giving up are you Rei?" Lilly asked her.
Rei didn't answer.
"Rei, you don`t need Magic to win against SEELE," Lilly told her, "You didn`t become a skilled fighter with that magic sword you know. You are still the same as you were long ago, back when we first met."
She was now taking a seat beside the blue-haired girl.
"You didn`t have that sword back then," she said, "and you still manage to do some amazing stuff."
"But we can`t face them," Rei said.
"Will you just stop it," Lilly snapped.
Rei gave her a surprised glance.
"You may not have magic," Lilly continued, "But you`re still a Vampire, a pureblood. A descendant of Vlad Drakul. You are still faster and stronger…you still have those instincts…So we`ll use them as our weapons. We are not out of the fight yet Rei."
The latter continued to stare at her and Lilly can see she had gotten through her.
"Thanks Lilly," she said, "I needed to hear that."
Lilly smiled at her.
"Now, you`ve got to apologize to Asuka," she said.
Rei looked down before sighing.
"I know," she said, "Hey Lilly."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Thank you," she said, "For always staying at my side."
Lilly leaned toward her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you for allowing me to."
Rei let out a soft chuckle.
"What`s so funny?" Lilly asked.
"I`ve always wondered how true happiness felt like," Rei said, "For us Vampires, that source of happiness is our mates. I had found mine and yet…I can`t be with her."
"What do you mean?" Lilly asked, confused, "Asuka loves you right."
"I know she does," Rei said softly, "and I love her back…which is probably why I am giving her up to Shinji."
Lilly`s eyes widened.
"Rei…," she whispered.
The blue haired girl crimson eyes showed the raw emotions she was feeling.
"I have made my decision long ago," she said, "When all of this is over…I will disappear along with it."
Lilly watched her.
"Can it even be done?" she asked, "Giving up a mate."
"I don`t know," Rei said, "But I will make it happen. It will be better like this…for both of our sakes."
Lilly can only hope that Rei truly believes that.
A choice is made...
R&R Jacques0
out.