Emiko's head hurt. It swirled with the combination of the ringing in her ears and the sound of unfamiliar voices. She couldn't make out what the voices were saying, or even whether the speakers were male or female. She could tell that their was at least two of them, maybe three, she couldn't be sure though. She cracked her eyes open, peering around in confusion.
Her eyes met three sets of red eyes. The voices continued to speak, but she ignored them, and instead studied the three people in front of her. They were beautiful. The furthest person to her left was a woman, with curly blonde hair and pointed ears-something that should've made Emiko feel cautious, but she didn't understand why. She spoke, but none of the words made sense, so instead Emiko watched mouth, intrigued by the small fangs that stuck out every time she moved her mouth.
Emiko turned her attention to the person in the middle. She was beautiful, like the woman to the left, but had a more child-like appearance than that of the other woman. She had short blue hair, and similar to the woman beside her she had pointed ears and small fangs when she spoke. She smiled brightly, almost sadistically, at Emiko, but in her disoriented state she didn't notice it. Finally turning to the furthest person to her right, she found this person to be a male, with messy red hair, but a long black braid hanging over his left shoulder. Like the women, he was attractive. He had an entertained look in his red eyes that made Emiko want to smile. He also had the pointed ears and fangs.
Now that she had observed those in front of her, she attempted to make out what they were saying. It was hard at first, everything was coherent, but it seemed to become a jumbled mess when it hit Emiko's ears. Finally though, the ringing cleared and she could make out their words.
"Do you think she's dumb or deaf?" That was the small bluette. Emiko wanted to feel offended by the notion that she might've been dumb, but found she merely laughed, a small noise that was followed by a short cough. That caught their attention, and all three pairs of eyes watched her curiously. Emiko didn't know what to say, or how to respond. So, she merely said the first thing that came to mind.
"You're all beautiful," She stated in awe. She wasn't coherent enough to feel embarrassed by her blunt statement. She merely watched their responses to her words-the man laughed and winked at her, while the two girls smiled in amusement. Emiko didn't quite understand what was so entertaining, but she found she liked when people smiled, so she smiled back.
"What should we do with her lord Crowley?" The blonde spoke quizzically. Emiko assumed Crowley was the male, so she turned her attention to him. He didn't respond, but merely continued to watch Emiko curiously.
"Why were you passed out on the battlefield?" He asked her. Emiko cocked her head to the side in surprise, and finally took in her surroundings; she did indeed seemed to be lying on a battlefield. It looked to be a ruined city, with decay and despair at every corner she could find. Rubble covered the near empty streets. Emiko turned her attention back to them.
"I don't know." She answered, her voice filled with wonderment and a childlike curiosity. She didn't sound too concerned, and she wasn't. Besides the ache in her head, she didn't look to be harmed. While a small part of her thought she needed to be cautious of the people in front of her, she wrote it off as paranoia and shrugged.
"You don't remember?" The blonde woman asked. Emiko thought hard on it, and realized that she didn't. In fact, it seemed the only thing she did remember was her name. How strange, she thought. Emiko shook her head.
"I...don't...remember...anything. Where am I?" Emiko asked, a sense of panic starting to fill her now. She didn't know much at the moment, but she did know that having no recollection of who she is or where she was, was a reason to panic. Her panic was cut short though, as the bluette in the middle started to squeal.
"Can we keep her, Lord Crowley, please? Even if she is livestock, she's adorable, I want a new plaything!" She begged Crowley, a pleading look in her eye. 'Livestock?', Emiko thought curiously. She didn't particularly like the title she had been given, but she didn't know what it meant, so she kept quiet.
"Chess…" Crowley started off, but the bluette-named Chess-didn't give him a chance to continue.
"I'll take good care of her! I'll make sure she gets food and water-I'll set up a kennel in my room for her to sleep in!" She promised. Crowley raised an eyebrow at the girl, standing up and brushing himself off.
"Even so, she's a soldier, Chess. She even has first class weapons. It's best we kill her now. Horn, take her weapons." He ordered the blonde girl. Horn moved towards Emiko, reaching for the silver gun at her left side, sitting on her hip. Emiko acted without thinking, reaching out and grabbing the woman's hand. Emiko didn't feel like herself as she glared coldly at the woman, a deep hatred settling in her heart.
"Touch that gun and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Emiko all but snarled at the surprised woman. Horn looked up at Crowley in bewilderment, unsure of how to proceed. The quick change in personality had nearly given the beautiful woman whiplash. Chess gasped suddenly, staring at Emiko with a new look of shock and fear. Crowley, however, narrowed his eyes at Emiko, watching her carefully.
"Her eyes!" Chess exclaimed, leaning towards her. "And did you see her hair, Horn? I've never seen that before!" She sounded more excited than afraid now, but Emiko had every intention of fixing that. Horn pulled her hand back to her chest, staring at Emiko warily. Emiko ignored her for now; she was in a staring contest with the male. He was the strongest of the three; if she defeated him, the other two would most likely retreat. Acting quickly, Emiko did a one-handed back handspring, kicking her leg out in hopes of hitting Horn-the woman moved back just in time. Emiko stood to her feet and grabbed each gun at her hip and pointed at the enemies. Chess and Horn both stood slowly. Emiko watched them with a mix of caution and excitement; she was itching for a good fight. And then, suddenly, a white shock of pain pierced her head, and she gasped, dropping the guns to the ground.
The pain ended quickly, and she looked back to the three people in front of her, confusion leaking into her face. "I don't...understand." She whimpered. Horn moved to take the weapons off the ground, but Crowley held out an arm, watching the girl with an unusual look of contemplation.
"Do you think the demon is taking control?" Horn asked quietly. Crowley didn't respond, taking a step towards the confused Emiko.
"We'll help you," He said, a false kindness in his voice. Emiko didn't question it; she leapt out, wrapping her arms around the tall man's torso. She let out a small sob, crying into his jacket. Crowley looked towards Horn and motioned towards the two guns lying on the ground. As soon as Horn touched the black gun lying on the ground, Emiko's head shot up, eyes locking with Horn's in warning. Crowley placed a hand on the girls head in a comforting manner. "She's only holding them for you." He spoke quietly. It was enough to appease Emiko, and she went back to crying into his jacket. Chess approached Crowley, giving him a questioning glance. Crowley shook his head, warning the girl they wouldn't speak here. Crowley gripped Emiko's shoulders, pulling her back to look at him. "Our queen can help you. Can we take you to her?" He asked, the kindness once again lacing his words. Slowly, Emiko nodded, but continued to stubbornly clutch onto Crowley when he attempted to force her away. With a playful roll of his eyes, he picked her up. The three began to walk back to the base, until the saw Emiko nod off. Then, they began to move at a brisk pace, but still slow enough to speak.
"What are you doing, Lord Crowley? She's a human, aren't we going to kill her? Or send her to the camps for livestock? Are we really going to take her to the queen?" Horn asked. Crowley nodded.
"There's something wrong with her." He stated, sounding more entertained than uneasy. The second he saw her blue eyes turn red and her blonde hair turn white, he was curious. But it was the look on her face that made him contemplate the girls true nature; He didn't believe a human capable of going from a look of complete innocence to one of such malice so easily. He sensed no deceit from the girl either. Besides, Horn and Chess couldn't tell, but the smell of her blood was...strange. She almost smelled like Mikaela, but it was different. Perhaps Horn had been right, and it was merely the demon from her weapon taking control, but he found his instincts told him differently.
"Well, duh!" Chess said with a huff of indignation. She crossed her arms over her chest with a small pout on her lips. "She seemed so cute one second, and then she turned all scary the next! Her mental state was fragile though, it was probably just the demon." She answered. Crowley shot Chess an amused glance; she became jealous so easily. Crowley said no more to his aides, and merely continued walking. Once they took a much quicker pace, they arrived at Sanguinem fairly quickly. At the doors, Crowley had a message sent to the queen, requesting a meeting. He didn't wait for a response, but merely continued on through the city towards her manor.
He received strange looks from humans and vampires alike, but he ignored all of them. He arrived at her manor quickly, being greeted at the door with a message from the queen, letting him know she was waiting for him in the throne room. He had Chess and Horn wait outside as he walked in, setting the human down on the stairs to the throne and waiting patiently for her to say something.
A mixture of emotions crossed Krul's face as she looked from Crowley to the human at her feet. First, surprise, then curiosity, and finally annoyance. She propped her face up on her hand and looked to the noble boredly. "Why is there a human from the army sleeping at my feet?" She asked Crowley sharply. He grinned.
"I thought you wanted soldiers from the army captured and under your control?" He asked lightly. Krul gave him a deadpan look. He laughed lightly. "Chess, Horn, and myself found her unconscious in Shinjuku. It seems her memories are gone and-"
"And?" Krul interrupted harshly. "She probably hit her head while fighting. I don't see the point of bothering me with her, Crowley. Get rid of her." She said dismissively. Crowley merely continued to smile.
"Very well," He replied and moved towards the slumbering girl. He raised a sword to her, and moved to stab her. Inches before his sword reached her heart, a hand snapped up, gripping the sword in her clenched fist. Blood pooled down from her hand, the scent instantly causing a hunger in both the vampires. But it was not her blood that caught the queen's attention. It was her reflexes, and the fact that her hair had turned white and her eyes were blazing red. It was unusual, to say the least, for a human. She glared at Crowley hatefully, and didn't even flinch as she gripped the sword tighter in her hand and attempted to pull it from his grip. Even Crowley was surprised as she ripped the weapon from his grip and tossed it across the room, the weapon clanging against the wall harshly before hitting the ground.
Crowley took a step back and laughed sheepishly, looking from the violent girl to the queen, amusement clear in his eyes. Krul watched the girl closely. She was curious; she'd seen humans overtaken by demons before, but she seemed different. Something about her wasn't right. Her blood smelled far too much like Mika's and she'd never seen a human's appearance change so much when possessed by a demon. Her interest was piqued.
The girl then gave a small shout, clutching at her head suddenly. The white faded back to blonde, and when she reopened her eyes, they were a deep blue. Her eyes were wide and frightened as she looked around the room, eyes landing on Krul. 'Interesting', Krul thought. 'It almost appears as if she's fighting for control with the demon, but even that isn't quite right.' Whatever it was, Krul wanted to find out.
"You say you found her in Shinjuku?' She asked Crowley once more, standing from her throne and approaching the frightened girl. She couldn't be older than eighteen, Krul realized. She was quite pretty for a human as well. She'd make a beautiful vampire. Crowley nodded at the queen, but she didn't see, too preoccupied with observing Emiko. Emiko looked at the queen as well, and slowly the fear started to fade as she realized the girl before her had no intention of hurting her-at least not at the moment. Emiko gave Krul a small, unsure smile. Krul smiled back, if not out of amusement. "And her memories? They are gone?" She continued. Crowley nodded once more. Krul gave a small hum, surveying the girl for a moment, before turning to Crowley. "You may leave." She ordered. Crowley gave a (somewhat) taunting bow, and turned, leaving the throne room.
"What is your name?" Krul asked. Emiko looked up at Krul, meeting her gaze.
"Emiko. But...I think...I prefer Emi." Emiko answered unsurely. Krul smiled.
"Very well, Emi. I am Krul, Queen of the vampires here in Japan. What all do you remember?" She asked, turning and once again sitting on her throne. Emiko stood slowly, thinking it over. What did she know? She was hoping that perhaps something had come back to her in the short while since she woke up on the street, but she was coming up with a blank.
"Nothing. It's all a blank. All I know is my name. And...and that I seem to be one person one moment, and then someone else the next. Is that normal?" She asked, looking up at Krul for help. Krul didn't respond right away. She watched all of the emotions that crossed Emi's face, wondering if perhaps she was simply a very good actress. Krul didn't get that impression. The human seemed genuinely confused. Krul sighed.
"I'm afraid I don't know what to do with you. You're clearly not normal, for various reasons. Perhaps I shou-" She was cut off by the doors opening abruptly. Both Ferid and Mika walked. Ferid looked to Krul in amusement, not even once looking at Emiko. Mika, on the other hand, looked extremely irritated, if only to the trained eye. Krul was one who could read Mikaela very well. Ferid must've done something to agitate him.
"My beloved queen, I-who is this?" Ferid asked, eyes finally landing on Emiko. Emiko was no longer paying attention to Krul or Ferid though, instead, her eyes were deadlocked on Mika. She moved quickly, so quick it managed to shock both Krul and Ferid. She had a brown whip in her hands, one that had been carried on the side of her uniform, but had been overlooked. She paid no heed to Krul or Ferid as she snapped the whip, the rope wrapping around Mika's wrist and squeezing tight. Blood spilled, the small spikes all around the whip digging into his skin.
Mika looked confused, and then pained. He moved to grapple with the whip, only to have the spikes dig into his skin deeper. He gritted his teeth and attempted to rip the whip out of her grasp. He had no luck.
Emiko stared at Mika with a hatred so deep she even felt afraid of it. "Filthy angel," Emiko snarled, pulling the whip tighter. She wished she had her guns at the moment, but Horn had never given them back. She would go looking for them later though, that was a promise.
Krul stood from her throne, moving towards Emiko at a brisk pace. "Emiko, release him now!" She ordered loudly. Emiko made no movement to release her hold. Ferid merely watched in amusement, smiling calmly.
As quickly as Emiko attacked, it was as quick as she stopped. The piercing pain traveled back through her mind once more, causing her to lose both her grip on the whip and on the situation. She fell to her knees, giving a cry of pain and clutching at her head. The hatred that had crawled into her heart had dissipated and she looked up with wide eyes, staring at the angry face of Krul.
"Oh dear," Ferid said, enjoying this far too much. "Mikaela you are bleeding all over the carpet." He chided playfully. Mika merely gripped at his injured arm, glaring at Ferid coldly.
"Mika, leave. I'll be with you in a moment." Krul told him. She slid her gaze over to Ferid. "What do you want?" She asked flatly.
"Oh, I merely had some things I wanted to speak to you about but I can see you're busy. I'll come back another time," He nearly danced out of the room, amusement written all over his features. Mika soon followed, still clutching at his injured arm. Krul sighed, looking down at Emiko once more.
"Why did you attack Mika?" She asked. Emiko's eyes widened.
"I...I don't know. One moment, I was fine, and the next...the next all I wanted to do was destroy him. All I could think was how much I hated him. What's wrong with me?" Emiko asked Krul quietly. Krul watched her carefully. Krul wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Emiko, but she had an idea. Krul reached a hand out to Emi.
"Come with me and we'll find out."