Disclaimer: The characters from Seiken Densetsu III/Secret of Mana II belong to Square(enix). I own the demons, apart from the carmilla Sciel whom belong to Pokefreak_85. I do not make money from this, since I'm writing it for my own enjoyment and because it just won't leave me alone. Oh yeah, I might earn a few snickers from the readers, I hope, but that's it.

There I was, dead-certain I would finish my latest projects without starting any new ones, when the plotbunny attacks. Just like that. Goddamn violent easterbunny ripoff, throwing plot-eggs at my poor well of inspiration. While Pokefreak_85 happily cheered on. Curse thee both!

This will be short though. Sciel first appeared in Pokefreak's story "Mirror, Mirror…" and there will be a few vague mentions to that, but I won't spoil it. I still do recommend it though! Not only is the story funny, just the mere idea of somebody calling our evil half-blood "uncle Rakadra" and getting away with it… bwahaha!

And uh, yeah. This is labeled Humor/Horror because the demons are flirting really… ehm… not gently. Just warning ya, peeps.

Ready or Not

The air fizzled. The surroundings fizzled. Heck, even the ground fizzled.

It was probably due to all the lava. Or because of one creature's seething rage.

"Aww, will you stop being such a grouch?" a female voice said.

There was a strange bubbling sound in reply, which for a moment overpowered the noise of flaring, cracking, melting rocks.

Sciel stretched out on the red hot ground beside the lava pool, letting a yawn of delight escape her pale, full lips. Despite this, her looks fell back into a slightly concerned one - for a carmilla at least - as she settled again. She propped herself up on an elbow, adjusting into yet another seductive position.

"You know, you really need to get a grip, sweetie," she continued, absentmindedly plucking at the straps of her pitch-black bikini - as if it could POSSIBLY become any more revealing.

"Blurp, bubble, blurp!"

Small bubbles in the flowing lava joined the bigger ones before Rakadra's face as he growled. Or at least before what could be seen of his face since he was submerged to half his nose. The eerie eyes were needlethin, heatedly glaring at the boiling air.

"Okay..." Sciel said, now playing with a lock of hair that enticingly had fallen down over her throat, "so we lost..."

"BLURP!"

"Yes, yes, I'm not exactly pleased either. But there's no use in just moping away like you're doing, either."

"Blurp?" he snorted.

Sciel thoughtfully caressed her own lips with a finger.

"Why don't you get a girlfriend or something?" she suggested.

Rakadra sat boltright up, spluttering out a mouthful of lava.

"WHAT?!"

*



In the Beast Kingdom, Beast King - to his subjects' and most of all his own amazement - fell down a stair.

*



Kevin suddenly petrified, the glass of water he had been raising falling out of his hand to shatter against the floor in a chaotic mess of transparent materials and liquid.

"What is it?!" Lise exclaimed in surprise, her chair hitting the floor as she rushed to her feet.

"Dad!" Jason called.

*



"Beast King?!" several rather shocked beastmen and women called as they came dashing from all directions to aid their fallen leader.

Beast King had fallen down a stair! This could only mean the end of the world...

The great beast stood, shaking his head for a moment of disorientation. Then he growled.

*



"I suddenly felt a bottomless horror..." Beast King and Kevin, unknowingly, said simultaneously.

*



"What does that... WHY?" Rakadra meanwhile coughed, punching his own chest to get rid of the drops of lava he had inhaled.

Sciel broke out of the admiring of the rivulets of molten lava slowly sliding along the half-blood's muscular torso and legs, slipping over the black swimming trunks.

"Well, for as long as I remember we've been saying that Kevin was your bounty," she said, "so by that logic Jason wouldn't be YOUR problem."

"He's not my problem, he's the figurehead of my rage!" Rakadra snarled, flexing his wings angrily which sent red, burning drops flying, "I want to see him burn, writhe in agony, his little body..."

He went on and on, hardly listening to Sciel.

"See, this is what I mean. Your parents knew no joy like the one of plotting their prisoners' torture and the demise of their enemies, together."

She sat up, thoughtfully studying the flexing muscles as Rakadra clawed at the air during his rant, his thrillingly long, sharp nails slicing the clouds of heat. The forked tongue danced between his lips, oh so sexy wings bellowing enticingly. Mmm...*

"It's such a waste that you're single, it's all I'm saying," she said, then tilted her head thoughtfully, "or do you just swing the other way?"

"... While Kevin begs for mercy in the backgr- WHAT?"

Rakadra stopped dead, for a couple of seconds blinking, dumbfounded at the carmilla's surveying gaze. After a while he caught up and blew out an impatient cloud of charred air between his lips.

"No!" he snapped, more irritated at her persistence than anything else.

She looked rather miffed at first. Only later did "Rakky" realize that he had just killed off her biggest excuse for why he wasn't head over heels for her.

Right at that moment he was too angry to care about what she really was thinking, beyond the rate of aggression.

"I don't have time for this!" he snarled and turned around, stalking across the surface of the lava.

He cursed under his breath as he reached the other shore only to realize that his shirt and pants had turned to ashes, leaving him with the swimming gear. Grunting he flapped his wings and took off into the eerie, flowing sky.

"And Sciel!" he shouted over his shoulder just before disappearing out of sight, "this is not a challenge, so don't even think about it!"

"Yes, yes, I understand..." she murmured.

She laid down on her back again, lazily bending her left leg and hanging the right one over the bent knee, waving at the "sky" with her toes.

Hmm, this sure was a challenge!

She had no particular interest in Rakadra herself - not more than in anybody else. One like her was just too good to be set on just ONE, of course. Mmm, but it really WAS a waste to leave Rakky alone. The more she thought of that, the less she could stand it.

After all, she had a responsibility too! Schree had - theoretically at least, it was a bit hard to be sure - been a distant relative! 'Sides, Rakadra's human blood made it rather easy for him to open portals to the human realm. The demons couldn't risk that he'd drop dead all of a sudden and rob them of that advantage.

The carmilla gracefully got to her feet and left the pool to go looking for possible huntresses. She cackled at the thought of how angry Rakadra would be when he found out.





*(crying) Ohh, that hurt SO MUCH to write…

Rakadra in swimmingtrunks… excuse me now gentle readers, I will have to go through a purification rite.