(I do not own Blood Plus, its characters, or its dialog. Blood Plus is the property of its creators. No copyright infringement intended.)

Welcome back and thank you for reading. I really do appreciate it. I plan on posting 1-2 chapters a week, so expect a chapter in that time frame. Enjoy

Chapter 2- Magic Words

It was now completely dark outside. The pitch black cover of darkness, with only the slight glow of Kai's flashlight, was like the perfect backdrop for a horror movie. Kai, tough fighter he was, was completely paralyzed with fear when confronted by the Chiropteran. He sank to the floor as it lunged at him, screaming and covering his head, fearing the worst.

Much to his surprise, when he looked up again, he wasn't dead. Instead, the Chiropteran stood over him, panting. Across the room, he watched as that creep helped Saya off the floor. She looked weird, too, like she was in a trance or something.

"Sword," she demanded, her hand outstretched behind her. It was so strange, watching her unsheathe it, and the strange passion that grew in her eyes.

The chiropteran stood, white, frothy saliva dripping from its teeth, and roared with such ferocity that all of the windows in the classroom shattered in an instant. It leaped, intent on striking Saya, who skillfully avoided it completely. There was a strange air of confidence about her that was unfamiliar to Kai, who still sat frozen with fear in the doorway.

Saya forced the Chiropteran to the ground in a heap of dust, and put her thumb to the edge of her sword, filling its crevices with plenty of blood. Somehow, she instinctively knew just the right amount of blood that was needed to slay the beast.

It came at her fast, and with one swift blow, she slashed it across its chest. The chiropteran was strong though, and she pushed hard as she struggled to work the sword in further. The beast groaned, and with one final heave, Saya cut it clean in half, spraying an excessive amount of blood all over the room.

"Sa-Saya?" Kai grabbed the doorframe, his eyes wide. She stood in the beam of his flashlight, covered in blood, and still in her strange trance.

"Kai?" she asked, in a voice unfamiliar to her. She turned, catching a glimpse of her reflection in one of the cabinet windows. She began to tremble so forcefully that her sword cluttered to the floor. She was herself again. Horrified, she took a few steps back, sobbing tearlessly. She covered her ears.

"No!" she screamed. Suddenly, it was like all the energy was sucked out of her. She fainted, falling into the arms of the cellist.

"You are beginning to wake up," he said to her unconscious form.

"Wake up? What did you do to Saya?" an outraged Kai approached the man, who spared him not more than a glance over his shoulder.

"You and that thing. What the hell is going on?" The cellist ignored him, walking toward the open windows.

"Hey, wait!" Kai called after them, following close behind. As the approached the windows, they could hear the sound of helicopters outside the building. The U.S. military was surrounding the school. Kai ducked, avoiding the search beam of one of the choppers. He looked up with wide eyes as the strange man grabbed him by his left arm, yanking him upward.

…

The military invaded the school, checking every hallway, classroom, and dark corner. They took in the damage through night vision goggles, searching the building for intruders and potential victims. The body of the English teacher, Mr. Inamine, was discovered quickly, and would have to be quietly examined and disposed of before any information was given to the public.

…

Van Argiano flicked a bon bon back and forth over the map of Japan.

"At school, huh? He pushed the candy one last time, revealing a red X on the map.

"It should all be over now," he said confidently, reclining back in his chair. It felt good to be the big man in charge. He turned toward the commander.

"There's no need to stress about it." The commander leaned on his desk, his hands together and his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"You are safe and sound," Van assured him.

"Perhaps, but it's those brave soldiers that are under my command that I'm concerned about. They're not your puppets."

"Hmm," Van shrugged. Just then, a report came in.

"Target to control, over."

"More quickly than I expected," Van commented.

"The extent of the damage?" the commander asked.

"No casualties on our side. We've searched the area and retrieved the body of a Japanese man, and the remains of some monster. There was no one else here."

"Hmm?" The commander straightened up, surprised.

"Interesting," said Van. A wicked grin spread over his face. "The mouse was dead. "

…

The cellist landed safely outside the building, dropping Kai on the ground carelessly. He straightened up, only to realize that the man had dropped them on the roof of another building. He watched as the man kneeled over Saya, who was starting to wake up.

"Kai?" she whispered, her face bloody, her black hair amuck, and her eyes still closed. He rushed to her side.

"Saya…Can you hear me? Saya?" He turned to the man.

"You bastard, what did you do?" It was useless; he was already gone. After looking around and making sure he was gone, Kai turned his attention to Saya.

"Saya?" It was no use. She'd fallen unconscious again. Kai knew he needed to take her to a hospital immediately.

…

Even after the wall clock in the hospital struck midnight, Kai was still by Saya's side, watching her intently. He wasn't about to let anyone hurt her again. What they'd seen that night had been horrific, and he didn't quite understand it, to say the least, but he knew with great certainty now that he must protect her. It was his duty.

That's why, even though he was exhausted, Kai was hesitant to leave, even after their father showed up.

"Hey dad," Kai greeted George as he let himself in. Julia was rummaging around in some medical supplies, trying to give them space.

"How is she?" George asked, his voice low. Kai looked back at Saya, his expression sad. He was worried that she still hadn't woken up.

"Kai," Julia began, standing up. "When you brought her in here, she was covered with blood." Julia attached a fresh pouch of blood for Saya's I.V. and hung it.

"Her pulse is normal, and she's stabilizing. She needs to rest," she explained.

"Of course," George responded. Julia pulled a basket out from under Saya's hospital bed. It contained her bloody clothes.

"We'll get rid of her school uniform."

"Yes," George said.

"I'll be back to check on her later," Julia said, smiling gently as she let herself out.

"Dad?" Kai began. "I saw Saya-" George put his hand gently on his son's head, silencing him. He knew the entirety of Saya's past, and could guess with great certainty what Kai had seen Saya do, but it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have, and he believed it would be better for Kai that way.

"Riku is worried," he said. "Now, go home and get some sleep." Kai sighed. He got up and stuffed his pants in his pockets, trudging away. I couldn't do anything to help her, he thought as he let himself out of the room and into the dark, empty hallway. Overwhelmed, he beat his head on the wall. For a while, he stayed there, feeling completely helpless.

"Dammit."

…

The next day was a bright and clear one, despite the events of the previous night. Kai who didn't get home until after one in the morning, awoke at 7:30 to find Riku cheerfully working in the kitchen, a small smile on his face.

"Morning Kai," he greeted his brother. "Breakfast is almost ready." Kai, looked at his brother, sleepily scratching his stomach. He couldn't quite figure out why Riku was so damn cheerful. It was true the boys were quite different. Kai was serious and athletic. And, while he was quick to react strongly to situations and become angry, Riku was cheerful and tried to remain optimistic, no matter what.

"Dad didn't come home last night, did he?" Riku asked, skillfully finishing up what he was cooking in the skillet.

"Right," Kai turned on the TV and sat down at the table. To his surprise, the news was on. On the screen, he could see a large crowd gathered at the school.

"We now go live to the scene of the grizzly crime…"

"Kai, that's your school they're talking about, isn't it?" Riku asked. Both boys stared in shock as the reporter told, much to Kai's dismay, a completely fabricated story.

"An arrest was made early last night," the female reporter in the purple pants suit said. "Police believe the suspect taken into custody is responsible for the series of bloody murders that began in the Nago district."

"Taken into custody?" Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The suspect in question is twenty-one year old U.S. Marine Private first class Charles Hatcher. Hatcher allegedly entered the school grounds of Koza High School at approximately eight p.m. and murdered Mr. Junichiro Inamine, an English teacher working late, and barricaded himself in the facility, and after a short standoff, surrendered and was taken into custody by the military."

Across town, George was watching the same broadcast, and couldn't believe what he was seeing either. Whatever horror his kids had gone through the night before was being covered up, for whatever reason, by the U.S. Military.

According to an unidentified military officer, the suspect had a severe drug and alcohol problem. The military has denied Okinawa P.D. access to the site. The marines are also refusing to extradite the suspect and release the body of the victim according to the status of forces agreement. Fierce public backlash regarding this matter has already begun.

…

Kai stood on the sidewalk in front of the school later that morning, his black bag over his shoulder. He frowned as he saw the large crowd of news reporters that was gathered in front of the gates. They were apparently trying to bypass the U.S. military, who were guarding the school.

Great, he thought. Suddenly, a pair of pale, nicely manicured hands wrapped around his shoulders. Mao.

"What's up with you, you grumpy face?" she teased.

"Mao," he acknowledged her, but turned his attention back to the mob.

"They think they can do anything just because they're the military. You know they won't even let the Japanese police in there?" Much to her dismay, Kai proceeded to walk away without her.

"Hey, wait Kai!" she called out. "Where are you going?" It was going to be a long day.

…

Inside the military base, the dead, ashen-colored body of the chiropteran lay on an examination table. Men in yellow biohazard suits gathered, ready to start the autopsy. Observing from behind a window was none other than Van Argiano.

"Slice the mouse in half like a piece of cheese," he said, staring at the body in fascination. "Now, where could the other one have gone?"

"We're still searching, sir," said one of the men, who began to slice across the creature's head. They had to be very careful, for zooanthropy was highly contagious, and it would only require a small amount of blood to become infected.

"I never dreamed the mouse would come back to us on a slab!" Van stood, gesturing dramatically. "This is not good. Don't you agree?"

"I'm trying to work Mr. Argiano!" One of the men yelled.

"Stop your whining," Van said, suddenly serious. How dare he talk to him that way?

"The question is, just who could do such damage to our precious little mouse, and then walk away unharmed?"

…

Back in the hospital, Saya was starting to wake up. She turned her head and opened her eyes to find her father sitting by her side.

"Father?"

"Saya. How are you feeling?"

"I…I…"

"You collapsed at the school," George explained carefully.

"At the school? Last…night I went back to get my shoes…but…but I can't remember…" She closed her eyes, trying to remember. "It had to be something very important, I think. The competition!"

"Now, now. Don't you worry, Saya. There's always the next one."

"Um hmm." Suddenly, Saya's stomach growled. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her blanket. George just laughed.

"I picked you up a little something," he said, putting a plastic grocery bag on Saya's bed.

"I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up."

"Thanks, dad. Thank you." Moments later, she hungrily chewed some sushi.

"Here, try this," George offered her something still in a package.

"'Kay." George heard something outside the door. When he opened it, he discovered it was David.

"David?"

"I need to speak with you."

"Saya, I have to go downstairs for a while, so promise me you'll eat," he called back to her.

"Promise," she said, her mouth still full.

…

After school, Kai stuck around, not ready to go home. He sat by himself on the stone wall that separated the street from the sidewalk, thinking. He felt awful, and not just because he'd barely slept.

"Kai?" his thoughts were interrupted once more by Mao Jahana. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

"How long are you going to pout?" she asked, sitting down just feet away from him. "Listen, why don't we go to the American mall? I hear they've got really good movies."

"No, not today," he said, his eyes fixed to the ground. Couldn't she see he wanted to be alone? She was frustrated now, and getting in his face. Mao didn't like to be told "no."

"What's the matter with you?" she demanded to know.

"It's really none of your business, Mao."

"Ugh!" She stood up, balling her fists in outrage. "This is all because of your sister, isn't it? Ever since she started living with you and your family, she's been nothing but trouble."

"You're just imagining that."

"What happened?" She pulled back. "Kai, you've changed so much. You're really nothing at all like the great guy I used to know. I'm tired of you moping around like you did last year when you were injured and had to quit baseball. What's up with you, huh? The Kai I remember liked to go to parties, movies, hang out and laugh. You used to have fun." What she said was true. Things had changed since he quit baseball. But who was she to act like she knew him so well? Sure, they had gone out a few times. And yeah, she was attractive, beautiful even. And they had shared experiences. But to Kai, they had only been experiences, nothing more. Clearly, Mao had gotten the wrong idea, and now he was going to have to draw the line.

"You're right," he said, a giant, sarcastic grin fixed to his face. "I haven't been myself. But you know, you snapped me out of it, so thanks. Time to have fun without you," he said, poking her in her forehead. As he walked away, glad to be away from her and amused with himself, Mao called out, "Kai, you're an ass!"

…

The hospital waiting room was empty except for George and David. As soon as they sat down, David jumped right to the point.

"According to our investigation, not only did they have to remove a dead man from the high school, but also the corpse of a slain monster. I'm sure you can probably figure out what happened there, can't you George?"

"David, weren't you going to wait until she remembers all this on her own?"

"I'm sure it was Saya that killed the monster. I don't know what triggered it. But she seems to be waking up. We need her back." George thought about this for a second.

"Do you want me to tell her everything?" he asked.

"There is no guarantee that she won't repeat what happened back in Vietnam. But it's a risk we are willing to take."

….

Saya stretched, content with having finished the rest of her lunch.

"I'm stuffed," she said aloud. "I guess I should get dressed," she said, noticing the purple bundle that contained her clothes on the nightstand. She pulled on her clothes and fixed her hair with her fingers, carefully checking her appearance in the mirror. That's when it happened.

Before her eyes, Saya saw an image of herself, crimson-eyed and covered in blood.

"What…what was that?" More images invaded her mind. Mr. Inamine's dead body from the night before. A chiropteran claw. The cellist. The beast's glowing yellow eyes. Her eyes again, red with fire and bloodlust. She looked down at her hands, imagining them covered in blood.

"No!" She shut her eyes tightly, trying to chase the horrific images from her mind. She opened them again, and looked down at her hands, which trembled madly but were completely clean of any blood.

"I just…at the school. Where's dad?" Panicked, she quickly made her way through the hallway. She stopped partway as she was walking down the stairs.

"But Saya is-"

"Why are you hesitant?" David asked. It's necessary you return Saya to us." He sat at the end of a row of chairs, wearing a black suit and tie. His hands were clasped in his lap. She heard her father sigh.

"I don't think that will make her happy."

"Happiness? Have you forgotten the significance of her existence? Saya is the only weapon in the world that will allow us to fight against them. There is no one else that can stop them. "

"She is my daughter," George said firmly.

"George, don't tell me you forgot. You know what happened during the Christmas bombing in Vietnam. How much longer can you keep pretending to play family with Saya? You realize you've become much too attached to her. But remember, Saya will fight, fight, and fight until the end."

Saya couldn't believe what she was hearing. She clutched her shoulders, trying to physically hold herself together.

"She was born just for that, and you'll never change her."

"Alright." George gave in. "I'll talk to her tomorrow." David stood up.

"It has to be tonight. We're running out of time." He turned and left. As George was about to walk up the stairs to Saya, he saw another one of the exit doors close.

"She couldn't have!" He walked as quickly as he could to Saya's room, which he found empty.

"Saya?" Just then, Kai walked in the door.

"Kai."

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Saya has gone somewhere."

"What did you say?"

…

"Hello? Miyagusuku residents," back at pub Omoro, Riku cheerfully answered the phone.

"Oh, hi Kai."

"Is Saya home?" Kai asked hopefully.

"No. She's not here right now."

"Oh. Okay bro. Talk to you later." He hung up and put the cell phone back in his pocket.

"Well, it looks like Saya's not home."

"What now?" George asked, his arms crossed.

"I'm gonna go," Kai said.

"But where are you going?"

"I know a place. Trust me."

…

Saya sat on the beach, bathing in the orange glow of the sunset. Nearby, a young girl was playing with her dad. Saya longed for what that girl had. She wanted a dad that was all hers to play and laugh with. She didn't want to be a monster.

Seemingly out of nowhere, she heard the sound of a Cello. When she turned her head, she saw that man again, sitting just yards behind her. She got up and approached him slowly, carefully deciding what she was going to say to him.

"Who are you?" The man continued to play, his eyes closed in deep concentration.

"Tell me, do you know who I am?" She demanded. He opened his eyes, but did not cease to play.

"Do you know what I am? Please just answer me!" He finished the last notes of the song, and withdrew the bow gently. He was a very patient man.

"I'll tell you, but once you know the truth about yourself, there's no turning back." Before he'd even finished speaking, they could hear Kai's motorcycle approaching.

"Saya," he called out, parking his bike and running to her. Displeased, the man began to put his Cello back in the case.

"You bastard!" Kai yelled. He took a swing, but the cellist dodged him effortlessly. Saya watched as Kai continued to lunge at him, and the Cellist dodged him step for step.

"Damn you!" Kai threw one last punch, but the man caught him, launching him into the air and flipping him on his back. Saya ran to where Kai lay, covering him with her body to prevent any further assault.

"That's enough! Please stop!" She begged. Kai winced in pain, his back aching.

"Saya…" Kai was surprised to find Saya protecting him. Surprised, and well, amazed.

"If that is your wish, then I will be certain to obey your will, Saya."

"What?" As soon as she looked up, the man was gone.

"That man. I think he knows something about my past," she told Kai, who sat up, rubbing his head.

"Did he tell you anything?" Kai asked, starting to feel guilty for interrupting.

"No," she looked down, sadly. "Nothing."

A while later, they were staring up at the night sky. The sun had set, and a large, crescent moon illuminated the night sky. Kai lay on his back, his legs crossed and his arms behind his head, and Saya sat with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"I don't know what happened to me at school," she confided in him. "I woke up and there was…blood…all over. I don't even know who or what I am."

"Don't worry," Kai said. He uncrossed his legs and sat up. "I'll always be by your side, Saya, no matter what. Riku and dad'll be there, too. We are a family. So you gotta remember. You'll always be a part of the family." He smiled at her. "An important part of the family."

"Kai," she smiled back at him, feeling touched by his words.

"Nunkurunaisa."

"Huh? Nunkurunaisa?"

"It means it'll all work out." Kai stood, putting his hands in his pockets. "Dad likes to say that a lot. Like when you first came to live with us. Or like when I quit baseball and started getting into all kinds of trouble. Whatever will be, will be. It's a magic word."

"Nunkurunaisa," Saya repeated, smiling at her feet.

"You got it, Saya."

"Yeah," She wiped a tear from her eye as her stomach began to growl.

"Let's go home," Kai laughed.

"Let's," she agreed.

The cellist watched from a distance.

…

David sat in the van, conducting business over the phone. "Of course, yes," he responded. "Yes, I am aware of the danger. But it's important we get Saya back in our control." He hung up the phone. He picked up the picture that was laying on the dash, and turned it over. It was a picture of Saya and the Cellist, dating back to the late 1800's.

Lewis tapped on the window, prompting David to roll it down.

"Bad news sir. It is confirmed, it looks like another mouse is running loose through the city. "

"I see."

The problem was more dire than they thought.

…

Back at Omoro, Riku turned as the door opened. "Welcome back," he greeted them politely.

"Saya!" George called, pleasantly surprised.

"Hey dad."

"You're probably hungry, right?" George asked.

"Dad tried out a whole bunch of new recipes," Riku explained as he sat the last of the dishes on the table. Indeed, their father had prepared quite a feast. George turned his head as the phone rang. He wondered who could be calling at this hour.

"Hello there, this is Omoro. George Miyagusuku speaking." In the background, he heard a man moaning, and the persistent yapping of a puppy.

"Hello? Hello..." He hung up.

"What's wrong, dad?" Riku asked.

"Just a wrong number I guess," he said, not wanting to worry the kids.

…

Inside the phone booth, the man sat against the wall. The phone hung over his shoulder, it's busy signal protesting. He breathed heavily under his hood. His flesh began to crack, and a chiropteran claw formed from what was a human hand. In one swift motion he struck, silencing the poor, yapping puppy once and for all, and draining it of its blood.

He needed help, and he knew just where to go to find it.