Azusa looked at a saddened Tokha, as Shiina asked, "Is something wrong with Tohka?"
Azusa said, "Let me have a few moments alone with her. Shiina, you may assist."
Shiina nodded, as Lan and the others were told to leave to another room. They left, as Azusa said, "So, something wrong with Tohka?"
Shiina whispered, "She has not been the same. I think… when Vega became one of them… right in her eyes… She's been shattered…"
Azusa said to Tohka, "Okay… Tohka… Do you remember who you are?"
Tohka didn't respond. Azusa asked, "You knew of what happened to your mother, Tia?"
Tohka held up the doll and said, "Tia… My mother…"
Azusa asked, "Do you remember your friends and family?"
Tohka whispered, "Friends… Family…"
Azusa stated, "You have Ty Ko Ky."
"Ty…"
Azusa asked, "Do you have someone to have by your side, like a boyfriend?"
Tohka turned away and said nothing. She held the Tia Doll and whimpered, "Tohka… Family… Friends…"
Shiina gasped, "OH, NO! She is broken!"
Azusa said, "That is because she's traumatized… The Ty Ko Ky that she was a part of… the family that has this power and agency… all gone. It's like, she's lost a lot. And her heart, along with everything else, is broken. Does she have anyone else in her family and friends?"
Shiina said, "Only Shido and our father, Arthur. But they have been gone, overseas on a vacation."
Azusa nodded, "I see… And she has been rather lonely, broken up by the fact that, while Shido and Arthur were away, Tohka Yatogami's life turned into a twisted-up nightmare… all because of MIO and ROZ. She's almost like a broken toy…"
Shiina nodded and said, "Indeed. She's broken inside, because our grandmother and mother were soul victims and pawns, like the rest of us. It felt like she has semi-amnesia."
Azusa replied, "It can't be helped. Tohka has to recover, soon enough. I fear the worst, if she completely breaks down and die."
Shiina hugs her sister and said, "It's okay. I'm still here…"
Tohka did not speak, as Shiina hugged her, gently. She whispered, "I promise. Everything will be back to normal…"
She then looked at her sister, and noticed that she wasn't moving. She was still in tears, but it's like her body was shut off. Shiina sniffled, as Azusa said, "She's alright… Something inside her shattered…"
Shiina whispered, "Tohka, no…"
Azusa replied, "I'm going to watch over her, the young one. She needs to understand everything fully. But I can't help her fight, just yet."
Tohka became immovable, as Azusa felt her pulse. She spoke, "She's hopeless… But hope is what we need, and we need every player to end the nightmare that is awaiting us, back in the city."
Shiina pleaded, "Please, bring her back. She's all I have left."
Azusa replied, as Shiina let go, "I will try. Tohka's the only person out of this group to be torn by this moment, as her family is gone… with just you left. But… If she goes now, she'd be completely torn, to the point of being broken beyond repair, to coin the phrase, as her world would be in shambles, and no one could stop the darkness that surrounds her."
She stated, "Shiina, my advice to you is this… You two are not ready to go back to Ty Ko Ky Headquarters, and face your Grandmother, Queen Vega, who is now a vampire android. You're not strong enough to face her… or MIO… or ROZ… If you go now, they will take you out, and leading to disaster… and putting the rest of your friends in danger."
Shiina growled, "Okay, I promise… but… No… Jack… Miyu…"
Azusa said, "I will try to locate them. They may have escaped the vampires' grip, or they may have been slewed. But all we know is a good-bad situation: Good news is that the Ty Gem is back in Ty Ko Ky territory, while the Bad news is that MIO and ROZ have usurped it, with Vega as the de facto leader."
Shiina said, "Will you locate them now?"
"No. But it's too soon. If I do find them, I will tell you their whereabouts. As for our conversation, this is between the three of us. Tohka could not respond, being that her heart is shattered, losing everyone she loved, including Queen Tia, Vega, Kasai, Slade, and Sena. Slade is not in my senses, but we are aware of what became of Kasai, Sena, and Tia."
Shiina bowed and said, "Thank you. I'll do as you say. Tohka will snap out of it. Watch! You'll see!"
Azusa walked off, as Shiina whispered, "Tohka, you hear that? We'll find a way to stop MIO and save Vega."
Azusa stopped and said, "Are you sure about that?" and then, leaving Shiina puzzled.
Meanwhile, in Ty Ko Ky Headquarters, ROZ was preparing the agents of Ty Ko Ky for training, as she was controlling them. They were marching in a group formation, as ROZ ordered, "Left! Left! Right-left! All humans are worthless! The vampires will be the future race! Humanity is your enemy! You were once humans, until we changed you!"
She held up her red gem and giggled, "Beautiful… With the powers of the Ty Gem… and the Fuji Cores… and the Tokisaki bloodline… we shall be invincible… Thank you, Queen Vega."
She walked off, as she saw MIO in Vega's office, admiring Vega, displayed on a pedestal, while being touched up on her makeup. She finished her eyeliner and said, "Such a beauty of perfection… ROZ, you gave me such an obedient follower. All we did was make her into a vampire, and using my mother's powerful scientific ambition, we've created the first and only obedient vampire queen, master of the perfect world that I have visioned."
ROZ smirked, "Really? I thought it was Ikara Tokisaki's vision."
MIO flinched, and marked a little black mascara onto Vega's right cheek. MIO seethed, as she hissed to ROZ, "Never… mention… that miserable old fossil, ever again… She died, wanting to create the perfect world. She knew that all of our races will last forever… but what the old fool didn't know is that the bat never wanted a world of longer-lasting humanity… I wanted eternal life! But humans are so weak and sloppy, don't you think?"
ROZ huffed, "And why you suddenly created her as a robot?"
MIO said, "Ikara's knowledge grows onto me… Not only am I able to continue Mother's ambition…"
She grabbed Vega's neck and roared, "BUT I RATHER DEFY HER ORDERS, AND MAKE IT A WORLD OF DOOM AND GLOOM, WITH ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRES, AND ETERNAL DARKNESS! RUIN AND DAMNATION! I AM FUELED BY IT!"
She let go, as she placed the three purple gems inside Vega's chrome chassis. She then turned her on and called, "Queen Vega! Arise! ARISE, MY QUEEN! Begin the rule of a Perfect World! Your followers await you!"
Vega replied, as her body was mildly shaking, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Hello. I am Queen Vega. I am your master. Your ruler. Your queen."
MIO smirked, "Ah-haaaaaaaaaaaa… She may be a little rusty, but a little lubrication will do."
ROZ giggled, "Ohhhh… I love to lube you good, Queen Vega…"
MIO snapped her fingers, as a male agent in dead skin and a black suit bowed, "Do you call, Lady MIO?"
MIO said, "To your queen…"
The agent bowed, "Yes, Lady MIO…"
He approached Vega and kneeled to him. He said to her, "Queen Vega, your lubrication is ready…"
Vega approached the agent and then opened her mouth wide. She sunk her vampire fangs into the agent's neck, and he screamed in pain, "AAAAAAAAH! YES, QUEEN VEGA! YESSSSSS! LUBE YOUR CIRCUITRY WITH MY BLOOD! JEWEL-POWERED MAJESTY, MY BLOOD IS YOUR FEAST! ALL HAIL… QUEEN… VEG-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!"
He fell dead, as Vega was mildly drenched in blood. Vega spoke robotically, "Ahhh… My body needed lube… Just the oil for me… for my rule of billions…"
She hissed, as MIO grinned, "For every Jewel Man or Jewel Women, lubrication is what we need… and the only oil we lube ourselves with… is blood."
Vega cackled, as her arms were wide open, "Ahhh… I am Queen Vega… The ruler of the Ty Ko Ky, and of the Perfect World… All will kneel before me! This world will be… per… feeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr…"
Her eyes dimmed to black, and then dropped down to the floor. ROZ snuffed, "Nice one, robo-fang…"
MIO growled, "DAMN IT! WHO'S THE INSECT THAT FORGOT TO REINSTALL HER INTERNAL COMPONENTS?"
She opened her waist and showed her circuits are doused in blood. She snarled, "It's not water, but exposed circuitry plus plasma equals bad news! It goes right into our veins, not our servos!"
ROZ huffed, "Don't look at me. I'm full-vampire… What of you, half-vampire?"
MIO barked, "ONE-THIRD vampire! I am also 1/3 human and android!"
ROZ said, "You better let me have some techies work on it. You know, under my enthrall, and when Queen Vega is complete, we can truly begin conquest."
MIO nodded, "Indeed, Sister… And here I thought you say that you despise the vampire that I am."
ROZ smirked, "It all changed, when you ONE: took over the Ty Ko Ky, TWO: denounce the mother that created you, and THIRDLY: you have won, by eliminating the unworthy people, including Lan Hikari and Tohka Yatogami… By my estimation, our dear Ty Ko Ky doll is too sad by the fact that she's lost everything, and she is helpless."
ROZ viewed a motionless and heartbroken Tohka in her red gem, as she continued, "Soon, MIO, my sister, everything will be ready for you… After all, they know who you are, and a powerful leader like Lady Vega is perfect for your rule!"
"Indeed so…"
Vega was being dragged away into a wooden casket, and lied straight down. MIO said, "Dawn approaches, sister… We can live for the day, as we celebrate… We'll take the basement floor, since it'll be home for our boudoirs. No windows, no sunlight, all darkness… I even destroyed the lighting fixtures in the place. Fluorescent lighting… not my bag…"
ROZ huffed, "I slept for 3,000 years for that light?"
"At least it's not xenon."
"True… But xenon and fluorescent lighting are bright for my dead eyes."
"You and me both, sister… Shall we have a seductive night, before the sun comes up?"
"NO, I'm sleepy… We'll do it tomorrow. In the meantime, Vega's safe in her royal casket, as we'll finish the final preparations for our vampire queen."
"Yeah… Let's leave, for now, and slumber… my sister…"
They walked together, hand-to-hand, leaving to the elevators, heading to their basement quarters. Vega's coffin slowly closed, leaving Vega's prone, broken, and blood-soaked body inside, and remained inside. The coffin was closed in a huge slam.
SLAM!
The office began darkened, completely in dead silence, as the sun slowly rose up.
The next day, Azusa placed Tohka on the bed and whispered, "She's… She stopped talking."
She felt her pulse and said, "She's still alive, but it seems she's not responding, at all."
She placed the Tia Doll in Tohka's arms, and looked into her purple eyes. She said, "Weird… She looks different than before. Something about this girl is so strange. She is the daughter of Queen Tia, and after hearing the story of Queen Virgo, and the aftermath of the Ty Ko Ky, she's been completely torn apart. So why is she still alive, only to have her body as limp as a noodle? I want to have you train with me, if you can only speak to me about your issues. I want to help you, after all."
She felt her head and chest, "Cold, too. She's got the chills, as well…"
She gasped, "Wait a minute… If she's got the chills, why isn't she shaking?"
She felt her forehead and sensed inside her mind. She whispered, "She's not an android… I know that, since she's a pure human… And she's not made of ice and snow, like a golem… And she's not a vampire, since no teeth marks. So… what made her chill in complete trauma? She's about 25 degrees."
Tohka's eyes blinked, as Azusa said, "Thank goodness…"
Tohka asked, "Oh? Where am I?"
Azusa said, "You remember what happened that day?"
She sat up and held the Tia Doll. She giggled, "Ah! So cute~! She's a darling little doll…"
She snuggled it, as Azusa stated, "I'm happy that you enjoy it… but… the doll you have… … …is your mother."
Tohka asked, "Huh? Mom? She looks nothing like her."
Azusa gasped in shock, "HUH? SHE DOESN'T KNOW?"
Tohka said, "Oh, nice to meet you, cute Cat Girl. I'm Tohka Yatogami. I don't suppose you can tell me who you are."
Azusa asked, "Tohka… You remember your name… but…"
Tohka asked, confused, "I… Uh… Wait, where are we?"
Azusa replied, "We're in a safehouse, protected by a light barrier, from an evil vampire android that wants to extinguish humanity. Your grandmother, Vega, has become turned, being the vampire android slave to her master, MIO. You remember the Mount Fuji story, remember? The gems? Queen Virgo's pact with the Vampire King? The Ty Ko Ky?"
She yelled at her, "ANYTHING?"
Tohka said, "You don't have to yell at me! Also…"
She asked in worry, "What's a Ty Ko Ky?"
Shiina gasped, "Tohka?"
Shiina, along with Anode, Cathode, Ginti, and Lan, were shocked, as Tohka asked, "Huh? Who are you guys?"
Azusa thought, as she was trembling, "Oh, no… The shock about Vega and Tia… She's remembered who she is… but NOT the Tohka Yatogami we knew! Her mind's been shut off, and her memories are locked away tight, like between a concrete wall! And worst of all… She doesn't know anything about Ty Ko Ky! This is madness!"
Tohka asked, "Miss, why are you wearing that scarf? I want it."
Shiina cringed, grabbing Tohka, "Sis… Sis, it's me, Shiina!"
Tohka barked, "Get your hands off me!"
She shoved her off, and then replied, "Shiina, is it? You're NOT my sister! I have no siblings, but I have a boyfriend. Me, your sister, a cosplayer? That is so lame~…"
She laughed, as Shiina was petrified in disbelief. Shiina then yelled out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
She grabbed Ginti's clothes and wept out, "NO! TOHKA! SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HERSELF! AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW TY KO KY, AT ALL! SHE HAS THE POWER, BUT HER MEMORIES ARE LOCKED! ALL HOPE IS NOW LOST! WE'RE DOOMED! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!"
She bawled, crying on Ginti's chest. He grabbed Shiina and slapped her.
SLAP!
Ginti roared, as Shiina held her face, "WHAT CAN WE DO? And shut up! I want the last thing to have is crying and bitching about how hope is gone forever! I don't give a damn about Tohka!"
Anode cried, "GINTI! HOW DARE YOU!"
Cathode complained, "YOU IDIOT! You don't give a damn? YOU'RE HORRIBLE!"
Shiina said, "NO! No, it's fine… I needed that… Thanks, Ginti…"
Ginti said, "Anytime…"
Lan said, "Well, what can we do? We've lost Tohka to a huge case of amnesia!"
Azusa said, "Worse… Traumatic amnesia… You weren't supposed to know… This is between the three of us – me, Tohka, and Shiina."
Lan asked, "So, what can we do?"
Azusa replied, "Well… Perhaps we have to work together… Since Shido and Arthur are not back from vacation, you five will be under my wing… You see, I do not possess Ty Ko Ky, but the next best thing."
She then concluded, "Of course, we're going to train as much, so we can give the vampires the element of surprise! Our only option, despite losing numbers… is to train. And when you five are fully trained for my abilities, we return to the Ty Ko Ky Headquarters… find MIO… and ROZ… AND KILL THEM BOTH!"
They all nodded together, as Tohka asked, "Uh… … …Miss Cat Lady? What's a MIO? Is she a sort of-? Wait… Vampire?!"
She shrieked, and then fainted. She was lying on the bed, as Lan draped the covers over her body. She sighed and said, "Hmngh… Tohka Yatogami isn't useless… but she is a great help. For once, let's make this right, for her."
Azusa said, "Shiina, you are of Ty Ko Ky. You will tend to your sister. You are NOT to use your Ty Ko Ky to revive her. Sadly, that cannot be helped, at all. If you use it, it'll make things worse. The only safe bet, in her mental state, is to make her remember who she is… slowly, steadily, and carefully. If she were to be shocked completely, it will be a permanent hold, and we would not recover her true memories."
Shiina bowed and said, "I'll do as you say."
Azusa then ordered, "But… under no circumstances that you leave this building for anything. Until we are ready to fight MIO, you're both grounded."
Shiina nodded, and kneeled down in silence. Azusa barked, "I'M NOT YOUR MOM! You can speak, if you like!"
Shiina said, "Oh. Sorry. Well, when Tia grounded me, I chose to accept my punishment, to find Lan Hikari… and I did it, without her permission…"
Lan stated, "This is different. MIO and ROZ has Vega, and the Ty Ko Ky. The four of us will fight for you… But for now, Tohka needs you, more than anything else."
Shiina whimpered, "Please… … …save her…"
Lan giggled, "I promise."
Azusa stated, "I see you two are in a loving relationship."
She added, "Ginti, Anna, Catherine, you three come with me. It's time I teach you the basics, on how to stop a jewel-powered vampire…"
Cathode said, "We should… Plus, Shiina needs to be alone…"
They left to another room, as Lan said, "Shiina…"
He held her and said, "Listen, about the other day… when we…"
Shiina said, "I have a boyfriend, you know. That was just sex! And I was under an impulse! Besides, I did it for you…"
Lan replied, "I know… You really didn't have to cheer me up…"
"You're single now… and you lost Yui, because she chose to protect the Jewel Women from rising again. We can't lose anyone else… even my family… Tohka's the only family I have left. I lost Kasai… Vega… Sena… and Mother… I should've never found you, to assist me on the Jewel Women… and the vampire race…"
"You did…"
He kissed her on the lips and said, "You did it for me, after all… But… Let's agree to keep this between us. You have your love, and I'll find mine… someday…"
Shiina said, "Ginti told me that he was dating a small girl, during their last adventure."
Lan smirked, "Ah! Maybe I should meet her!"
Shiina gasped, "…AH! But they broke up, recently…"
She thought, "Ginti told me about this Otome Saotome. I guess she's his new girlfriend. But I feel sad that he let Mugi-Bot go. But it's for the best…"
Lan joked, "I was only kidding. I doubt he'd ever date a small child."
Shiina growled, "She's 18…"
"Yeah, so?"
Lan left, as Shiina sighed, lying beside Tohka. She whispered, "Tohka…"
She held her hand and prayed, waiting for Tohka to come back. Under Azusa's orders, she's not allowed to leave, and to make Tohka recover everything.
