Chapter - 2 Awakening

Kata stopped walking to gaze at the sky, as a US army plane roared overhead.

Okinawa, huh? What a weirdly optimistic place. Kata smirked, causing her pocky stick to flip up towards the cloudless sky. Kata turned and began to casually walk down the wide street, her leather jacket tied around her waist, a welcoming cool breeze caressing her bare arms below the sleeves of her pale blue t-shirt. Kata, unlike her purposefully irritated stride in London three weeks previously, was simply strolling without any apparent destination or purpose, enjoying the sun. She had already found what she was looking for; the cocoon, discarded and broken out of. That meant the Queen was awake; Kata could sense she was still within the boundaries of Okinawa, as could many Chiropterans; the huge blood-sucking, bat-like beasts were drawn to the presence of the Queen. Kata frowned as she walked past a news reporter, camera crew and small crowd of onlookers; another murder was being reported. The press were proclaiming it the work of a serial killer, and most would have accepted that. Kata's eyes, however, immediately recognised the work of one, if not two or three, Chiropterans.

Sucking on the Pocky, Kata frowned, now deep in though and looking less and less like a care-free tourist on holiday. Something was definitely up. Kata's frown deepened.

Why the hell aren't you doing anything about these Chiropterans Saya? I mean, it's not like they're hard to find, I've killed two already. Geez.

Suddenly, Kata felt she was nearly deafened as a loud, harsh, grating school-bell rang, from what felt like next to her ear. Surprised, but still composed enough that the Pocky was still firmly lodged between her lips, she turned as a steady stream of students began to filter from the school building she was standing in front of. Ignoring the curious glances, she read the sign imbedded on the wall of the School, next to the gate. Koza High School. Kata straightened, and turned to continue walking down the street, taking another pocky from her pocket. School, huh? Maybe if I'm here for a while I'll go… Lost in thought, Kata walked away from the school, as the girl known as 'Saya Otonashi' left with her adoptive brother Kai for the hospital, mere metres away.

THE NEXT DAY, EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING

"Ah." Kata took her pocky from her mouth as she nudged the dead, crystallized chiropteran, now cut in half and surrounded by a circle of blood, with her foot. "Welcome back, Saya." She murmured. She turned to look out of the window, just in time to see a black shape take off again from a building a few miles away. "Just missed 'em, huh? Damn you Hagi." Suddenly Kata stiffened, her head turning slightly as the sound of footsteps pounding along the corridor reached her ears. "Oh. That's why they left in such a hurry. Well, I'm off too." She said to herself. Kata and the US Military generally didn't see eye to eye. By the time the troops entered the class room, expecting to have to fight a practically unbeatable monster and loose most of their comrades securing it, Kata was long gone, as was the person who had slain the chiropteran.

Hagi stood on the top of a nondescript grey building, near the Hospital where his beloved now slept. Though his facial expression didn't change much, he appeared to be frowning more than usual. His Queen wasn't awake yet.

Kata, yet again eating a pocky, stiffened. She was sitting on a block of flats, and in the alley down below, she could see the Queen she had been seeking. Kata, swinging her legs, was about to jump down from the derelict block of flats she was sitting on, when Saya began to drink Hagi's blood. Making a disgusted face, Kata stayed where she was. She really didn't want to get in the middle of that.

Since discovering the first chiropteran Saya had slain since awakening at the school, Kata had watched bits of her life from afar. Not much, since something different about the Queen made her keep her distance, but enough to know what had been going on. Saya seemed reluctant to join the Red Shield again, which was really off, because although she had never really liked them, she had always accepted their help. She also had refused to fight a chiropteran, causing her father to be severely injured, which was even weirder.

Since when has Saya not wanted to fight? It's like a religion to her. Along with eating like a pig, and treating Hagi like a family member. Huh. When I start thinking about it, Saya's actually pretty annoying. Oh well. Ah! Kata dropped her pocky in surprise, and it spiralled down into the now empty alleyway. Crap! They've gone! Huh? Who the hell is that? Kata, now standing, glanced in surprise down at the young boy who had obviously been following Saya. He looked about twelve, and as she watched, a man she knew ran up to him. David. Her eyes narrowed.

But her gaze was torn away from the big blonde man and the young adolescent as a cry not unlike a lion's roar rang out across the darkening sky. However, loud though it was, it did not reach many people's ears. Chiropteran. Kata's eyes narrowed again, and she was off. Realising she would be seen if she travelled over the rooftops, she dropped down to street level just around the corner from David and Riku; whose name she picked up from David's concerned calling of it. Just before she began to run, so fast she blurred to a blue streak, she heard Riku's next words.

"What is that? What? It sounds like a lion roaring…" Kata was off before she could properly consider that, racing after Saya and Hagi, but as she ran her mind was racing.

He can hear it! She thought, the thought half a question, though she already knew the answer. Oh shit, that is NOT good. Ack. Hope he doesn't want to join the Red Shield anytime soon… and with that her thoughts moved on, as fast as her body was moving.

Kata arrived at the abandoned warehouse bare minutes after Saya and Hagi, but by that time they were already fighting the chiropteran. Kata stood in the rafters, eating a new pocky stick, invisible to all. Only one, huh? Looks like they don't need my help. She watched impassively as Saya and Hagi fought the monster. She'd seen that before, Kata didn't care much for the annihilation of a chiropteran, so she surveyed the warehouse. There was a dead woman behind a pile of the crates, drained of blood. Ouch. So they couldn't manage zero casualties this time, huh? Then a ginger haired boy caught her eye. He was cowering in the corner, a gun in his hand, eyes wide as he watched Saya plunge her blood laced katana into the chiropteran. As the blood entered the chiropteran's system, it choked; cracks appearing in the place around the wound, the surrounding flesh turning to stone.

He's… um. Ah! Kai, Kai Miyagusuku, her… adoptive brother. Interesting. Her eyes flickered back to the fast crystallizing chiropteran. Did he come after revenge? Weird. But I guess this is the chiropteran that injured his dad… huh. What a weird guy, coming after a chiropteran with nothing but a gun. Luck Saya saved him. With that, Kata's attention once more focused on Saya, done killing the chiropteran. Kata watched as the blood red glow faded from Saya's eyes. Kata was about to leave the rafters to join Hagi and Saya, when the Queen began to shake violently. Her katana dropped to the floor with a clatter, and Saya dropped to her knees mere moments afterwards.

Kata paused on her rafter, frowning as tears began to fall from Saya's eyes. Kata's eyes widened as it clicked. So that's what's been bothering me for so long now… she… doesn't remember anything. Biting her pocky with a playful smile, although there was no one to see it, Kata faded back into the darkness, watching as the Red Shield –damn them - charged in, guns a blazing like fools hoping for war, and then David quickly took control of the situation.

Interesting.


I wrote a bit much... oops! I tend to get carried away and forget to start new chapters etc, so if my chapters are a bit long, I'm so sorry!

Please review!