Mysteries surround her End part

Don't own Rave Master, Okay now that that's out of the way let's get this show on the road!


Haru moaned as consciousness came flooding back to him slowly. His head was in a great deal of pain.

The mere sound of her best friend's stirring got Elie to bolt up from her lying position, partly because it was probably best to give him some air, and partly because it would be embarrassing if he were to wake up and find her snuggling with him.

"Haru? Haru, wake up." She cooed in an attempt to ease him back into the waking world.

The boy cracked open his groggy purple eyes and gazed painfully into her own worried honey colored orbs. He wished he was still asleep where he wouldn't have to deal with this pounding headache, but when he noticed Elie's wet cheeks his head pain was somewhat forgotten and replaced with concern and confusion.

The next thing that he noticed as he tried to moved his hands to rub his sore head was that he couldn't. Both of his hands were tightly wrenched behind his back and tied up with rope. Eyes going wide, he sat up and whipped his head in multiple directions. Were they in a moving van? An unsettling fear was sinking into the bottom of his stomach.

The boy turned back to his best friend. He had many questions and he was debating in his head which one to ask first and if he should ask them at all. The answer probably wouldn't be a pleasant one.

"What's going on?" His voice was strong and firm but fear could be heard. He had a nervous feeling he knew exactly what it was. Knocked out. Tied up. Thrown into a Van. He Gulped. Please don't let this be what it looks like.

"Haru some men grabbed us." Elie spoke. Fear was laced in her voice too, but it was steady as she tried to remain calm.

Damn! Haru's mind instantly went to all those cases he heard on the news about teenagers being kidnapped, tortured, and killed. No way! No way! This was not Happening!

Elie could see the panic in his wide trembling eyes and knew she had to be brave for him. "Haru, look at me. Listen to me. We are going to be fine. Just do as these men say and neither of us will get hurt. I won't let anything happen to you."

Haru was a little taken back by his best friend's demeanor. It was so unlike her. He'd imagine that she would be more scared than he was but the way she spoke every syllable so sternly and confidently, made her seem almost adult-like. This was nothing like the childish girl that he had come to know.

"W-what do they want with us?" He asked timidly, but most of his fear was quelled by Elie's promise of protection.

Before she could answer him, They both felt the van come to a halt. The slamming of a vehicle door could be heard followed by the uneasy foot steps that were coming closer to them. Both teenagers stared expectantly at the door as it slid open revealing a tall handsome man smiling at them.

The man wore a face that showed no worry. It didn't have a malicious look to it either. It was as if he was assessing the situation as something completely different than what it really was. It was like he was staring a lovely portrait rather than two kidnapped victims.

"What a beautiful question my unsightly friend. But that does not concern you." The man coolly brushed some of his long dark hair out of his face as he spoke. "We are finally far enough away from town, where your vassal resides. It's time for your beautiful transformation to begin my grace."

He held up a small vile and gracefully climbed into the back of the van with them. Elie was the one to voice the question both of the teens were thinking. "What are you talking about?"

"Why Your family legacy milady. The great magic of the Valentine family, passed on from daughter to daughter, each generation, Etherion.

Haru's eyebrows creased with that explanation. He had never heard that word before, but Elie looked like she understood completely. It was as if she figured that that was what they were after, whatever it was.

"It's of no use to you. It is sealed deeply within me. Only my vassal get un-break the seal." She snapped bravely.

"Yes, You had it sealed within you so that no magic detection radar would be able to locate you, but there are other ways of getting it out of you, though they are most unbecoming." The man responded as he advanced toward her with a small vile filled with a purple liquid in hand.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Haru finally found the courage to speak.

"Don't worry about it. Just drink." The man explained as he held the vile out towards Elie.

She shook her head no, fear coming back to her.

"Sigh. I rather dislike doing thins the ugly way, but if you insist my grace." He roughly grabbed Elie's face, pulling hard on her jaw until it opened up just wide enough . He pulled the cork of the vile with his teeth and forced the contents of it down the girl's throat. Elie flailed around as much as she possibly could, pulling back and kicking her legs violently in the air, but the man would not let go. She choked on the liquid that burned her throat, trying to spit it out and scream but it all came out as muffled groan's and sputtering. The man's grip on her was too strong to resist.

The sight of his best friend in such a strangled position, finally managed to kick Haru into high gear. "YOU, KEEP AWAY FROM HER!!!" He screamed in rage

They could do anything they wanted to him, but his friend was off limits. He pushed all fear aside and charged at the kidnapper. His hands were tied but he could still give a sold head but directly into the man's spine. Both male's fell to the floor with that attack, allowing Elie to get free. But it was too late. She had already consumed every last drop.

The kidnapper got up onto his hands and knees shaking with rage. Turning back to Haru he screamed "YOU LITTLE BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME!"

He got up off the floor and dashed back towards the boy, rage evident in his eyes. Haru tried to get up too, but without the help of his hands he couldn't accomplish this task quick enough. The man gave Haru a swift, hard kick to the stomach., immediately knocking the wind out of him. As he tried to find his breath a few more hard blows to his side left their mark, leaving the poor boy hacking and in so much pain. Suddenly, that headache he had earlier was feeling like bliss compared to the immense pain he was feeling now.

Haru was in trembling and the ground, lying in fetal position, as he cradled his bruised stomach. He didn't look up, but he could hear the man leave, muttering some profane curse words as he slammed the door hard. A few seconds later, the van was moving again.

It took Haru a few minutes but he was finally able to stop panting, as the pain very slowly began to subside, just leaving a few large bruises in its wake. Haru turned his head back to Elie. He just got the crap kicked out of him, that's why he was still lying on the floor, but why hadn't she gotten up?

"E-Elie…Are you alright?" He asked.

She didn't answer right away. Sweat formed on her body. It was getting unbearably hot for her, and yet she was starting to shiver. Something was defiantly wrong with her. Her heart was racing and her lungs were working twice as hard as they normally did to gulp down oxygen. It was as if her insides were panicking, but on the outside her limbs felt lethargic and heavy, it was so difficult to move them.

Haru could see a terrified expression form on her face as it lost all of its color. She was trembling, and breathing heavily, and she looked like she was about to shed tears of fear.

"H-Haru….." She weakly cried out "I don't feel good…."

~*~

It was always nice to have sometime to yourself. That's what Seig always thought. Sure he loved the Grand Duchess. She was almost like family to him, but it was just so nice to be able to just have the house to himself for the night, and the fact that she was out having a good time herself, just made it all the more sweeter.

Seig let out a content sigh as he laid back in his favorite chair. He turned on the reading lamp and proceeded to pick up on the last page he left off in the book that he had been enjoying for a while now.

He was just about to begin a new chapter when all of a sudden a feeling hit him. It started out small and continued to grow little by little with each passing second. His eyes went wide it couldn't be. There was no magic in outer world, except for his own and of coarse-

He stopped in mid thought. Now that he thought about it, the magic he was sensing was all too familiar. But only he could unlock Etherion, as the one who sealed it up in the first place. What was worse was that it felt so far away and getting farther with each passing moment. She shouldn't be that far, her school was only a few blocks away!

He stood up from his chair, dropping his book in the process. His heart was racing with fear. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible!

He mentally smacked himself. He could ask why later! The fact was it was happening! He dashed out the door forgetting everything else. Tapping into speed that he hadn't used in six years, he ran out to his car. In such a panicked state, it took him a little while to find his keys in his pocket, causing him to get extremely frustrated, more so than he already was. Finally he was able to start the car and drive off much faster than the speed limit dictated.

As he zoomed down the street in the direction of the magic he was sensing, he said a little prayer for the girl who he knew was in danger.

"Please be alright!"

~*~

It had been about an hour since Haru and Elie had been abducted, although there was no way for them to know that since, there were no clocks around to tell them the time.

Haru just sat there, leaning against the wall of the van. They had not stopped again since that man force fed Elie that strange concoction that made her so very ill.

There was only one small window in the van, although it was up much too high for the teenager to see out of it sitting down. Sometimes a light would briefly shine through because they had passed a street lamp or another car with their headlights on. The soft hum of the engine was very lulling for Haru. It helped calm him down despite the predicament both he and his best friend were in. He only hoped that it was in any way soothing for Elie too who needed all the help she could get.

Elie was currently lying down, using Haru's lap as a pillow. She was very sick. For the entire hour she had not stopped shaking, which was strange because to Haru she felt very warm. Her usual honey brown eyes were now lifeless looking, as they had glazed over. She just stared off into space as she deeply inhaled and exhaled.

Haru wanted to stroke her hair, or hold her close or do anything to comfort the suffering girl, but because both of them were tied up Allowing her to lay on him was all he could do for her. He knew that she was badly suffering but all he could do was gaze down at her sadly. He tried talking to her but it appeared that she was too out of it to respond. After a while he kept quiet, hoping that maybe she could get some sleep.

"M-momma….Daddy…. Where are you? I can't…. find you….."

Haru looked at Elie closer. She was mumbling something , but she didn't move an inch.

"They took them away…"

"Elie?" Haru asked concerned

She smiled a little drunken grin, but once again did not make any effort to look up at him.

"Haru…. Do you remember in history class…. how messed up feudalism was?… The nobility had it aaalllll wrong…. Every one was sssooooo miserable…"

He thought back to history class. Feudalism took place in the middle ages. No one bathed, everyone was dropping dead way too young, and you'd be tortured to death if you were caught thinking for yourself. Of course every one was miserable, but why was she bringing up school at a time like this?

"Haru…Do you think…I'd be a good noble woman?" She slurred

"Um, yeah Elie, you'd be the best noblewoman ever." He answered still confused

She giggled in response and started humming lullabies. "Hmmm, mmmm ~"

Haru was getting worried. "Elie…Do you know where you are right now?"

She giggled again. "That's Haru's voice. It sounds so nice…mmmm…he's so soft…."

Aw man! Now Elie was having Fever induced hallucinations. What if her fever got so bad, parts of her nervous system melted. That's how Helen Keller became a blind-deaf! This could not get any worse!

Unfortunately the boy had spoken too soon. His hair stood on end as he realized the van was once again coming to a stop. Knowing his hands were completely immobile at the moment, Haru did the only thing he could think of to keep his vulnerable friend safe. He slid her off of his lap just enough to lean over her protectively, as if to keep some wall between her and who he knew was coming for her. She made no conscious sign that she even knew what was happening.

The boy inwardly cursed at himself for being so unhelpful for her, but sadly this was all he could do. As he heard the sound of footsteps getting closer, he glared hatefully at the door , waiting for it to slide open.

When it finally happened the same man from before glared at Haru, clearly in no mood for any more of the teenager's resistance. Silently, the man stepped inside and approached the two kidnapped victims.

"Stay away from her." Haru hissed trying to sound threatening to the man who had already caused so much suffering to the poor girl.

But the dark haired man was not backing down, especially to a tied up kid. Haru swore he saw the man mouth something. What was he trying to say? Freeze? Before Haru could even figure out what he even meant, he found out first hand. The boy could not move a muscle.

Panicking, Haru did everything he could to get his body to move again only to discover his body was refusing to listen.

"I've no patience for you." The kidnapper muttered right before Haru felt another kick to his side from the cruel man's heavy boot, causing him to land a few feet away from his spaced out friend. Although the boy was in much pain from the sudden attack, the numbness to his body was still gripping at him and he could do nothing to get up.

All Haru could do was watch as the man knelt down beside Elie. His eyes went wide when he witnessed the man reach for his pocket and pull out a small devise with a tip at the end.

"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! LEAVE ELIE ALONE!!!" The boy screamed hysterically in both rage and panic as the man brought the point up to the side of the girl's head.

He only calmed down slightly and just enough to stop yelling when he figured out what the device was. It was the kind of thermometer that doctors use for a check up. He was putting it inside Elie's ear to check her temperature. It would not hurt her, not that she was in the right mindset to understand what hurting was. She just moaned quietly as he hair was pushed back for the device to momentarily reach her ear.

When he was finished Elies limp head rolled to the other side and the man studied the device carefully. Haru held his breath in anticipation. He was curious himself to find out the extent of the girl's condition.

"Hey Berial! I think we've got a problem!" The kidnapper yelled out for his accomplice to hear, completely ignoring the two tied up kids. "Her body is rejecting the potion we gave her! She has a 104 degree fever!"

Haru's blood ran cold at that sentence. His mind went blank about everything else in the world except that statement. This can't be happening! It can't really be this bad! A tear slid down his cheek and he didn't even process it.

"Crap. Boss is gonna kill us if we don't bring her back alive. You had to give it to her didn't you?! The diver yelled back.

"Well he would have killed us if we couldn't unlock Etherion from her body and that was the only way we could, and getting killed is very bad for my skin!" he yelled back to him.

"Well, can't she just hang on until we get to the portal back to inner world? We can find somebody to treat her there, cause I'm not stopping for some outer world hospital for the bitch!"

They were arguing about what to do with Elie like it wasn't even an important matter. She could die, and they acted like that would just be a mere inconvenience! This was his best friend, thought Haru. He was so enraged with the treatment of his very dear best friend that if his blood really could boil from simple fury, it would have burned through the ropes that bonded his clenched fists.

The kidnapper stood up. "This entire ugly operation is so annoying." He lightly kicked the dazed girl.

That was it! All of the fear that Haru was feeling was now entirely replaced by furry. He forgot what these men would or could do to him. That wasn't important any more!

The freeze that had him imprisoned had worn off and he charged at the dark haired man with all of the rage that was inside of him. This time Haru had attacked him with such force, that it sent the man flying across the van and against the sliding door. The impact caused the door to open unexpectedly and he fell out, landing a few yards away on his head.

Such a blow would have killed a normal man, or at least knocked him out, but This man was far from normal. He was bleeding pretty severely however. A line of blood trickled down his face, Blinding him in one eye. As he slowly got up and put one hand up to his wounded skull, He glared at Haru.

This glare was much more vicious and monstrous than his last. Anyone who met his eyes knew instantly of the murderous intent within them. However Haru gave him one to match, showing that he was not afraid and was not here to mess around, and as he hopped out of the van himself, he was going to prove that he was ready for anything this man had to throw at him.

Momentarily the boy had lost that feeling of confidence when the kidnapper did something neither Haru, nor anybody else would have expected. A clear, icy blade materialized in the man's other hand. How was that possible?

"It isn't worth it keeping you alive…" The kidnapper seethed.

He came at Haru With full force and the intent to kill. The teenage boy's shock wore off just in time for instincts to kick in. He leaned forward and ducked. It was his luckiest move all night. The ice sword just barely missed him and instead the weapon severed the ropes just enough for Haru to pull them apart. He rolled forward and by the time he landed, his hands were free making it a much more fair fight.

Not Fair enough however. The man still had a weapon so Haru would have to rely on all of his instincts and anything he had ever known about fighting to save them. And to think his sister said he was wasting his life watching all those action movies.

The boy put his hands up in a fighting stance, his feet were ready to move at a seconds notice. The kidnapper charged forward again and Haru jumped out of range. Again and again the man came at Haru and every time he missed. Adrenalin was causing The teenager to move much faster than normal., and frustration was making the kidnapper get sloppy.

The final time The man came at him, Haru quickly dodged to the left and gave him a swift elbow to the side, making the man yell out in in pain.

"AAARRRGGGG!!!!" He cried out in his frustration. "You will not move anymore!!!"

He put his free hand up, confusing Haru with the gesture. It only took him a second to figure it out. The boy was frozen once again.

His eyes went wide and his breath was lost in his throat as his body failed to do as he commanded. He stared terrifyingly at the one he was fighting . He slowly advanced toward Haru. Now that he was sure he would win, his temper began to cool off, but the maliciously, evil look still clearly shone brightly in his eyes. Haru's attempts to move became more desperate, as his opponent advanced. Oh God, He thought. He'll kill me.

Meanwhile still in the van, Elie laid in her state of semi-conciousness. Or was she still unaware of her surroundings? Some would say that it was her love's need for her or the promise that she wouldn't let him be hurt that did the trick. But whatever you want to call it, at that very moment she was comeing back to reality.

"Ha…Haru?" She whispered as she gazed lazily at the fight.

It was Haru! He was in trouble! Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she was seeing. No! That man was going to kill him! She shook her head to get rid of the remaining cobwebs in her mind.

"No…No…" She whispered as she sat up. She had to do something to save him, but she wouldn't get to him in time.

"NOOOOO!!!!!" She was suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light. Wind that seemed to come out of no where blew all around her, like a force of nature Her entire body glowed miraculously and what ever this light was, it dissolved the ropes binding her hands.

The kidnapper stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the girl, and Haru also was completely taken back by the unprecedented phenomenon.

Suddenly Elie thrusted her hand forward, aiming at the dangerous man attacking her friend and a beam shot out, plowing right through him. Haru closed his eyes from the blinding light and when he opened them, not only was he free from the freezing power, but the kidnapper was laying on the ground. He wasn't dead, you could tell from his breathing, but he was definitely unconscious and his entire body was badly burnt.

"Ahh….." Came a week cry from behind Haru. He turned around to see Elie kneeling in the van, looking weak enough to faint, and he ran towards her, forgetting all about the man's hideous burns.

"Elie, are you alright?" He asked, failing to keep the worried tone out of his voice.

He grabbed her soft face gently, gesturing her to look at him. Elie felt weak enough to pass out, but upon looking into her loved one's beautiful eyes a new strength over came her giving her just enough energy to stay awake and smile at him. That smile was all he needed for relief to wash over him.

They stayed just like that for a few more seconds until they felt the van raddled and the sound of the door slamming. They had momentary forgotten, the dark haired kidnapper had not acted alone, and the van's driver was probably coming for them to finish what his accomplice had failed to do.

Haru felt ready. Even as he felt the new threat's presence grow closer with each passing step. If he could take out one kidnapper, than he could certainly deal with one more. Boy, was he wrong.

The boy turned to glare at the man, when he froze in horror at the sight of him. It was not a man at all. It was a monster. The creature had blue plated skin and two large horns coming out each side of his head, like the devil. It could have very well have been the devil with that insane, evil, look on its face. Large claws sprouted on both of its enormous hands. It looked as though it stood about 13 feet tall!

Elie weakly stared at the beast with fear, but Haru gave a look of pure terror. "He was once again frozen in his tracks, but this time, it was by fear. His mind went blank of everything else but this monster, including Elie. Every instinct inside him screamed run away. He would have gladly done so too if body would just stop shaking long enough.

"Well, well, well. So you guys beat Iulius. Not bad, runts." The monster spoke in a deep scratchy voice that caused Haru to cower more. "You want to see how you'd fair against me?" It smirked twistedly.

As the monster reached his enormous hand down words the teenagers, Haru's eyes went as wide as saucers. He tried to scream but his breath was caught in his throat. He tried to run away from the beast but his body was in too much shock to respond. I'm dead! His mind screamed.

At that very moment light flashed and a loud blast was heard. The beast let out a pained squeal as it fell to its side, unconscious. Haru was startled out of his thoughts. Only a few yards away, Sieg stood, his hand out stretched, pointing in they're direction. He had taken the monster out.

A serious expression shown on his face. "Are either of you hurt?" He asked.

"Seig…" Was Elie's only reply as she looked at her guardian with grateful and tired eyes.

Haru was still trying to catch his breath.

~*~

The drive back to Haru's house was completely silent. Not even the radio played in the background.

Seig glanced in the rearview mirror to get a good look at the two in the back. Even though they were sitting in the seat next to each other, on some level, they couldn't have been further away.

Elie sat on the right side with her head leaned up against the window. She looked extremely exhausted, but at least her fever was down considerably, now that her body wasn't at war with the seal on Etherion. Unfortunately, that wasn't as good of news as it sounded. Seig would have to fix that seal again. Under all of the exhaustion, you could see sadness play on her features as well.

Haru was in a different state of emotional distress completely. Haru, on the left side, looked down at his hands that were folded on his lap. He leaned forward in his seat, with the most troubled expression painting his features. It was to be expected. Now that everything had quieted down and he had a moment to assess what had happened tonight, there was no doubt his head was swimming with questions. Seig was more than a little grateful that he hadn't asked them yet. He wasn't ready for that, and now that the people He and Elie were running from finally caught up with them, he had bigger things to worry about.

There was something else playing his features however. Something akin to shame and fear. The fear was to be expected after the ordeal he just went through but what did the boy have to be ashamed of. Oh well it didn't matter. They had arrived at his house now any way.

Seig pulled the car right up to the café and slowly Haru got out. As Seig's car began to drive away, Haru's eyes met with Elie's who gazed sadly at the boy through the car window. Haru quickly pulled his eyes away. The sight of the girls tired, sad brown orbs only caused his shame to grow. Tonight she was in danger and he just stood there like a scared little brat. Worse, he had actually considered running away without her. How could he sink so low when she needed him most. If Seig hadn't shown up when he did, The teenage boy didn't want to think about what would have happened.

As he entered The empty restaurant, He noticed his older sister wiping down the counter. She looked up to greet him. "Hey, little brother. I'm just finishing up closing. How was the dance?"

Haru said nothing. He just shuffled up to the counter sadly, not yet making eye contact with his sister.

"What's a matter? It's almost 10:30. I would have thought coming home later than expected would mean that you had a great time. You and Elie have a fight?" It was then she noticed his depressing demeanor. In fact, he seemed down right devastated.

"Haru?" she was getting concerned.

"C-Cattleya…" Now Haru was beginning to cry. He put his head down on the counter as he quietly sobbed., completely throwing his sister for a loop. Haru never cried unless it was for something truly important.

"W-what in the world happened?" She asked now fully worried.

She took the words right out of his mouth.


I want to say a few things. 1. I don't have much experience with fight scenes.

2. I know Haru seems out of character, but don't worry, this is an AU so it's understandable that he isn't completely himself, but he'll grow. You'll see.

3. This is the end of the first story arch. This does not mean the story is over, this means come next chapter the title will not be "Mysteries surround her". You see this story is so long that I'm breaking it up into story arches. Some will be a few chapters long, others will be one chapter long. Even I don't know exactly. I've planned this story out, but not to a T. So lets find out together.

Next chapter: "Halfway Point of No Turning Back."

REVIEW!!!!!