Well, hello again. I really do appreciate that you guys are reading this story. I also appreciate your comments.
To answer the question of when my content will start to appear: if you look closely, and you're familiar enough with the original episodes, you'll start to notice some original scenes a few chapters from now. I have a lot of plans for this project. For example, I wanted to go more into detail about Haji's past (and a few other characters' pasts as well). I also plan to write at least one chapter for the year that passes between when Diva attacks Red Shield HQ, and when they are united again in London.
Ultimately, I also want to continue the story from where it leaves off in the Animé, to give it a more conclusive feel, but I want to write the story out pretty much as it was intended before I do so.
Sorry if the note was kind of long, and thank you again for reading.
…..
Chapter 4: Dangerous Boy
The pack of blood swung back and forth on the beam as the doctors rushed down the hallway. George had sustained severe injuries, and had lost a considerable amount of blood at the scene. Time was of the essence. Kai watched, stricken with emotion, as they wheeled him hastily to their destination.
"Dad," Saya panted, running along side the bed. "Hang on! Dad!" They watched George's rapid breaths through the oxygen mask. He was struggling to survive.
They pushed him into the operating room, leaving Kai and Saya alone with a male nurse.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait out here," he instructed.
"Okay," she obliged. For a moment she just stood there, worried. Then, she heard Kai strike the wall with his fist. He was trembling, and his eyes were intense. He wore a look of fury.
"I'm sorry," Saya said. After all, she thought, it was her fault George got hurt in the first place. If she hadn't been so weak, and if she'd fought like Mr. David wanted her to, her father would be okay.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Kai took off down the hall. He had to fix this. He couldn't stand by and do nothing any longer. Saya just stood there with her fists clenched as he ran off.
…
Kai made his way out of the building, quickly finding his bike exactly where he'd left it. He now had a purpose. He hopped on his bike and started the engine, hurrying into the night.
He knew exactly what had to be done.
…
The heart monitor indicated that George's pulse and heart rate were low, but stable, and he was still relying on the machine to breathe. Outside his room in the ICU, Julia found Saya sitting by herself on the bench.
"How are you holding up, Saya?" she asked.
"Dr. Julia."
"Why don't you go home and get some rest," Julia suggested. "I'll keep an eye on him for you." She watched as Saya's expression changed.
"This is all my fault," Saya said shakily. "If it wasn't for me, he'd be alright." She tightly clenched her skirt with her hands. Julia stood with Saya for a while, pondering what she had said. She noted that, even in this extraordinarily difficult situation, the stimulation did not awaken what happened in Vietnam. Guilt was such an ordinary emotion for a situation such as this.
Julia was still contemplating as she made a cup of coffee from the vending machine. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice David approaching. He wore a band-aid on his face, and looked totally exhausted. He'd even removed his tie a while ago.
"I wish you had brought him to my hospital," Julia said, examining the label on her coffee cup.
"I had no choice. He needed immediate attention," David said honestly.
"Do you think he might be infected?" Julia asked.
"I don't know."
"And you still brought him here?" He didn't respond. "You haven't changed," she said. "Compassion interferes again." She twisted her cup. "I continue to be loyal to the Red Shield, and will give him the best care I can. Have you even considered the impact this will have on Saya?"
"We will proceed as planned in order to destroy the Chiropterans," David said. He held a cross necklace in his hand. At the center of the cross was a red crystal.
"Failure or withdrawal is not an option."
"Do you think she will be emotionally able to handle it?" Julia asked.
"If we are to succeed with our mission, she must."
Saya had hardly moved from that bench all night. She had neither the desire nor the motivation to do anything else. She didn't have the heart to face Kai or Riku, and she felt it was her duty to stay by her father's side. It was the least she could do for him.
"When she was confronted with the Chiropteran at her father's pub, she did nothing," Julia remarked. "But when she first encountered one at her school she attacked and killed with precision. Why then and not now?"
"I suspect her servant was present," David said. It was true, the cellist was, and continued to watch over Saya, even as she sat alone in the hospital. He was never far.
"You mean the one in Joel's diary?" Julia asked. "He has appeared?"
"He was last spotted thirty years ago, and hasn't been seen since. I never dreamed that I'd see him with my own eyes."
Just then, Riku arrived at the hospital, out of breath from running the whole way.
"Saya, there you are!" he said when he found her. David and Julia watched Riku approach Saya and explain something to her that they couldn't hear from their distance. She quickly rose to her feet.
"What's happening?" David asked into his cell phone.
"We are done sealing off the bar but now we have a new problem," Lewis said on the other end of the phone. "Kai took off with George's pistol. He is going after Forrest, I am sure."
"He can't! "
"Riku followed him, and now he's missing too!"
"Saya! Wait!" David heard Julia call out.
Outside the hospital, Saya and Riku got into the taxi, and drove off. David ran after them, but it was too late. As he picked up his cell phone, Julia stepped out beside him.
…
Kai's friends were still at the gas station. After he'd left, they started getting high, an activity he preferred not to partake in. Now, they were playing games with their hands.
"One…two…three!" They chanted in unison.
"One…two…five!" One of them said.
"Five? What do you mean by five?" A man who gambled with them said. "What are you smoking, fool?" If only he knew.
"Kai? Yeah, he was here," Kai's friend, the boy with the afro, told Saya and Riku.
"When?" Saya asked.
"Earlier…" he said, not quite able to remember exactly when "earlier" was.
"Hey, guys! Where'd Kai go?" He called out.
"He said he was gonna look for that weird dude Forrest," the ponytail friend said.
"I knew it!" Riku said, turning to Saya.
"Do you guys know where?" Saya asked.
"He took off on his bike. Went to see that girl Forrest used to go out with, you know, Ramee? She works at that Amazoness bar, so maybe he went there."
…
The Amazoness bar was alive with neon lights, classical music, and the buzz of low conversations. The girl called Ramee was in the back corner talking on one of the bar phones when Kai entered. He walked over to the counter, where he was greeted by a female bartender in a purple tank top.
"Welcome," she said.
"I'm here lookin' for Ramee."
"Ramee?" She called across the bar.
"Sorry, not now. I'm gonna go get a pack of smokes," The brown haired girl with the bright red lipstick replied. She was definitely in a hurry, for some reason. No matter. Kai followed after her. He wasn't about to take "no" for an answer.
…
"Relax, I'm sure we're almost there," The friend with the afro reassured Saya and Riku as they passed groups of drunks on the sidewalk.
"Hey, didn't Forrest used to hang out at Kai's dad's pub?" The friend with the ponytail asked, having seemingly forgot the same conversation they'd had only hours ago.
"Yeah," Said the friend with the afro. "What a loser. He was gonna be deported back to the US. Ramee used to go on and on about marryin' him and going to Hawaii on vacation-" As the boy droned on and on, Saya and Riku wore identical expressions of bewilderment, until seemingly out of nowhere, Saya heard something.
Suddenly, she could feel her senses sharpening. Her vision was a red tunnel, blocking out all the unnecessary interference. As she looked around, Saya found that she could hear conversations, in great detail, from all the way across the street, and even inside the skyscrapers. Suddenly, the buzz of one voice overwhelmed her. No, no, she thought, covering her ears in a vain attempt to drown it out. What was happening?
She looked up at the sky, and the big, crescent moon overhead. As she stared at it, it began to blur, and her eyes glowed crimson.
"Hey," the guy with the afro startled her, silencing the voices. "Are you okay?"
"Sure…it's nothing," she said, feeling awkward.
"I wonder what that voice was," Riku said, walking with the ponytail guy.
"Voice? What voice?"
…
Back at the command center, they had also picked up on the "voice."
"We lost track of the target once again," the guy in the gray polo said, his eyes narrowing.
"Going back and forth, back and fourth. A human, a monster, how exhausting," Van rolled the red-wrappered candy through his fingers for emphasis. "Every time he disappears we take another step backwards. "We can't keep playing tag like this," he popped the candy in his mouth, savoring its sweet taste. "What's wrong with that radar of yours? Can't it do a better job?" he smiled condescendingly, prompting a groan and a sideways glance from the man.
"Staring at me's not going to help us find the mouse," he squeezed a candy in his palm. "And I'd still like to meet that Samurai Man." Just then, the man at the computer's headset beeped.
"Yes?" he waited for a response.
"Yes, I'll put him on." He handed the headset to Van.
"Hello commander," he said. "Sure, sure."
"…"
"The victim? Omoro? He's alive?"
"…"
"That's wonderful. Certainly. Please get hold of him."
"…"
Of course, yes. " He held up a piece of candy to the other man. "Wild Raspberry," he whispered.
"Yes, yes. Of course commander. Please, please proceed as usual." He took of the headset.
"Just as I thought, we're not the only ones on the move," he said to the man, who ate his candy.
"Now, lets go to the next location."
…
"I don't see Kai's motorcycle," said the guy with the ponytail. The four of them stood on the sidewalk, feeling defeated.
"Okay," said the guy with the afro. "Why don't you go in and have a look?"
"Me? B-but this bar is-" Just then, Saya and Riku walked off. Saya was stopped by none other than Mao Jahana, coming up the stairs.
"You are…" Mao gave Saya a calculating glance.
"Mao!" Afro guy called out. "What are you doing at a place like this?"
"What are you guys doing?" she shot back.
"Uh, we're just lookin' for Kai. Right?"
"Yeah," Ponytail guy agreed.
"Don't tell me you guys are looking for Forrest too!"
"What?" Said afro friend.
"Kai called and asked me to help him find Forrest," she explained.
"And where's Kai?" Saya asked.
"He's long gone," Mao said, looking down the street. "You're Saya, right? What happened to Kai?"
"Kai took off with a gun!" Riku exclaimed. "He said he was gonna find Forrest, and then kill him!"
"What? Then Forrest was the attacker at the pub?" Her eyes narrowed. "Kai…" She pulled out her phone and began dialing.
"Ah! Hi dad, it's me!" The group watched as Mao sweet-talked her father, the leader of the Japanese Mafia.
"My friends are in a bind, so I'm helping them look for some girl named Ramee who might be able to help us."
"…"
"What? Oh, don't worry. Sure, I'll be fine." She walked over to a dark colored car, where a man was holding the door for her. It paid to have connections.
"Of course. Yes, really. Thanks, I love you dad."
"Lets go," she said, hanging up the phone. "Saya, Riku, come with me. You guys keep looking for Forrest," Mao told Kai's friends. "Make sure you call me when you find him." And with that, they left, leaving two very confused young men on the side of the road.
…
Inside the car, Mao was making another phone call.
"Thanks, talk to you later." She hung up.
"But, you're telling me Forrest did that all by himself?" She asked Riku.
"I guess. I wasn't there."
"Well apparently Kai sure thinks he did."
"Right." Mao ran her fingers through her bangs, sighing.
"Once he gets mad, he doesn't care if it's the prime minister he's going after," She remarked. "Then again, that's probably why I like him so much." He cell phone rang as she received yet another phone call.
"Long time no talk. How have you been?"
And, atop one of the skyscrapers, the Cellist still watched.
…
Ramee walked out the sliding glass doors of the convenience store, having just purchased some food for Forrest, and a fresh pack of cigarettes. She was going to need them, the way her day had been.
She stepped out into the night feeling uneasy. She sat her grocery bags on the ground, and flagged down a taxi. Not far behind, Kai sat idle on his bike, waiting. His anger had turned him into a mad man. All that mattered to him was vengeance.
When the cab drove off, Kai made sure he kept his distance. Ramee was already suspicious. He didn't want to give himself away.
…
Back at the hospital, Julia was keeping a watchful, contemplative eye on George. Suddenly, a large, green covered truck with a red cross on the side pulled up in front of the building, joined quickly by an ambulance. Julia stepped around the corner, so she could watch without being noticed. Who knew who these people were, or what they were capable of?
Several men stepped out of the back of the ambulance, wearing yellow biohazard suits and respirators. Julia watched them pull out a stretcher, and guide it swiftly to the building.
"That's…"
…
Ramee quietly got out of the taxi. A growing feeling of dread washed over her as she walked toward the building. Something didn't quite feel right to her.
As quickly as the taxi had left, Kai's motorcycle rounded the corner, stopping abruptly. He took off his helmet and scanned the building for any signs of life. He couldn't see anyone, but he knew Forrest couldn't be far.
He noticed that one of the warehouse doors was bashed in. He figured something must have happened there, so that's where he would start. He pulled his father's gun from his waistline, looking it over. He'd never fired a gun before, but how hard could it be?
The warehouse door was locked. He kicked it a few times, finally forcing it open, and stepped inside. He pointed his father's gun as he surveyed the room, and saw two figures standing between some crates on the far wall.
The hooded figure, with his long, brown chiropteran claws, held Ramee's limp body. He was consuming her blood, and rapidly draining her of her life. His red eyes darted up, fixing to where Kai stood. Kai lifted the gun again, pointing it directly at Forrest.
"Forrest!" The man dropped the girl's now lifeless body. He rose to his full, massive height, startling Kai.
He came at Kai fast. A shot was fired.
…
"Kai!" Saya exclaimed from the back of the car. "Stop the car!" she commanded, interrupting Mao's conversation. "Stop now!"
"Kimora," Mao said to the driver. The car screeched to a halt.
"Thank you," Saya said as she let herself out.
"Saya!" Riku called out the open door. She wasn't waiting for him.
"Wait for me!" He yelled, hurrying after her.
"What the-" a dumbfounded Mao could only stare as cars honked their horns behind them. Annoyed, she got out and faced the angry driver.
"Oh, shut up!"
Lewis slammed on the brake.
"What's the matter?" David asked.
"It's Saya!" David caught sight of Riku running down the sidewalk. He got out of the van.
"Riku!" he called, but yet again, they were too late. "Dammit."
He ran after them.
…
Saya ran through the empty alleys. She was fairly certain of where she heard the shot. She just hoped she wasn't too late. She stopped abruptly at a small set of stairs.
The Cellist leapt from seemingly out of nowhere, landing gracefully before her. They looked each other over.
Slowly, carefully, Saya began to walk toward him.
"You hear their roars?" he asked.
"Tell me," she approached the man, who was still crouched on the ground. "You know what I'm supposed to do? Go ahead, tell me." Kai's life depended on her now. She would have to be brave.
"Saya," he said, his eyes closed. "Call me Haji. And, give me an order."
"Haji, help me. I need to rescue Kai. I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt. Slowly, his eyelids opened. The bandage covering his chiropteran hand slid off. It was a gesture Saya remembered; necessary yet terrifying. Using his dagger, which was garnished with a red crystal, he made a precise cut across his palm. Fresh blood dripped from one of its triangular edges. As he held out his palm, it dripped to the ground, soaking the concrete.
Saya's eyes widened and grew a bright shade of crimson.
…
Riku ran through the alley as fast as his little legs would carry him. He tuned the corner, noticing Saya down a small flight of stairs.
"Hey Saya!" She gave no response. "Saya?" What Riku saw next terrified him. Saya turned slowly, revealing her bright red eyes, and a trickle of blood that ran down her mouth. He gasped as the cellist, Haji, took her hand, and lifted her into the sky.
…
David saw Haji and Saya leaping onto the tops of buildings.
"Hey, that's-" Nearby, he found Riku on his knees, covering his ears.
"Riku, you okay?"
"Roaring," Riku moaned, his eyes intense. "What are they? They sound like lions. What…What are they?"
The question hung in the air. David could not believe that this seemingly ordinary human boy was apparently able to hear chiropterans.
…
Kai fired round after round of shots until the gun clicked in protest. It was out of bullets.
He jumped to the side, rolling away just in time as Forrest, or the beast that used to be Forrest, came after him again. This was truly not what Kai was expecting. It was far from his average street brawl. He watched in horror as one by one, all of the bullets that were lodged into the beast fell, crushed, to the floor. It was now completely uninjured.
It roared and came after him again. This time, Kai could only close his eyes, covering his head instinctively, as he prepared for the worst. He would soon be like the girl who lay near him- dead and completely drained of blood.
He opened his eyes and saw Saya, and that creep from the other day, standing on the rafters. The beast began to cough in protest.
He handed her the sword, which she willfully accepted. The beast's gasp turned into a wide, knowing smile as he saw this, his fingers spreading apart, revealing a mass of webbing that would put any flying creature to shame. As the webbing grew, it spread into wings that were not unlike that of a bat.
Kai could only watch as it took flight, heading for his sister. As it roared its great roar, Haji skillfully leapt onto its back, slicing it with his own claw. It screamed in protest.
They fell to the ground in a heap of dust, illuminated only by the occasional spark from Haji's dagger.
Kai stood, searching the room for Saya. She leapt of the rafters, and, much to his surprise, landed softly on the ground. Where had she learned to do that? She sliced her palm across the sword, filling its crevices with blood. It was clearly intentionally designed for doing just that.
The beast shot Haji across the room, momentarily moving him out of the way as he searched for his true target. But Haji knew he had to buy her more time. He grabbed its arms, fighting so hard to hold it back that blood began to drip from underneath his palm.
Haji released the beast as Saya stood knowingly, her blade prepared. The beast collided with the wall. He stood, blood dripping in mass amounts from where his arm had once been.
A single tear had formed in Saya's eye before she'd even managed to turn back.
Piece by piece, every bit of the monster, who had once been a man, began to crystallize. It was over now.
Overwhelmed, Saya stood alone in the middle of the building, moonlight streaming in though the skylights. Knowingly, Haji approached from behind her, startling her as he returned the sheath to the sword. Her sword.
Her eyes widened, and she fell to her knees, overcome with emotion. She began to cry, softly at first. Then, she began to sob with the realization that she was not normal.
She had slain a monster. Her innocence was gone.
…
A while later, the members of the red shield were zipping up the body bag that contained Ramee. Without its blood, the body was wrinkled and disfigured in a grotesque way.
It was nothing David and Lewis hadn't seen before. They loaded Ramee's body, and the Chiropteran's body, into the back of the van. Riku and Kai sat nearby on the crates.
Kai looked thoughtfully at his father's gun. He had failed again. It was maddening. Riku gazed at his older brother with wide eyes as the seagulls began to call. The sun was rising.
"Useless. I was totally useless again," Kai said to himself.
…
David and Haji stood back to back on the warehouse's loading deck.
"So you're the one who serves Saya," David said. "Is Saya fully awake now?" Bits of Haji's long, curly hair blew in the wind as he watched Saya from where she sat on a large pipe next to the ocean. "Not yet."
David answered a call on his cell phone. "David here."
"Where's Saya?" Julia asked from the other end. She was sitting in the back of a car.
"We got her, and a chiropteran. How's it going over there." Julia watched sadly as the truck that contained George made its way through the gates of the US military base.
"George has been kidnapped by them."