1Chapter 7

Resting Place

This has been long in coming, Diva thought as she climbed the stone steps. It was uncomfortably hot here in Okinawa, and Diva fanned herself with one pale hand.

This climb would have been hell with her hair long. Diva smirked, remembering that in town she had gotten more then a few strange glances. She had heard the name Riku Miyagusuku whispered a few times as well.

Obviously people who remembered her groom from long ago and found her appearance frighteningly similar to his.

Stupid humans.

Diva reached the top of the steps, and found herself facing an above-ground tomb, apparently commonplace here in Okinawa. Except there was nothing common about this tomb, Diva thought gleefully.

She rushed over to the tomb, opened the great stone door, and entered.

"Uncle Kai, what's going on?!" Yuki demanded after the tears and hugs were through. Both girls were sitting on Kai's lap, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor.

"Yeah, Kai, what's going on?" Sakura echoed.

Kai sighed. "Apparently, because many of the powers of Diva's blood were transferred to you girls", he began, "your Aunt Saya's blood couldn't thoroughly kill her. So Nathan, Diva's Chevalier-"

"He's weird", Yuki interrupted. Kai gave her a small smile before continuing.

"Nathan had her revived. And she wanted you two." Kai concluded.

"But why?" Sakura whimpered, burying her face in Kai's shirt.

"I don't know. Saya said that before she supposedly killed Nathan, he told her that Diva had wanted a family."

Yuki frowned. "You don't kidnap family!"

Kai sighed again. "I know."

"So what now, Uncle Kai?" Yuki asked, a pleading look in her eyes. "I heard what she said; if you take us that weird guy'll kill you!"

Sakura looked up. "I didn't hear that!" She turned to Kai. "Don't you dare try to take us now", she said severely.

Kai sighed. "I know. Believe me, I know. I've turned it over and over in my mind but I can't think of how I could get you out without the Chevalier attacking and possibly harming you two by accident. Besides, Diva is extremely immature and I can't guarantee she wouldn't decide that if she can't have you, no one can..."

Kai shuddered at that thought. "But don't worry, David, Julia, Joel and Lewis and I are all trying to get you two home. And we will."

Yuki smiled. "So then for now let's just play together, and we can worry later." Kai smiled as Sakura said, "Yeah! Can you read us a story Kai?" She pushed a picture book toward him. "Yeah", Kai said, then began, "Once upon a time..."

It was dark in the tomb.

And dank, too. Diva crinkled her nose at the unpleasant odor. But she ignored it, anticipation building in her chest, and she looked around the tomb. Her eyes found a large cocoon attached to the far wall. She smiled gleefully with recognition, and bounced across the room.

"Well, well, Nee-sama," Diva said, pulling a knife from her pocket, "how lovely to see you again!"

She placed her left hand on the side of the cocoon, and cut down the length of it with the knife. She pulled through a few layers of sticky material until a sleeping face became visible.

Diva cackled and tore at the cocoon until Saya's sleeping body fell into her arms.

"Are you surprised to see me, Nee-sama?" Diva tenderly brushed long strands of black hair away from her elder sister's closed eyes. "You should be. You killed me."

Abruptly all pretenses of sisterly love fell away from Diva's face. "And you took my children from me!" Diva spat, her eyes glowing with hatred. "Because of you, they grew up with that dumb human, and now they don't love me! And you took Solomon! Everyone just looooves Saya Nee-sama! Humans and Chiropterans both! And I love you too, don't I?"

Diva shifted Saya's form to one arm, and raised the dagger over her sister. "Yes, dear sister, and because we all love you so, you get everything! A family! A loving Chevalier, a happy childhood! You even get a little sister to play with!"

Diva gripped the knife tightly, and blood dripped down it.

"But what about that little sister, Nee-sama? What about me?"

She raised the dagger higher, tensing her arm.

"Did I get love? Did I get a family? A groom? A Chevalier who doesn't betray me or use me or both? No! I get locked up in a tower by a crazy old idiot, a sister who tries for centuries to kill me, and I get to die before my babies are born!!"

Her arm pulled backwards, ready to plunge the knife into Saya's heart.

"And that's why I...I...I-"

It was no good. Because the mention of that memory, her death, caused another memory to float to the surface of her mind.

Diva watched in horror as her arm began crystallizing. "Why, why just me? No! Nee-sama!"

"Diva!" Saya ran to her.

Diva watched the cracks spread to her arm, then gasped as her shoulder snapped off. Her entire arm fell... into Saya's hand.

"Take me with you!" she pleaded, her voice cracking, as she tried to fit Diva's shoulder back in place.

"N...Nee-sama..." Diva stared, bewildered at her sister, her mortal enemy...

Her dearest friend.

"Take me with you!" Saya repeated, tears in her eyes, as Diva's legs cracked and she fell to the ground...

The hand holding the raised dagger was shaking horribly, and tears were streaming down Diva's face. I- I have to, Diva told herself.

...but I can't!

Diva let her arm drop. "Dammit!" she screamed throwing the knife at the wall. It bounced of with a clang. Diva sank to the ground, and Saya's head fell into her lap. Diva rested her own wet face against the wall of the tomb. She was panting, nearly sobbing.

Gradually, her breathing returned to normal. She found herself absently stroking Saya's hair. She stopped, but kept her hand on her sister's head.

She sat for a few more minutes this way, a deep hopelessness falling on her. And also a sadness she could not find reason for, but she could connect it with her sister, who rested contentedly with her now only because she didn't know it was happening.

"Tell me, Nee-sama", she said quietly to her sleeping sister, "how do I win when I don't know who my enemy is?"

Diva looked at Saya once more, then picked her up, put her carefully back in the cocoon, which she then sealed, and left the tomb.

Yuki yawned deeply, and Sakura followed suit. "Hey, you made me yawn!" Sakura accused her sister. Kai glanced at the clock. "Wow, it's getting late." He blinked, then read the clock again. 9:00 pm.

Diva should have been back two hours ago.

Just then there was a loud CRASH from downstairs.

They all looked towards the door. They heard muffled shouting, then footsteps, and then the door opened. Nathan stood in the doorway, his face a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"I think you should leave now, Kai-", he began, but Diva appeared behind him and shoved him aside.

"Get out. Now."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but she might as well have been screaming.

Yuki was the first to regain composure and she stood and pulled at Kai to do the same, concerned for his safety. When he was standing she and Sakura both pushed him out the door, muttering, "Bye, Uncle Kai" and "See you later" under their breath.

Diva followed him down the stairs, her sudden anger still permeable, and as soon as Kai was out the door, she slammed it shut.

It was only when Kai was halfway down the path that he regained the ability to think clearly. He turned around, looked back at the house.

"...What the hell?"