Chapter Six: Reunion

"When can I go with father and uncle? I'm old enough aren't I?"

Mother smiled gently as she slipped the sheets over her son, "Not yet, darling. I'm afraid your father and uncle need you to become a young man first,"

"But I am! I turn twelve next month,"

"All in good time, my love. One day you'll take your father's place and the family name," she said to him, "Until then, enjoy being young without a care in the world,"

"Mother?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What does father and uncle hunt?"

Mother said nothing for a moment, her blue eyes turning to the wooden mantle. The boy noticed his mother's sudden pause tracing her line of sight to the fireplace.

"Does it have something to do with father's stick? The one he keeps above the fireplace?"

His mother shook her head and rose to her feet.

"Goodnight,"

"Sir, are you busy?"

"My my, I figured you were all too scared to come in here. Come in, my dear. Sit a while. I'll be just a moment,"

"Sir, if I may... I have a few questions if that's alright?"

"Quite the curious thing, aren't you? Well, you were the first I brought back. I suppose I can enlighten you for the time being,"

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk about. Why raise me? Why keep me around?"

"Ah, my dear. Why would I not raise you? I remember very clearly your race's role in the Great Divide. Excellent extractors of information. We always could depend on your lot for even the most minor details. Who else to have then someone like you at my side?"

"If that's the case then why was I the only Gorgon you brought back?"

"Please, don't refer to yourself by the name the Humans gave to your decedents. You are of MY people. The Ancients. If it weren't for the damn vermin that mated with our species we wouldn't have such a poor excuse for decedents. You and I are pure and we are going to make the world that way,"

Silence.

"My dear, you have such a look on that pretty face of yours. You have my word, you may speak freely,"

"I'm just surprised you actually told me all of this. I really didn't expect it,"

"I may be something of a Demon but that doesn't mean my heart wouldn't melt in front of a pretty face like yours,"

"One last question, if I may Sir?"

"Only one more? For the best, I'm sure,"

"What... are you?"

"My girl, you're rather intelligent. I trust you can figure that one out yourself. Now, prior to this little conversation I was informed we had another 'guest'. You mind fetching them? I wish to ask whoever it is a few questions,"

"Yes, sir,"

"You wouldn't happen to know our guest's name would you?"

"Sun, sir. She's a Siren,"

Tsukune felt his heart sink as Yukari knocked on the door for the third time. The area was quiet which wouldn't have been such a far cry given the type of neighborhood they were in, however, something didn't quite sit well and he was having a hard time ignoring it.

"You know, I always thought Witch's would live somewhere... I don't know... away from places like the city," he finally said.

Yukari didn't look away, "What better way to blend in then to live amongst those you look like, right? I wonder if they went somewhere..."

He was just about to answer before he felt a hand reach over his shoulder. Looking behind his shoulder he could make out Ruby's scarlet eyes on him. Without saying a word she discreetly pointed over to the side where Moka, Kurumu and Mizore stood. All of them seemingly staring away from the other.

Unsure of what to make of the situation he found himself approaching Moka only to realize he was under the watchful eyes of the Succubus and the Snow Fairy. He tried to smile but the response he received was dull at best.

He leaned over being cautious to make his voice into a whisper, "Moka, what's going on?"

Her eyes didn't rise from the ground as she spoke: "I'll tell you later,"

"Really? I don't ever remember you three being this quiet before. Are you sure..."

"Tsukune, what are you whispering about?"

Looking up he could see Kurumu staring at him, a slight frown beckoning at her lips. He feigned a small laugh. The tension was taught and he felt if he added anything else it would only fuel the invisible flame. That's when Yukari appeared beside him wearing a face stricken with worry.

"They're not here," she said.

"Um, guys?"

Everyone turned to the front door where Ruby stood, her hand holding the front door slightly open, "Yukari, your parent's don't normally leave the door open do they?"

Tsukune's body tensed. With everything that had been going on there was no telling what this meant for them. Looking around he could tell everyone had the same feeling. By the looks in their eyes to the tension in their bodies it was all too evident.

"Something's not right here," whispered Mizore.

Kurumu nodded, "We have to check the house,"

Tsukune entered first. The home was dark, the blinds that cradled the windows blocked the sun that struggled to find its way through. The others followed closely behind, all of their eyes darting from one dark corner to another. Although he couldn't justify the nasty feeling that continued to eat away at him there simply wasn't anything suggesting otherwise. The furniture sat untouched, bookcases and shelving undisturbed.

"Maybe they did go off somewhere," said Ruby.

The tension seemed to die but Tsukune did not allow his guard to fall as everyone around him loosened their joints.

"I guess so. But they usually tell me if they're going somewhere. It's unlike them to just up and leave," said Yukari placing her hat onto the table that sat nearby. The rest of them gathered around her leaving Tsukune to stand by the base of the stairs. For some reason he found his head turning to the staircase. Something was up there.

"Hey, Yukari?" he said.

She turned to him, "Yeah?"

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, it's upstairs to your left."

He nodded and made his way up the stairs. He didn't want to ignite any false fears but something in the back of his mind had forbade the thought of security. The last day or so had already begun to teach him such things and he wasn't about to ignore life's lessons.

Upon reaching the landing he made a quick scan of the hall reassuring himself. However, one door at the end sat ajar. Curious or not, his instincts forced him to inspect it. As he approached an overwhelming odor infiltrated his nose almost to the point of gagging.

What the hell is that?

With each step the smell intensified and right before placing his hand on the door the sudden realization of what was to unfold hit him. He no longer had to guess what was going on, he instinctively knew.

He prayed he was wrong.

Pushing the door an invisible wave of pure ghastliness struck him. The smell was so powerful he had to shield his nose with his hands.

Then he saw it.

Without thinking he quickly backed out the room and closed the door. His heart thrashed against his chest and the world around him began to spin. It couldn't be, he thought, that wasn't them. They must have been in the wrong house, right? Or maybe it was an illusion? It couldn't be her parents. That's not what he saw... that's NOT what he saw. What could he do? How could he tell them? Especially the fifteen year old Witch?

He went back the way he came, his hands trembling and his stomach on the verge of purging. Reaching the bottom of the steps only intensified the feeling to the point he couldn't even take another step.

"M- Moka? Could you come over here?" he said, his voice losing pitch.

A pair of violet eyes sparked before him, "Oh no, she gets all the attention. Now it's my... hey, what's wrong?"

Tsukune didn't realize his chin was wavering and his eyes fogged. Making sure no one else was within earshot he whispered, "I don't think Yukari's parents ever left the house,"

Kurumu blinked before suddenly relinquishing a high pitched gasp.

"Did you clog the toilet, Tsukune? Do I have to come up there?" called Yukari.

Kurumu poked her head around the corner trying her best to fake a smile, "No, no. He's alright. Just sit tight right there,"

The Succubus turned back to him, her eyes wide: "You... you can't be serious?"

He could only nod his head once lifting his hand to his chin to quell it.

"I found them. Upstairs,"

"What are we going to do?" she replied.

He looked away trying desperately to hold back the tears that threatened him, "We have to tell her. We can't let her think they're still alive when we know the truth,"

"I don't think just going up to her and telling her something like this is really going to go well,"

Tsukune's voice cracked, "We have no choice. She's going to want to see what happened to them. I'm... I'm going to bring her up there. Keep everyone down here. Once I get Yukari out of earshot tell the others what I told you,"

Kurumu's eyes began to glisten, "Shit... did this really have to happen. To her of all people?"

"Let's get this over with. The longer we take the longer it's going to sting for all of us,"

She nodded and the two of them walked solemnly into the next room. The others eyed them curiously.

Yukari watched as Tsukune slowly approached her, his bangs hiding his eyes.

"Yukari, I need you to promise me something,"

The Witch seemed perplex but replied: "I won't be mad if you did clog the toilet. It happens sometimes. My parents never did manage to make a spell to get it to stop doing that,"

Kurumu could see his forearms tense, his knuckles whitening.

"No, it's not that. I need... I need you to come with me," he said.

"Eh, no thanks. I mean, I love you to death but I really don't want to see what your body managed to produce,"

Tsukune walked behind her taking the small girl into his arms crossing her wrists over her chest. The rest of them stood confused but Kurumu said nothing.

"Don't hate me for what I'm about to do," he whispered to her.

Yukari chuckled nervously, "You're... you're scaring me, Tsukune. What are you doing?"

The young man said nothing as he carried her up the stairs holding her in what appeared to be a subtle restraint. Once Kurumu saw them disappear around the corner and up the stairs she whispered the horrifying discovery to the rest of the girls. All of them gasping once the news hit their ears.

However, before any one of them could make a remark Kurumu felt her heart sink. Listening closely she could hear the sounds of heartbreak.

"Tsukune... Tsukune? What... what are... NO!"

Kurumu could hear the sound of thrashing limbs. Shattering echoed into the home followed by falling picture frames and random knick-knacks. It sounded like a fight was brewing upstairs. A one sided fight or rather a struggle.

"Tsukune! TSUKUNE! Don't open the door! I don't want to see! It's not real! Please! PLEASE!"

Moka fell to the floor cupping her mouth, silent wails escaping her lips. Ruby stood stunned and Mizore buried her face in her hands.

Never in her life did Kurumu ever hear someone pour their heart into their tears. These were the cries of someone in mortal pain, the type of pain that destroyed one's sense of time. She could feel her sorrow, her pain and in a blink of an eye she too succumbed to it. She fell to her knees and not knowing what else to do she wept into her hands.

Tsukune held on tight. He could no longer remember the reasoning behind such a move on his part but somewhere inside he knew this was something he had to do. Yukari clawed the floor desperately trying to escape his grasp. She cried out, her face smothered with tears and her voice all but silent. Her throat was shot and no more sound would come but that did not stop her.

The room was filled with gore and blood.

It resembled a slaughterhouse.

An hour had gone by. Tsukune had long let go of the girl for there was no longer a reason. She lied only a few feet away from him, face down on the floor, unmoving.

"Why?" she whispered.

"I... I don't know," he answered.

A long silence caught them before Yukari feebly said, "They... I don't have a family anymore..."

"That's not true," Tsukune said.

"He's right," said a voice.

Ruby appeared in the room, her eyes ignoring the scene before her. She peered down at Yukari and knelt beside her.

"You do have a family," she whispered.

Yukari began to cry filling the room once again with unimaginable sorrow. Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder, "Did you forget that we are sisters bound my magic?"

The young Witch did not respond.

"You and I are both Witches. One and the same. You are my sister and I am yours. You will always be my family and I will always be here for you. I know what's it like to lose parents. You will become stronger and you will survive,"

She stood and whispered to Tsukune, "Let's leave her alone. She needs to say goodbye,"

He nodded and followed her out.

"We will be downstairs, Yukari. If you need us, let us know,"

Yukari could only nod as she pushed herself onto her knees. She didn't want to see the ghastly image in front of her any longer but something begged to stay. She swallowed hard.

"I love you, mom... dad..."

Something caught her eye. Peering over she could make out a familiar silhouette hiding underneath a mound of bodily debris. Summoning as much strength as she could she forced herself to reach over and pry it out.

She hiccuped.

It was her mother's Witch's hat. Then something fell from inside. Looking down she saw what appeared to be a book.

Her father's Grimoire.

She took both items and held them tightly to her chest.

"I'll keep these safe, mom and dad," she inhaled sharply, "I'll find whoever did this... I'll make them pay. I'll make them pay, I swear it..."

"Oh? Really? I would love to see you try,"

Yukari lifted her head. The voice was deep and ugly. Her eyes finally wandered over to a darkened corner where a pair of yellow eyes shone through the blackness.

Yukari hugged her precious prizes even closer to her chest, "What do you want? Who are you?"

"Never seen an Incubus before?" the creature hissed.

Monster Encyclopedia:

Incubus (?): The male counterparts to the Succubi. They generally possess the same capabilities, intelligence and raw power but usually direct their prowess towards the female gender. Incubi favor their monster form compared to their human form and accept the use of their powers more widely than Succubi do. However, this Incubus in particular is different than the standard fare.

"Things just got personal," whispered Kurumu as she rubbed her stinging eyes.

Ruby nodded, "I hate to admit it but I think we might be in over our heads. We don't even really know what's going on. It's like everything is happening behind a curtain and we're left on stage to fend for ourselves,"

"The headmaster knows what's going on and somehow we are at the center of it all," said Tsukune, "I wish we knew what the hell we're doing,"

A loud slam echoed into the house causing all of them to jump in fright. One by one they filed up the stairs and turning to the room where they had left Yukari. However, the door was shut. Tsukune attempted to pry it open but the door refused to budge.

"Yukari! Open the door!" he cried.

"The door is enchanted!" Ruby shouted, "She won't be able to hear us,"

Moka screamed, "She's trapped in there with whatever enchanted the door!"

Ruby manifested her staff placing her hand on the surface of the door.

"I'm going to dispel the enchantment. It's going to take a few minutes for me to channel it!"

Yukari felt her back hit the door. There was nowhere to run and she could feel the enormous Yokai the Incubus emitted. She was struck in terror and the only thing she could do was to protect her mother's hat and father's book.

"Guys... GUYS!" she called.

The Incubus loomed over her. Two slits embedded into the skull of a withered looking creature. Black leathery wings trembled from its back emphasizing the massive black horns and terrifying claws. She wanted to scream but her throat was raw.

"Master was right to leave me here. He said you might come and you will have the relic he seeks. If I bring to him what he wants, he will make me one of him. And oh the power he wields. He gave me the strength to surpass that of an S-Class. Master has made me an Immortal,"

Like dead leaves on a tree, the walls of the room began to peel away. The dark corners dissipated, the floor became like rock and dirt. Yukari looked up, the dimmed lit ceiling spun out of existence exposing an orange sky filled with stars and distant planets. It was like she was transported to another realm.

"Do you like my illusion?" the Incubus hissed, "And if you think that just because it's an illusion it isn't real, think again. My illusions are so powerful they become reality,"

Yukari felt her legs trembling. She wanted to run, to escape. All her strength had forsaken her.

The Incubus smiled revealing a row of rotted yellow teeth.

"You tremble just like your mother did," it said.

Yukari froze, "What did you say?"

"You tremble just like your mother did, right before I killed her,"

The Witch stood slowly, donning her late mother's head wear. With a flick of her wrist her wand manifested into her hand.

A dead look spawned in her eyes.

"Look at that scary face... how cute," the Incubus laughed, "Means nothing. I'll gut you open just like I did to your kin!"

Blood jettisoned into the air.

The Incubus roared. Yukari lowered her hand summoning another tarot card between her fingers, "I... will... pay you back... for what you've done,"

The creature pressed its hand against its neck forcing the blood to ooze from its wound rather than spray into the air, "Nice one, you little shit. Just a scratch. I can do better,"

A heavy thud erupted into the air sending an echo across the vast plains of the newly generated realm. Yukari was sent flying eventually falling into the red tinted dirt, her body covered in tiny cuts and bruises. She coughed and wheezed trying to remove the dirt from her lungs. She wasn't going to lose.

Strands of blood trickled from her now red stained lips, the wind beginning to carry it off into the deep unknown. She lifted herself up feeling an unsung power beginning to take hold.

"I will make you proud, mom and dad. I will be strong. I will be a great Witch," she breathed.

"Talking to yourself won't save you, girl..."

She felt the Incubus behind her, its massive yet disgustingly putrid claws hovering dangerously under her chin.

"After I kill you, I'm going to kill your friends and claim the relic for Master. I will be treasured and be made into his own," it whispered into her ear shedding its grotesque breath into her face.

Yukari clutched her want tightly, "Not if I kill you first,"

The head of the Incubus exploded into a red inferno, a long trail of iron clad tarot cards soared through the air dripping in blood. She sighed watching the creature's body writhe and squirm in the dirt. She had did it, she thought, that wasn't too bad.

But... why wasn't the illusion fading away?

Looking back down she felt the air in her lungs vanish. The Incubus stood, its ugly head regenerating the ghastly wound.

"You're dead now, bitch."

Her stomach fell deeper into her body. She didn't know any other spell to destroy that thing. Something had to be done, she wasn't going to lay down and die. She refused. That's when her eyes caught themselves on an object that sat in the dirt nearby.

Her father's Grimoire.

It was worth a shot.

She made a beeline for the book but her speed paled in comparison to the beast that hunted her. Pain erupted in her chest as the Incubus kicked her squarely between the breasts. Landing with such force her body tossing up a large plume of rock and sand. Blood dotted the ground near her mouth as she coughed and gagged. She couldn't breathe and the pain showed no mercy.

Trembling she lifted her head from the ground, her vision sinking in and out from a pool of trauma. The Grimoire was only a few feet away. If she could only reach it.

"I'm coming, little one. Death is coming," the Incubus laughed, its wings expanding several feet outward.

Yukari reached out with her hand, "Please, dad, help me..."

"I'm going to kill you, little dove. I'm going to gently break your neck!"

"Daddy... protect me..."

"Goodnight, little Witch!"

The beast lifted its arm, it's claws preparing for a harsh strike. Yukari's eyes widened.

A thunderous boom echoed into the atmosphere sending rock and debris in all directions. As the dust cleared Yukari felt an immense pressure on her shoulder. Looking down she could see one of the claws of the Incubus was stuck through her.

Blood had begun to run down her chest.

However, she had done it.

Only a hand was attached to the claw that pinned her down. The body that had gone along with it had disappeared between two massive iron blocks. Two massive iron blocks that she had summoned from her father's Grimoire. Somehow, she tried to make sense of it all but couldn't find the concentration as the realm retreated back into her parent's home. The illusion shattering with the death of its creator.

They all jumped jumped in fright the moment something sharp jutted from the door. Ruby had been slowly unhinging the magical chains that kept the door shut. However, once the sudden shock hit them she managed to undue the last enchantment.

"It's open!" she said.

All of them rushed to the door and pried it open. Stunned and with a hearty gasp they soon realized that whatever had pierced the door was pinning Yukari from the other side. As they swung the door open it ended up dragging the Witch with it.

The adolescent girl cringed in pain. Her body covered in bruises and scrapes.

"Oh my..." breathed Ruby.

"Yukari! What happened!" cried Moka.

Kurumu quickly interjected, "What did you fight? Was it that thing that's been going around and terrorizing the school?"

Yukari's breathing was shallow as she sighed, "It... it was an Incubus,"

Ruby went silent as she slowly but efficiently pried the dead claw from her friend's shoulder, "How could that be? Incubi do not know how to cast enchantments. That's strictly for magic casters,"

"He said..." she coughed, "He said he was... an Immortal. I tried cutting off his head but... he came back,"

Tsukune couldn't help himself, "Then, how did you kill it?"

Yukari cringed, "I... destroyed most of the body. I think that's... that's..."

The girl slumped over Ruby's arm. Moka, Mizore and Kurumu tensed with widened eyes.

"Relax, she passed out. I can heal her," Ruby reassured them, "But we need to leave here. It's not safe. We need to get to your father, Moka. I hope he can help us,"

Moka looked away, "So do I,"

They began to leave the home until a distant phone could be heard somewhere in the house. Tsukune glanced at his comrades and they stared back at him.

"Don't answer it," whispered Mizore.

"Yeah, we should get going," said Kurumu.

He wanted to agree but the phone continued to ring and it was coming from the next room. His instincts so far had yet to fail him and in this instance it was telling him to answer the call.

Beep!

"See? It was no one, now let's get..."

A dark voice filled the room: "Tsukune Aono. You have five seconds to pick up or I'm going to have to murder this lovely young woman,"

"Tsukune! Run away!"

Tsukune trembled. That voice belonged to his mother.

Thanks for reading. And as always, until next time...