Note:
Stuff happens, and suddenly months fly past. Since last time, I've become a mom, so naturally there's been less time for writing than usual. At the same time I'm working on original stories, which I hope may one day lead into something that may be published. Even so, I wasn't lying when I said I have 20 or so parts of this story written. Trouble is, they're not edited. But it's a shame for them to not be shared on FF, so here I am with the next part of BSS!
Part 6.5 – The rest of part 6
The others had a need for dinner, but Mikoto was not in the mood for any more outings and she remained at the inn, lying in bed with an arm over her eyes. What had gotten into her back there? Haruue's words and receiving that necklace had stung some part of her that she hadn't realized existed. Her mother had come back? But how could she, after that? Her brain needed some time off right now.
XXX
Despite the pub being completely destroyed and the city having been wracked by a bloody battle just the previous evening, it seemed like people were picking up their usual pace. Ruiko glanced around at the booths adorning the town square; it was like that Queen leaving with her pack had lifted some sort of curse on the citizens. There was more life and laughter around than she'd seen or heard the day before, even taking the trip to the pub into consideration. They didn't even seem to care that there was a ruined building right on the town square.
She kept sneaking glances at Uiharu and blushed whenever the girl looked back at her. Of course, naïve little Uiharu just assured her that she was fine, if a bit tired, and Ruiko nodded. "Good, good. You better tell us if you start feeling woozy again." Folding her arms, she chastised herself for being a coward.
Shirai-san threw her a couple of glances as well, snickering behind a hand, and Ruiko fumed at the paladin. She definitely heard it all! Misaka-san's words had really struck her deeply, and she was starting to wonder if there was something to it. It was ridiculous of course. Yet, she had to be honest with herself. Uiharu was cute, and Ruiko enjoyed teasing her, but was that all? She had no idea. Not like she had time to worry about things like that anyway.
They found a booth that sold skewers of grilled meat and bought a bunch, sitting down at a bench and gazing out over the busy town square.
Ruiko voiced the incredible feeling in her chest. "I can't believe we were fighting a vampire matriarch and her pack right here, just yesterday." Shirai-san looked slightly troubled, and Uiharu bit into the meat with a thoughtful expression. "I don't remember much of what happened, but you were so cool fighting that vampire, Saten-san." She smiled, and Ruiko reddened.
"That wasn't a real fight though. If it was, I'd probably be dead." Her chest twinged at the thought. Killing an actual vampire was way beyond her.
She glanced at Shirai-san. "How much training did you need before you could handle a vampire on your own, Shirai-san? Of course, you have those holy spells of yours…"
Shirai-san looked solemn, observing the stick of meat she was working on. "Taking on a vampire isn't all that hard once you know how to handle them." She said it so casually, Ruiko couldn't help but grow annoyed. "Of course, it depends a lot on the circumstances and the vampire itself. In some regards it's like facing another human, although their strength is not comparable to ours."
"You've been in Judgment for a long time, right, Shirai-san?" Uiharu spoke up, leaning forward to look past Ruiko at the vampire hunter.
"Seven years."
"Seven!?" Ruiko was shocked. "Wait, how old are you again!?"
"Sixteen."
"And just how long did it take before you killed one on your own?"
For some reason Shirai-san's cheeks reddened. "I was twelve at the time. But I did participate in taking down a couple waywards before that."
"Huuuh. Judgment only hunts down the dangerous ones now after the war, huh." Ruiko leaned back against the bench, looking at the sky. Three years of training. Seemed reasonable, all things considered. Vampires were not easy opponents. It still nagged at her mind that she had been struggling that much against an opponent that didn't even try to kill her, but the attempted hijack of her mind hadn't been helping. Maybe, if she had been able to use her abilities…
"Yesh." She clenched her fist and pumped it. "I'm gonna ask Misaka-san to fight me."
Uiharu choked and started coughing, and Shirai-san looked perplexed. "Why on earth would you want that?"
"I need to get stronger. It's a waste not using her while she's here, right?" Ruiko grinned. "Fighting a matriarch should help hone my skills!"
Shirai-san looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "She'd tear you apart."
"I wonder, I wonder~ Misaka-san might just be a lot milder than you think, Shirai-san." Ruiko grinned, and the paladin sighed.
"Whatever. If you manage to make her take you seriously though, don't be surprised if you end up with a broken bone or two."
"Not to mention electrification~"
"You sound like you're looking forward to it!"
Ruiko gave a light sigh, feeling a lot better. "So, you two… do you consider yourself part of her pack?"
"What?" Shirai-san blinked.
"Does Misaka-san even have a pack?" Uiharu asked.
"That's what I meant." Ruiko looked ahead. "Are we her pack?"
Shirai-san looked thoughtful, but Uiharu smiled. "Don't you think we're friends, instead? That's what Misaka-san calls us."
"Friends, huh." Ruiko tasted the word. Being friends with a vampire. It sat oddly with her.
Uiharu shifted beside her and Ruiko looked at her. "You okay?"
The girl jolted and looked up at her with a smile. "Yes, I just thought I heard something."
"Don't go crazy on us now. I wouldn't like to have to spank you."
Uiharu's face grew an adorable blush and Ruiko grinned, until Shirai-san's snicker reached her ears. She flushed a bright red and hurriedly bit into her meat.
"So, Shirai-san, when are you going to tell Misaka-san about your tail?" Uiharu asked, and Shirai-san choked.
XXX
"I'm back." Kuroko sighed and pulled her cloak off once she stepped into the room at the inn. She had been thinking all the way back and now cleared her throat, preparing to deliver her speech. "Listen, I think we should split up for the night."
"Ku~ro~ko~" Mikoto purred her name in a way that made the hairs on Kuroko's neck stand on end. She turned around just in time to get caught. Mikoto wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close. Kuroko stiffened and held her breath.
"I missed you." Mikoto leaned in and dragged in the scent of her neck.
"I was gone for an hour at most." Kuroko was not sure how to handle this. She remembered Mikoto saying she'd keep her promise, but right now…
"You haven't eaten, have you?" Not that that was her only worry right now. Her tail shifted beneath her pants. She hoped the movement was lost on her lover, who seemed rather occupied. She was kissing Kuroko's neck hungrily.
"M-Mikoto, if you're hungry…" Kuroko didn't even know where to start. The matriarch gave off a different vibe today. It was like back in that cellar, only less desperate. More dedicated.
"I want to taste you today." Mikoto's tongue touched her neck and Kuroko stiffened. "Relax." Mikoto shifted and Kuroko pulled in a deep breath, calming down at the scent and aura emitting from the vampire. She knew she was being played with, but she had wanted this kind of attention for so long.
Except her tail. If Mikoto found out, she'd forget all about Kuroko and become obsessed with that disgusting thing, she was sure of it. The vampire had an unhealthy obsession for the furry things.
"No – Mikoto—"
She tried to wriggle out, but the vampire tightened her hold, sending a jolt of pain through Kuroko's body. "I want to feed on you today, Kuroko~"
Her breath caught in her throat. Mikoto never wanted to feed on her. She avoided it like the plague if she could help it.
"W-What made you change your mind?" She asked, and hissed as Mikoto's tongue kept licking her throat, a purr growing in the chest of the vampire. "Mikoto?"
There was no answer, only the purr, reverberating through her body. It was paralyzing and aggravating, but Kuroko was enjoying the attention far too much to care. The vampire was lost in the act as well, the licks turning to nibbles, and she pulled Kuroko even further against herself. Kuroko had never been her meal before. There was that time when Mikoto had been on the brink of starvation, but it couldn't be said to be a regular meal. It had helped though. She was no longer afraid.
Kuroko shuddered in delight as she felt the fangs scraping over her skin. Mikoto breathed deeply in and out, growing more and more aroused on Kuroko's scent. Kuroko wound her arms around Mikoto's torso and offered her neck, pulling in small gasps of air. For a few seconds the fangs rested on Kuroko's skin and the tension rose between them until it was palpable. Kuroko craved the feeling that was to come, and as if she had been waiting for that moment, Mikoto finally slid her fangs into her neck. It was amazing. Kuroko groaned in ecstasy and Mikoto's purr grew into a sensual growl, her body tensing as she started drinking her blood. The sounds of her sucking, licking and swallowing vividly tickled Kuroko's ears and she had to concentrate to be able to breathe through the pleasure. She clawed at Mikoto's back, feeling the matriarch's body tense up as the blood entered her system. Small crackles of electricity started playing in her bangs and Mikoto kept purring, even as the temperature rose and their bodies rubbed together. The vampire's hands were sliding down Kuroko's back and nearing her butt. Kuroko's eyes teared up from pleasure and she was so close to coming it was agonizing.
Mikoto's hands slid into her pants and Kuroko groaned as they stroked over the bushy fur on her tail, tendrils of lightning travelling up her spine at the touch. Mikoto's tongue kept licking the blood from her neck and her hands pulled the tail out of her pants, stroking it up and down.
Kuroko gasped and gritted her teeth, waves of pleasure gathering in the depths of her mind and spreading outwards. She hardly noticed when Mikoto started kissing her neck instead of licking it, lost in the ecstasy of the caress. Soon she was panting and Mikoto was stroking her tail from base to tip with calm, deliberate motions.
"Ah~" A low moan escaped her lips as one final stroke sent her across the limit and her body trembled in delight. She leaned into Mikoto with heavy breaths, gazing dazedly ahead as her trembling died down.
"Kuroko~" Mikoto's voice was playful, yet sent a shudder down her spine that made Kuroko's ears flick. She groaned back, wanting to enjoy the aftermath a bit longer. The strokes on her fur were wonderful, threatening to send her into another climax. The vampire's lips touched her cheek and Kuroko felt them pull up into a grin.
"You have a tail~"
In that instant the entire world ground to a halt. Mikoto's fingers stroked over the fur on her tail and her fangs touched Kuroko's neck again. It was possible that she wanted more, but instead of biting she started licking the existing wound once more. Even if it stopped bleeding once the stimulation let up, no more than one lick was needed for the blood to start trickling out once more. The vampire aura surrounding them was growing denser and Kuroko pulled down a mouthful of air. Mikoto kept stroking her tail and the electricity dancing in her bangs grew in force.
"Mikoto…" Kuroko gasped her name, sensing that something was happening. She had no idea what, but she could see that something was changing in the matriarch as she kept lapping up Kuroko's blood. It was the same feeling as when she saw her drink vampiric blood yesterday. The purring was back, and Mikoto pushed forward until Kuroko's back hit the wall. Her tail was trapped between her back and the wall and Mikoto let it go, placing her hands on Kuroko's waist instead. Kuroko was lost in euphoria yet having her tail released made some sense return to her foggy mind.
"Mikoto, love…" she raised her hands, putting them on Mikoto's shoulders. "I-It's fine now, right?" She had no idea how much Mikoto usually fed on her victims, but she was starting to feel dizzy and knew they had to stop.
Instead Mikoto bit down once more and Kuroko groaned.
"Mikoto!"
The vampire growled, and static started accumulating in the air around them. It felt like the body beneath her hands was growing thorns. Mikoto's hand rose to her head and found a furry ear. She started massaging it, and Kuroko shuddered. She was growing restless, white spots dancing in front of her eyes. "Mikoto, love, that's fine. Stop." She pushed on Mikoto's shoulders and suddenly the vampire snarled, there was a flurry of movement and Kuroko found herself thrown to the bed, Mikoto above her, snarling and crackling with electricity.
Kuroko was dazed, but she was no stranger to handling this sort of situation. Instincts kicked in and years of training helped her stay calm.
"Modnar tihsllub!"
For a second it didn't seem to have any effect at all, but then Mikoto's snarl lessened and the pressure on Kuroko's shoulders let up as the vampire returned to her senses and moved her hands away. Her eyes cleared and then an expression of shock settled on her face.
"K-Kuroko… I'm sorry, I…"
Kuroko smiled at her. "It's fine. I'm fine."
Yet Mikoto's shoulders tensed and she clenched her eyes shut. "Damnit!"
Her fingers dug into the sheets on the bed and Kuroko stroked her knuckles.
"I thought I… I thought I had better control," Mikoto admitted, looking quite ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Kuroko. I couldn't stop. Fifty years and still…" Her shoulders dropped.
"That's not true." Kuroko reached up and stroked her cheek. Mikoto froze at the touch. "You did stop. I'm not dead, am I?"
It took a few seconds before Mikoto looked at her. "Yeah. Your doing though."
"That's why we're such an excellent pair." Kuroko grinned and her tail flicked beneath her. She noticed how Mikoto's eyes were immediately drawn to the motion and her smile turned tender. She flicked her tail a few more times on purpose. "Want to touch it?"
She might as well have offered her a bucket of blood. Mikoto looked like she could hardly control herself at the offer and although she found it annoying, it was also endearing seeing her lover act so childish.
Kuroko rolled over to her stomach and the tail brushed by Mikoto's arm. "No more biting, okay? But," she winked at her, "I wouldn't mind a good old-fashioned snuggle."
Mikoto did not need to be asked twice.
XXX
It should take them roughly three days to arrive in Pihs Looc starting from Sotokim, which made it clear they had, in fact, been lost by the time they ran into Saijid the shaman. Kuroko refused to take the full blame for that however, and lead them off from Sotokim with renewed vigor. Following the main road out of town would add another day to their route, but at this point they felt it more important to actually arrive.
"How does it feel?" Kuroko asked Mikoto as they tossed one last look at the town hidden in the valley. "Would you rather stay?"
Mikoto smiled at her. "We have to get Uiharu-san to Pihs Looc. Besides, I would feel odd settling down here now. Neither me nor the town is the same."
Perhaps that was true, but Kuroko couldn't help feeling like her lover was glossing over it. In either case, Kuroko was perfectly fine with leaving the troublesome place behind, along with all the memories it held.
"Misaka-san, fight me."
They had barely left the outskirts of town when Saten-san voiced her request. Kuroko's ears stiffened beneath the hood of her cloak, and Uiharu's eyes widened.
Mikoto gave the battle mage a quizzical look. "Why?"
Saten-san grinned. "I need to get stronger, and you're the best training partner around."
Mikoto sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea."
She looked taken aback. "Why not?"
"Well for one, if we fight out here in the open we might attract unwanted attention."
That was a solid point and Kuroko applauded her lover for being considerate. For a second she had feared Mikoto would jump to the challenge eagerly.
"Don't worry, I'd go easy on you the first time." Saten-san grinned, and Mikoto huffed.
"No."
"Why not!?"
"I said no!"
"Why noooot, come on, you wanna face a strong opponent as well, right? I promise I'll make it worthwhile." Saten-san put a hand on Mikoto's shoulder and was immediately shrugged off.
"I won't fight you." Mikoto kept walking and Kuroko breathed out in relief.
Saten-san didn't give up though. She kept asking all throughout the day and Kuroko could tell Mikoto's patience was running thinner. It seemed like Saten-san had decided to go for the "annoy her until she attacks"-strategy, and Kuroko was conflicted about whether or not to intervene. In the end, she decided to ignore it completely.
They walked steadily for the first day, resting up whenever needed – mostly based on Uiharu's condition, which seemed to vary from peachy to totally exhausted, at which point Saten-san ended up all but carrying her until they could sit down somewhere for a rest.
By evening, they lit a campfire near the forest edge and prepared to spend the night.
"It's a miracle that Shirai-san didn't buy any sausages," Uiharu said with the brightest smile. Kuroko reddened.
"They would spoil." Though in truth, she was attempting to avoid being teased. Plus, with no sausages around, Mikoto didn't run off when they pulled out their food.
"Misaka-san, fight me." Saten-san asked for the umpteenth time while they sat around the campfire, and the way Mikoto's shoulders sank made Kuroko worry. She won't give in, will she? It wasn't that a mock fight between two friends was such a bad thing, but these weren't regular friends. Saten-san had never faced Mikoto, not like Kuroko had in that basement. The difference in strength was just too great for there to be no accidents.
Saten-san barely had the time to yelp when Mikoto suddenly moved. Within the blink of an eye Saten-san tasted dirt and her hands were held firmly in place at her back.
"Ow ow ow!"
Mikoto leaned down towards her ear and Kuroko's ears flicked. The whisper was barely audible. "I'll help you train on one condition. You have to make a move on Uiharu-san first."
Saten-san's breath hitched, and Mikoto released her wrists and got to her feet. With ears as flaming red as the campfire, Saten-san got up as well, sitting back down at the log.
"You got me by surprise there!"
Uiharu grinned at her and Saten-san reddened even more. She glared at the fire and huffed. Kuroko snickered. Just like Mikoto to suggest something like that. It was so obvious the two of them liked each other, but knowing Uiharu she would never have the courage to do anything about it.
Would Saten-san really do it though? The battle mage had been extra loud after that, cracking jokes left and right in an obvious attempt at hiding her embarrassment. At the moment Uiharu was lying on her cape off to the side, while Saten-san had grabbed Mikoto's arm and pulled her off to a nearby tree, outside hearing range even for Kuroko's ears. She was curious, but decided to leave them be; Saten-san was flustered enough already and knowing Mikoto, she would handle it perfectly fine.
"How are you holding up, Shirai-san?" Uiharu suddenly spoke up, and Kuroko looked at her.
"Oh, you're not sleeping?"
"I feel fine, really. I know it must have seemed worrying, but I don't really think anything bad happened." She was smiling, but Kuroko frowned.
"That looked really bad, Uiharu. If this keeps up…" well, she didn't know what would happen exactly, but she could tell they needed to get the cleric checked out. Casting that sort of spell was nothing to take lightly. Who knew what kind of monster would appear next?
Something flapped at her thigh and she stiffened before realizing it was her tail. She had pulled it out of her pants since having it tucked in was becoming uncomfortable, and her cloak was long enough to hide it anyways. Yet, after taking it out, not only did she have to survive Mikoto's advances (which were wholly directed at her wolf attributes), but it seemed to have started living its own life.
Uiharu noticed her looking and glanced at the tail as well. "How does it feel really, having one of those?"
Kuroko huffed and the tail flapped back and forth. It was like having a living animal stuck to your butt. She glared at it and it twitched. Twitch, twitch. She grabbed at it, and the tail twitched away. Her eyes narrowed.
XXX
"Seriously, Misaka-san, why do you think I should make a move on her?" Ruiko was trying her utmost to make the vampire take back her offered deal, but Misaka-san looked wholly uninterested, arms folded.
"You don't have to, I just said I'd help you train if you did."
Ruiko couldn't help but grin at the cocky answer. "I see, I see. You are cunning, Misaka-san. Fine, I get it." She nodded, folding her arms as well. "I just need to make a move, right? Anything is fine?"
Misaka-san's lips pulled into a smirk and the matriarch advanced in on her. Ruiko automatically pulled back until she hit the tree.
"W-What?"
Misaka-san leaned in and sniffed her. Then she looked thoughtful. "Hm."
Ruiko sweat-dropped. "You know, when you do that you seem even less human than usual."
Misaka-san gave her a sharp glance. "Usual?"
"W-Well… sometimes you just seem so… normal." Ruiko felt sweatier and sweatier even though she couldn't tell why.
Misaka-san grinned and flicked her forehead with a finger. "Alright. For that, you have to kiss her."
"What!?" Ruiko's heart jumped a mile.
Misaka-san's grin was mischievous for just a second, and then it became a beam. "If you kiss her I'll fight you ~"
"But that's impossible!"
XXX
Kazari watched with huge eyes as Shirai-san started grabbing for her tail, but the appendage seemed to twitch away from her fingers every time. Wasn't she the one who controlled it though? It was all mystifying but extremely enchanting. As her movements grew snappier Shirai-san looked more and more annoyed. But the tail still escaped her and Kazari watched in amazement as the paladin turned a full circle while glaring at it. After yet another miss something seemed to click in place. Shirai-san growled and span on the spot, slashing the air as if trying to kill the furry tail instead of grabbing it – she made several such spins and then suddenly fell over, landing on her back with a thump and a groan. Kazari blinked, wondering if she'd hit her head, but then the paladin twitched. Suddenly she sat up and lunged – Kazari jolted, but Shirai-san wasn't coming for her; rather, she lunged downwards and this time she went in with everything she had and snatched the tail – right between her teeth.
Kazari grimaced at the crunch and Shirai-san, while looking triumphant for a split second, grew utterly pale and then she doubled over with a shriek of pain.
"What's wrong? Kuroko!" Misaka-san was beside her in an instant, with Saten-san close behind, though rather meek compared to usual.
"I think she bit her tail." Kazari said.
"…what the hell."
Kuroko wanted to die. The tail was throbbing and she winced when Mikoto squatted beside her, feeling ashamed at having acted so ridiculous.
"Kuroko, are you—" She stopped abruptly and Kuroko looked up just in time to see a flash of her fangs before Mikoto turned away and swallowed, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Mikoto…?"
The vampire took a deep breath but made a point of not looking at her. "You're bleeding."
Kuroko hadn't even noticed, but now that she said it, the stinging sensation became clearer. She gingerly raised a finger and touched the sore spot, wincing. Her finger became black with blood; she must have bitten harder than she thought. Mikoto pulled in a sharp breath and got to her feet, staggering off.
"Misaka-san?" Uiharu was confused, and Kuroko too. She'd seen Mikoto react to blood before but this was almost on fledgling level.
"S-Sorry. Kazari, please help Kuroko patch it up."
"Ah – I can heal it!" Uiharu jumped up and Kuroko hardly noticed her approach while watching Mikoto hurry away, climb a tree and disappear into the woods.
"What on earth…"
"Renew!" Uiharu's hands hovered above the tip of the tail and they glowed with a soft yellow hue. For a second they pulsated gently and a pleasant sensation spread through Kuroko's tail, making her sigh in relief. Then the light throbbed, and shot right into the campfire.
"Woah!?" Saten-san pulled back when the sparks flew and Kuroko paled. The fire roared alive and rose above them, taking on a decidedly demonic form with flaming horns and even tiny arms.
"What? What happened?" Uiharu was frantic. Kuroko grabbed her and teleported them further away. The demon campfire roared and spat tongues of fire at them.
"Hiyah!" Saten-san swung her bat and knocked the fireballs aside, leaving a sizzling mark on the weapon. "Oh man, I can't fight fire with this! Shirai-san!"
Kuroko stood up. "Gnihctib!" The light flared down and impaled the demon without much effect beyond making it even angrier. Saten-san blocked another fireball, but the flames licked across it towards her face and she hissed. "Any other tricks?"
"I don't have my holy water." There hadn't been a church in Sotokim to refill.
"Any other kind of water!?"
"Not enough to douse that!"
Uiharu was looking terrified. She kept repeating, "Did I do that? I didn't mean to do that!" in a manner that made Kuroko want to smack her mouth shut.
Saten-san knocked away more fireballs and wiped sweat from her brow. The fire demon roared ominously from their campfire. With no legs it looked like it was simply part of the flames. It could have been an illusion if not for the fireballs.
"Looks like it can't move at least. Damn, where did Misaka-san go?"
"She can't fight fire more than any of us. Wait, I have an idea!" Kuroko lit up. Normally, the idea would be shunned as blasphemy, but this was an emergency situation, and she was no longer part of Judgment anyway. She dove for her backpack and pulled out a flask of water. It couldn't possibly be enough, but it would have to do. She pulled the cork open and put her finger into it. "Gnihctib!"
The holy light exploded into the flask and threatened to rip it apart. Would it even become holy water like this? She had no idea, but it was worth a try.
"Hurry up!" Saten-san was trying to parry the flames - a futile fight.
"On it!" Kuroko touched the thread in the flask and then teleported the thing above the head of the demon. Without the thread to keep the flask tight, the water escaped and splashed down onto the thing. It hissed and wailed and swung its arms as if attempting to swipe the water away.
"It worked!"
"There's not enough water!" Kuroko looked around, but sacrificing all of their flasks was a bad idea too. Maybe they should just abandon the site.
"Oi!" Suddenly, someone called out. Something exploded against the fire demon and Kuroko recognized the glinting water at once. That was proper holy water. "Oi! Oi!" Two more times, and the fire demon wailed and vanished into the campfire, then went out in a puff of smoke. Saten-san, sweaty and puffing, stared at the campfire with huge eyes, but Kuroko's head snapped up. It is them! With a flash of terror she jumped for her cloak and flung it on, covering her ears and her tail and hopefully her face as well. It was dark and still hard to make out details after looking at that burning demon, so she hoped she had passed without notice.
"Oi, girls! Playing with fire is a bit juvenile at your age, huh?" The armor-clad girl at the front grinned, resting a halberd across her shoulders. She had long hair in pigtails, almost like Kuroko, but darker and straighter.
Saten-san looked up at them, blinking. "Are you…?"
"Judgment. Here to your rescue~. My name is Kana." The girl with the halberd presented herself. There were two more members with her, one other girl and a guy at least twice as tall as Kuroko.
"Kana! Don't run off like that!" The second girl leaned on her knees and gasped for air.
"You guys are way too slow!" the girl called Kana snapped at them. "Birdway-sensei would be ashamed!"
Kuroko's nerves instantly went into high alert. Birdway-sensei is here!? She had been Kuroko's officer back when she was a recruit. For three years that woman had tormented her about her small build, pushing her until her head span and everything she ate tasted of sweat for weeks.
"Did you guys summon the fire demon?" The tall guy glared at them with icy eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, Seto. Not like just anyone can up and summon things like that." Kana waved her hand dismissively.
"Kana, it came right out of their campfire."
"This is far into nowhere! Demons pop up everywhere, you know? Chill out, Kaiba-kun." Kana grinned at them, but Uiharu's eyes still turned downcast.
"I really didn't see where it came from!" Saten-san exclaimed. "Like it dropped down from the sky into our campfire!" She even looked like the soot had blown everywhere, with black flecks on her face.
"Mm, I see." Kana nodded as if that made perfect sense, but the guy's eyebrows grew ever more furrowed. He said nothing though. Perhaps Kana was his superior.
"So what's Judgment doing here, so far away from anywhere really?" Saten-san asked, scratching her cheek and smearing the soot even more across her face.
"We heard a rumor about some major trouble in Sotokim so we're on our way to check things out." Kana gladly shared their objective and Kuroko bristled. That's none of our business! She had to fight the urge to tell her off; getting recognized as a Judgment member at this point was not wise. Especially not if that woman was nearby.
"Hey," the girl leaning on her knees looked up, having finally caught her breath, "maybe they came from Sotokim?"
The guy Kana had referred to as Seto rolled his eyes, but Kana herself lit up. "That's right! Did you, did you?" She grinned at them.
"We did!" Saten-san said at once, and Kuroko froze.
"So, so, so? Did you see anything weird going on? Did you hear any rumors?" Kana looked incredibly curious and Kuroko was silently thankful that Mikoto had left, especially if she couldn't keep her fangs in.
Saten-tapped her chin and pretended to think. Kuroko hoped she did. "Well, I didn't see it really since we were all sleeping soundly, but I heard the villagers talking about some sort of trouble, and there was a razed building in the town square."
"A razed building?" Kana blinked, and Seto's lips twitched downward. "That sounds serious… I thought the report said something about a bone golem…"
Kuroko was stricken by panic. Had they been seen with that thing by a traveling merchant or such? How did they know?
"That's right!" Saten-san acted as if she just remembered. Maybe she did. "They said something about a bone troll leaving for the woods!"
"Really?" Kana looked relieved and Seto's frown grew even deeper. Kuroko was sweating now. Kana seemed easy enough to fool, but the tall guy was not so stupid. However, being in Birdway-sensei's troupe made then recruits. They had not been sent on their own to fight a matriarch; in the first place, fighting a matriarch was not something Judgment would risk. They were most likely speaking the truth, merely sent out as observers. Even if the rumors of a matriarch fight had reached Judgment they would only want to collect information. These guys might not even know the true objective of their mission.
Yet the fact that they were here at all was troubling. Kuroko was pretty much a deserter and Mikoto was, well... Kuroko had been sent to map out her threat level and that indicated Judgment did not know where to place her. Now, with Gilmore dead, the situation had only become worse.
"Did you walk all the way from Pihs Looc?" she asked, trying to make her voice deeper than normal just in case.
"Oh, no~" Kana laughed. "There's a big Judgment camp just a few hours north. We're conducting a scan of the area and are patrolling the roads just in case."
"Should you really be saying that, Kana-chan?" The other girl said.
"It's fine, it's fine, not like they can't see it from afar anyways~"
Just like she thought. Kuroko cursed, but at the same time she was grateful. Knowing beforehand made it easier. They would have to avoid that camp at all costs.
"Oh I see." Saten-san put her hands behind her head. "I guess you've got a ways to go still then."
"Sure do! We'll be camping soon enough though!" Kana grinned. "Stay safe and avoid any more demons, yeah?"
"Sure, thanks." Saten-san smiled and the three of them left, although the Seto guy tossed them a last, doubtful glance.
XXX
As soon as they were alone once more, Shirai-san dropped to her hands and knees.
"We have no choice." She groaned. "We cannot be found by that camp. No… we cannot go within miles of that camp."
Uiharu looked pale. "Is it dangerous?"
"They'll find out… they'll find out Mikoto is the Railgun, and they'll find out I'm a deserter (with ears and tail to boot) and they'll even find out Uiharu keeps doing black magic things…"
Uiharu reddened adorably at that and Ruiko rubbed her chin. "If we avoid the main road I'm sure we can escape their checkpoint."
"That's not enough." Shirai-san clenched her hands on the ground. "They have scanners. If they're conducting a search mission they have surely brought one. It scans the area in a large radius and warns about any abnormal power levels in the area. They'll pick up a matriarch in no time at all."
That did seem like a pickle.
Uiharu looked from Shirai-san to Ruiko. "Does that mean we'll have to take a detour?"
"Sounds like it." Ruiko sighed. "I guess we'll have to go in a wide circle around the camp, or go back to Sotokim and find our way through the woods after all."
"We're not getting forward at all…"
Ruiko watched Shirai-san's ÔTL~ form and made a decision. "Let's think about that tomorrow. For now, we need to get some sleep."
Uiharu looked into the woods. "Where did Misaka-san go?"
"I guess she sensed the Judgment folks coming and decided to scram." Ruiko said. Then she turned towards the campfire, lowered her bat and enchanted it with her phoenix fire. A small flame popped up at the end and she put it close to the campfire.
"Let's hope it's actually dead…"
"So how come you can enchant your bat with fire but can't fight a fire demon with it?" Shirai-san's dry voice reached her.
"This is phoenix fire." Ruiko explained as the flames started licking over the wood. "It won't burn what I consider an ally or my own property."
"Saten-san's bat is her greatest ally!" Uiharu grinned, and Ruiko reddened.
"You bet! This trusty friend has been with me ever since—" she stopped abruptly, eyes widening. The other two looked puzzled, and she laughed it away. "Never mind, it's a great weapon!"
"I sure hope so, seeing how you destroyed the silver sword against that heap of bones…"
Ruiko glanced at her and then snickered. "How's your tail doing?"
Shirai-san blushed furiously.
XXX
The tree bark was scratching at her skin but Mikoto didn't care, too busy trying to quench the bloodthirst burning through her veins. She stared at the tree without seeing it, leaning her forehead into its trunk and fighting back the small growls in the back of her throat. Her fangs were deeply embedded into her arm and the taste of her own blood was somewhat calming, while the pain helped her stay focused.
She hadn't been able to stay around for a second longer; the sight and smell of Kuroko's blood, and that black variant in particular, was enough to send all of her self-control down the drain. She wasn't even hungry. She'd eaten her fill just yesterday, on Kuroko no less, and even then she'd lost control.
What the hell are you doing? Her jaw trembled with the force of her bite and after several minutes the urge in her system finally started winding down. She slowly relaxed, releasing her arm and breathing in deeply. She watched as the puncture wounds closed up and vanished without a trace, and then licked off the blood remaining on her skin.
'You know, when you do that you seem even less human than usual.' For some reason Saten-san's words had struck a chord inside her, and even now she tensed. Why did she let it bother her so much? She wasn't human, she'd accepted that long ago. After killing off Daisy's entire family and leaving the little girl an orphan to fend for herself more than fifty years ago, she had stopped calling herself human. She wasn't, and there was nothing to do about it. And that was fine.
Slowly releasing a breath, she turned around and leaned her back on the tree trunk, watching the sodden forest floor beneath her feet. Then it struck her. Kuroko bit her own tail. At first her lips twitched, and then she started laughing loudly. "Man, that's so stupid!"
XXX
