Ah, now you find out what Krad was trying to do!
Chapter 9: New Scenery
Riku stared blankly at the stars, guilt and grief overwhelming her. She still had no idea how the window could have broken without her hearing a single sound. Suspicions of magic drifted in and out of her thoughts, but she refused to dwell on them for long.
And yet…what other explanation was there?
She turned as Dark alighted nearby and hurried over to him. The girls were in his arms, but dangling like stringless marionettes. "Are they all right? Where did you find them? What happened?"
"I think they're okay. Just unconscious."
A drop of sweat maddeningly trickled between his eyes where he couldn't wipe it away without dropping his burdens. Of course, he shouldn't be complaining since that was the worst that the evening's excitement had affected him. The amount of magic was considerable compared to usual, though. Daisuke was probably going to hate him once it took its toll.
"Who took them?"
Dark didn't answer. Instead he went inside to set the girls down on Risa's bed. "I'm not sure exactly what happened back there yet. There was too much magical energy for it to be a simple ceremony. Whatever he was doing—"
"He? Who he? He who?" Riku interrupted, her eyes flaring with impatience as she tried to get an answer out of him. "Just tell me who kidnapped my sister and tried to use magic on her or whatever! Now."
Imbri groaned and shifted, attracting their attention instantly. Dark was at her side, leaning over with concern. "Are you all right?"
Her brown eyes slid open and she blinked confusedly up at him. "Mr. Dark?"
He jerked back in surprise at the title. The pendant on her chest pulsated with red light for a second or two before slowly dying away, but the raven-haired girl winced and looked down to look at it. She raised a hand to touch it and promptly socked herself in the jaw, producing a surprised yelp.
The sight of Imbri punching herself was rather funny, but the reason wasn't.
Dark squinted and edged forward slightly. "Risa?"
She looked at him, holding a hand to her sore chin. "Yeah?"
Riku got between them and grabbed the girl's shoulders, looking her straight in the face. "Is that really you, Risa? Are you really…"
She carefully lowered her hand and her face screwed up with perplexity. "Really what? What's wrong with my body? It feels all…watery. And my voice sounds funny. Am I sick?"
"Worse than that, I'm afraid," Dark said picking up a hand mirror. He held it up for her and she gasped, jerking so hard that the back of her skull hit the headboard and cracked straight through it! Riku jumped forward and pulled her out of the hole.
"Risa! Are you okay?" Her sister tried to check her head, but Risa nudged her away gently (which actually amounted to a hard shove by accident).
"Oh, sorry! But…it doesn't hurt at all," she remarked in wonderment. "That thing's supposed to be solid oak."
"It was. Not so solid anymore," her sister said sarcastically. "At least it's your bed."
"Well I didn't do it on purpose! Mr. Dark, I—Mr. Dark?" She looked around and saw him cradling her own body on the other side of the bed. "Hey, that's me! But if…if I'm in Imbri's body, is she in mine?"
"I think so," he replied in a murmur.
"But how did we get switched?"
"He doesn't know, or at least he pretends not to," Riku informed her. The short-haired twin glanced between her sister and her sister's body. "Do you remember anything at all? What happened downstairs?"
Risa's eyebrows creased as she concentrated. "We were sitting in the room after you left to get sodas and then the window broke. Imbri jumped up and grabbed something near the fireplace. She threw it at—"
A look of sheer horror crossed her face and she pointed to the open window. "You!" she screamed.
Riku and Dark both snapped around—but no one was there.
Yet Risa continued to point, her hand trembling. Slowly her fearful eyes returned to their normal size and she looked down at her hand as though wondering why she was holding it out.
"That was weird. I thought for a second I saw that guy… Totally freaky." She shook her head and raised her eyes, realizing with amazement that Dark was right in front of her, staring intently.
"Eep!" she squeaked (which was interesting to hear coming from Imbri's mouth). "Mr.…Dark? What's wrong?"
"I thought so. There's a cloud hiding some of your memories. Risa, I'm going to help you remember. Look at straight at me." He held a feather out and it glowed as he muttered foreign words. Risa's clear brown eyes slowly changed to a muted amber.
"What are you doing?" Riku demanded, coming protectively between them.
"Nothing that will hurt her. Someone blocked out something she knows for a reason and I need to find out why. So just calm down and let me do this without any distractions."
"If you hurt her even a little bit I'll make you regret the day you were born!" she threatened in a low voice.
"Fine." He pushed the girl carelessly aside and focused on Risa again. "Krad is at your window. What next?"
"He is carrying me outside, over the ocean." Her voice was distant, emotionless. The high pitch was gone and her tone had turned abruptly flat, spiritless.
"What does he say?"
"If you scream I'll make sure you drown."
Despite it being Imbri's voice, her tone and expression were exactly like Krad's. Dark knew she wasn't remembering or repeating it. In her mind it was happening right then as if she was living the moment for the very first time.
"Tell me everything."
Risa's expression changed dramatically over the next few minutes. She thrashed in the 'water' as herself, then coldly made threats as Krad. Riku stood nearby, her face filled with disbelief as she finally understood what had happened the night she'd found her sister soaked in seawater on the balcony.
"—Still…you might prove useful. None of this ever happened."
As though a light switch went on, Risa's eyes suddenly cleared and she looked at Dark. "Help me remember what?" she wondered quizzically.
He didn't answer. All his attention had already turned back to Imbri who was still unconscious. Riku lowered her eyes slightly and decided that Dark was right for once: Risa would be much better off without that memory.
"Don't worry about it, Risa." The elder twin walked over to the Thief and shook the unconscious girl's shoulder. There was no response. "Why isn't she awake yet? Risa is."
"Risa's body isn't as strong or resilient as Imbri's. Haven't you noticed she doesn't have any scars despite all the battles she's been in? She's also more resistant to magic. In a weaker body like this, I doubt she'll wake up tonight." He straightened with a heavy sigh. His black wings opened slightly, giving off the pungent smell of something akin to gunpowder. "It's time for me to go anyway."
He left without another word.
The twins stared at each other and kept darting nervous glances at the prone figure beside Risa on the bed. They were still in the same places when the phone rang loud enough to wake up a corpse. Riku answered with a (somewhat) steady voice.
"Yes?"
"Miss Riku, I—I wasn't much help finding your sister or your cousin."
"It's all right, Niwa. Someone found them a little while ago and brought them home. They're…they're just fine."
"Oh good." Daisuke sounded breathless and he coughed.
"You sound terrible. Are you getting sick?"
"No, I've just been doing a lot of running around."
"Well, you need to get some rest, and it's really too late for you to come over now. You shouldn't be awake after midnight."
"Neither should you," the redhead admonished teasingly.
"I guess that's my cue to go to bed," she smiled a bit. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?"
"Okay. Sweet dreams, Miss Riku."
"Thanks. You too, Niwa." She hung up and gave a pained sigh. Looking over at Risa she said, "I can't believe I couldn't give him the truth. I couldn't even tell him it was Dark who saved the two of you from...from whoever!"
Her sister was hardly paying attention. She was too involved with her new fingernails. "I can't believe she can bear to look at these day after day. Hasn't she ever heard of cuticle care? I'm scared to take off my shoes! Excuse me while I take a shower."
Risa stood up and headed for the door, but reached it in half the steps it would have taken in her own body. As it was, her face made a very clear imprint on the wall.
"Try not to break the shower, sis."
"Whatever," she muttered irritably. "Hey, where am I sleeping? There's no way I'm letting her nasty body sleep in my bed!"
Riku rubbed her temples slowly to relieve the aching. Why did she always have to be the big sister? "You can sleep in my room. But if you snore or drool on my pillows, you're out!"
(X)
Morning still hadn't quite lightened the sky when Imbri awoke. She knew something was wrong before she even opened her eyes. Every bone in her body screamed for more rest and her limbs felt as though millstones were dragging them down. Creaking open her eyelids, she knew she was safely at the Haradas', but not in Riku's room, which immediately put her on guard.
No, wait…where was her emblem?
She darted out of the bed and tried to stand up, but gravity pulled so heavily on her that she hit the floor instantly. Still panicking, the knightess forced herself to her feet and stumbled over to the mirror hanging from the wall.
Imbri stared at herself in the full-length mirror, her mouth hanging partly open in utter shock. Risa's light brown hair hung infuriatingly beside her face. She threw it back with a snarl and seized the nearest object, overcome with confusion and psychotic rage.
The twins woke to the sound of breaking glass and rushed into the room. Imbri was holding a brass vase (no longer filled with flowers) over the shattered remains of Risa's mirror.
She looked up and saw herself standing in the doorway, then went insane. Throwing herself on top of Risa, she tackled her into the hallway and began scrabbling for the necklace.
"It's mine! Give it back!"
"Imbri, stop it!" Riku grabbed her sister's body (and the stranger inside it) around the waist and yanked her off. "This isn't her fault! That's Risa!"
Imbri fell back, seemingly drained of all strength. She breathed hard leaning against the wall for a few moments and shamefully looked up at her friends.
"I can't remember ever being without it. Forgive me. I acted on instinct."
"It's okay," Risa coughed, rubbing her throat where the yanked chain had almost choked her.
She sagged back, but raised her head wearily up to stare in shock at her own body. "Wait…I don't understand! That man said you would be sacrificed. Why are you still alive when he told me your life was unimportant to him?"
The girl with raven-dark hair shrugged. "Maybe he messed up. Personally, I like the fact that I'm not dead. Hey, I'm a lot stronger in your body. Do you think I'll be able to use your weapon?"
Imbri's eyes went wide. "My andora!"
She rose to her leaden feet and lurched past them into Riku's room. Her alarm abated and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it against the wall. Stroking its length fondly, she took it into her hand—or tried to.
Surprise crossed her face and she seized it with both hands, struggling to lift it. Finally it moved, but she wasn't strong enough to support it and both of them fell to the floor. It clunked heavily beside her, nearly smashing the brown-haired girl's fingers. She stared at it with a countenance of betrayal.
Her eyes turned up to see Riku and Risa standing silently in the doorway. With a piteous glance at Imbri, the younger twin entered and lifted the andora with little effort. Tears shone in Imbri's eyes as she watched Risa replace it.
"This is the most grievous blow of all…that my andora would recognize you as its master even though I am here." The knightess bowed her head slowly and took several deep breaths. Her hands finally unclenched and she seemed to put the upsetting event behind her.
"How did we return? I know that man wouldn't have let me go if he'd had a choice."
The twins exchanged an unreadable look. "Dark brought us home."
"Dark?! " She sounded dismayed.
Risa nodded. "He rescued us…but I guess not soon enough. He didn't say much, but I think he's going to look into getting us into our right bodies. Until he comes back with a solution, I'm pretty sure we'll be stuck like this."
"I suppose I'd best try to adjust," Imbri said raising one heavy arm.
She tried to occupy her attention with something else to distract her from uncomfortable thoughts concerning the thief. But still, she couldn't help thinking about him and his dark wings.
It took her some time to get used to her new weakness. Both she and Risa couldn't seem to catch on, but their attempts were genuine. Riku was only glad that Mr. Tsubouchi wouldn't arrive with the limo until 7:45.
"Well," Imbri noted at one point, "luckily I learned your language before we switched. Without my necklace I'd hardly be able to understand anything you're saying."
"You mean I can understand any language as long as I'm wearing this?" the other girl eyed the pendant curiously. "Neato!"
Just then a clock downstairs chimed and the Harada girls both snapped their heads up. "School!"
Risa flinched, looking down at herself. "This is not going to work. Yeep! I have to attend gym today or else I fail!" Her eyes flickered toward her real body.
"Yes, I will take your place," Imbri nodded with little enthusiasm. "It's the least I can do to make up for my reckless behavior this morning."
"You're a life-saver! Like the candy, but better."
Small tribute to my adorable little sister there. Sadly I won't have Imbri do anything too exciting at school since she's the type who doesn't like attention (you wouldn't either if everybody you met wanted to hunt you down). Then again, when she gets distracted she tends to forget what's around her...so maybe she'll do something Risa definitely wouldn't do.
Remember, peoples, review and get your name in a special chapter!
