"I, uh, need to use the restroom," Natsuki says, getting up from the basement couch at her house.
"Mmmhmm," Mai chides, mocking the slayer who shows no mercy or any sign of fright towards real monsters, but cannot seem to handle movie monsters.
"Cut it out Mai!" Natsuki snaps, huffing. "I'm not scared of that stupid clown!" Natsuki yells whilst walking into the basement bathroom, closing the door and gulping loudly. Recalling the bathroom scene in which the clown talks to the boy and then pops out of the drainage hole, Natsuki sprints back out and joins Tate, Mai and Takeda, cuddling and snuggling into a pillow.
Smiling at her, Takeda hands Natsuki her stake. Taking her stake, Natsuki relaxes a little and looks appreciatively at Takeda who smiles again before turning away to watch Stephen King's It.
Their movie-night, however, is disrupted when Saeko, stealthily, descends the stairs and scares the teenagers, mainly Natsuki, lunging at them, screaming. Laughing and snorting, Saeko informs her frightened and pissed off daughter that a girl named Shizuru and another girl named Tomoe are asking for her.
Springing out of her seat, Natsuki runs past her mother and up the staircase, leaving mocking laughter behind.
Finding the taller girl seated on the living room couch, sipping some tea and the other girl crossing her arms and legs, Natsuki knocks on the wall to acknowledge her presence.
"Natsuki isn't the quiet type," the tawny-haired girl says, turning to look at the slayer, smirking.
"What do you want, Fujino?" Natsuki asks, leaning on the wall, smirking back.
"Are you alone?" the taller girl asks, playfully, insinuating some sort of sexual innuendo, seeing as to how the taller girl smiles slyly at her while Natsuki rolls her eyes, and Tomoe shifts in her seat.
"No," Natsuki says, scrutinizing her gaze on the smirking tawny-haired. "My mom's here and so is Tate, Mai and Takeda."
Making a sour face at the sound of Takeda's name, the taller girl turns to look at the teal-haired girl.
Smiling warmly at the freelancer, the wiccan, now looking sternly at Natsuki, clears her throat resembling a screeching, hoarse sound, much to Natsuki's ears. "I've been sensing some paranormal phenomena," the teal haired girl states, indifferent to Natsuki, ignoring her and looking at the tawny-haired girl instead. "More like auras, anyhow, coming from one of the empty warehouses by the dock."
"Okay?" the slayers asks, confused and furrowing her dark brows.
"Normally, me and Zuru would take care of it, but she insists that we inform the slayer," the wiccan explains, rolling her eyes when saying 'slayer.' Natsuki, on the hand, rolls her eyes in annoyance when the green-haired girl referred to the other girl as 'Zuru'.
"Why?" Natsuki asks, darting her attention to the crimson-eyed beauty.
"Tomoe..." the taller says, giving the attention back to the wiccan.
"This aura is big. Bigger than any other one I've faced or seen. I told Zuru that we could manage, but she insists on playing it safe and getting back-up."
"The Master?" Natsuki says looking at the tawny-haired girl who nods. "I'll get the others," Natsuki says, leaving the two girls in the living room and going back to the basement to fetch the others.
Splitting up into two teams, Natsuki, Takeda, Tate, and Mai leave in Natsuki's jeep while the freelancer and the teal-haired wiccan leave in the freelancer's Porsche.
Despite driving quite quickly, Natsuki loses to the other girl's Porsche. Resenting the oblivious taller girl for beating her, Natsuki rolls her eyes when the ruby-eyed girl smiles at her. Sighing and admitting defeat, especially when the other girl looks so cute in her confusion as to why the slayer is angry with her, Natsuki smiles one of her toothy-goofy smiles at the taller girl. Seeing the taller girl's confusion diminish, only to have it replaced with a coy smile, Natsuki, playfully, circles behind the taller girl,as the group of teenagers huddle by the slayer's jeep, awaiting to hear the gameplan. Continuing to play with the freelancer, Natsuki presses against her, sandwiching the taller girl between her and her body. Pretending to be oblivious and playing off her denseness reputation, the ice-princess ignores the baffling looks she receives from the others in response to her sudden closeness to the freelancer, and pulls out, instead, a bag from under her seat in the jeep. Leaving the other girl's warmth, Natsuki walks over to the front of the jeep and rests the bag of weapons on its hood.
"Tate," Natsuki begins, handing the bronze haired boy a crossbow, holy water, and a cross. "Stay outside, and keep guard. If you sense something going wrong, call Sakomizu immediately," she says as the bronze haired boy nods and walks over by the warehouse door to do his job. "Takeda, you will stay close to me, okay? I might need you," Natsuki says, giving Takeda a knowing look and handing him a stake, and a cross. Nodding, the boy turns to look at the freelancer and the orange-haired wiccan before nodding back again at Natsuki. "Mai, you will stay with...what's your name again?" Natsuki asks, turning to look at the teal-haired wiccan.
"Tomoe," the girl answers through clenched teeth, voice laced with annoyance.
"Right. Mai you stay close to Tomoe. You might need each other's magic to cast some of the stronger spells". Nodding, Mai looks at Tomoe who rolls her eyes. "If I tell you to run, you run. Is that clear?" Natsuki adds, handing her childhood friend, a crossbow and holy water. "You two will stand the by the door," Natsuki finishes, looking between both wiccans while Mai nods and the other wiccan smiles coldly at her. "And you," Natsuki says to the freelancer, fighting a forming smile upon seeing the taller girl. "You will stay close to me too. Behind me," Natsuki finishes, voice firm and domineering.
The taller nods, but with betraying eyes as Natsuki comes to note. And gripping her naginata, the tawny-haired starts walking forward to the warehouse's entrance. Natsuki, not feeling well about the situation anymore, decides to change her strategy. Whilst walking, Natsuki pulls Tate aside and tells him to call Sakomizu. Nodding, the bronze haired boy, fishes for his phone.
Entering the vast warehouse, layered with spider-webs, cob-webs, crates, newspapers, and other forms of trash, the group of friends and the other two girls carefully inspect their surroundings.
Obeying, Mai and the other wiccan stand by the door while the slayer, the freelancer, and the werewolf venture forward. Their walk is then halted by a sudden breeze. Out of nowhere, they hear a ghostly voice whispering into each of their ears. Inaudible, the voice continues to sway into the air, and into the teenagers' ears.
Stopping, the slayer turns back to look at Mai, who looks questioningly at her. Natsuki raises her hand, to scratch the side of her head, trying to signal the orange-head as green eyes look pleadingly at blue eyes.
Mai, can you hear me. Mai can you hear me. Mai can you hear me. Mai can you-
Receiving a nod from the other girl who looks sternly at the slayer, Natsuki turns back around.
Mai, if things get bad, put the Fujino girl to sleep and run out with the other girl. Don't worry about Takeda; I'll protect him and he knows what he must do; he will carry her and leave. Sakomizu and Tate will be waiting outside for you guys.
Slayer hands tightening on her Reaper, Natsuki decides to call out the Master: "You've had you fun 'Master!' Come out and face me and I'll kill you just like I've killed your henchmen!" Natsuki threatens, hoping to infuriate this Master fellow, and putting an end to his so called apocalypse.
"Ah but this master you speak of is not me. It's just silly old me. Always alone..." whines a voice whose owner has yet to reveal itself.
"Show yourself," Natsuki says, not quite sure where this is heading. If this is not the Master, then who is it? I hope it's not another Gnarl demon...
"As you wish!"
And just like that Natsuki hits the floor, falling roughly, Reaper tossed aside.
"Natsuki!" Takeda and Mai exclaim at the same time.
Bending down to help the slayer, the freelancer's face is masked with worry but with irritated crimson-eyes. "You have to be more careful, Natsuki."
"It's not my fault I didn't see it!" Natsuki exclaims, picking up her Reaper. "Did you see it Takeda?"
The boy shakes his head, while the taller girl gasps.
"You didn't see her?" the freelancer asks, looking between the werewolf and the slayer.
"Her?" Natsuki asks, looking skeptically at the taller girl. "What did you see?" Natsuki asks as the taller girl furrows her sandy brows.
"Shizuru, I didn't see anything other than Natsuki falling," the spiky-haired boy says, ending the silence as he, too, furrows his brows. "Did you?" he presses, pressuring the taller girl.
"I-I don't know," the taller girl says, softly, confusion clear on her face.
"So, what is it?" Takeda asks looking at the slayer. "A ghost? What?"
"Can't be," Natsuki says, voice once again firm. "Ghosts can't touch. Something's not right," Natsuki says, signaling Mai and Tomoe to come.
Sprinting, the two wiccans join the others.
"We need a spell, anything that will summon whatever thing is lurking here," Natsuki says to the two wiccans.
"Ready?" Mai says reaching out for the other girl's hand. Chanting, both wiccans cause the lights to flicker on and off. The atmosphere, now heavier, chills as well. Finishing, the lights stay on and the wiccans look at one another, confusion clear in their face.
"It was supposed to draw it to us," the teal-haired wiccan explains. "It should be here."
Suddenly, the two wiccans are shoved to the ground by the freelancer who leaps off the ground and slashes at the air with her naginata. Landing, the freelancer once again strokes the air, causing everyone present in the room to look at the freelancer questioningly.
"Zuru can see it?" the teal-haired wiccan says as they continue to watch the freelancer fight and chase with what appears to be nothing.
"Apparently," Natsuki answers, looking at Takeda who looks at the freelancer determinedly. "Takeda?"
"I'm trying to tap into my other sight," the boy answers, fists trembling before crumbling down.
"Don't," Natsuki says reaching for his rugged hand.
Looking sternly at the slayer, Takeda nods. "I don't think I'd be able to control myself anyway," he says looking sheepishly at the ground.
Releasing the boy's hand, Natsuki turns back to look at the freelancer who is busy swishing and dodging at what appears to be nothing. I feel as useless as the people from Poltergeist, not being able to do anything. Wait! Ghosts can't touch, but poltergeists can!
"What if we're dealing with a haunting, a poltergeist and not a demon?" Natsuki says to the two wiccans, feeling useful again.
"Poltergeist?" the green-haired wiccan asks as her face widens. "It did, touch you, right?" she asks the slayer, face and voice, clearly on the verge of something.
Nodding, Natsuki looks at the blue-eyed wiccan who's proving to be more useful than she thought. "What can we do?" Natsuki asks the wiccan who winces when she sees the freelancer fall to the floor. Grinding her teeth, the wiccan sets her attention back to the slayer. "Nothing," she says, sighing.
"What do you mean nothing?" Natsuki asks of the green-haired wiccan, angry that she can't do much to help the freelancer.
"We can perform an exorcism but that'll require a textbook and magic ingredients that we don't have," the girl retorts, angrily as well, and glaring at Natsuki. "Zuru will pull through; she always does," the girl continues in a soft voice, turning to look at the freelancer.
"I'm sorry, Natsuki," Mai says resting her hand on the slayer's shoulder.
The freelancer, however, landing on the floor again, bleeding from her face, and sweating, all of a sudden, yelps, breaking the slayer's heart as she and the green-haired girl both wince.
Takeda, on the other hand, sprints towards the freelancer, helping her up before being pushed to the ground. The freelancer, now up, strikes at an area near Takeda. Sliding and pushing himself back, still sitting up on the floor in response to the freelancer's attacks, Takeda freezes before looking skeptically at the freelancer. The entity, apparently, is now interested in the tanned boy, seeing as to the freelancer runs toward him again, slashing her weapon near him. After a leap off the ground, the freelancer comes shooting back down, next to Takeda.
"Okay, now I'm pissed," Natsuki says, running towards the evident fight. Immediately, something strikes her stomach. Ignoring the pain, the slayer focuses, mediates, anticipating the next move. When she feels the wind rise and fall from her left side, she strikes her fist, landing on something. The freelancer now standing up next to her looks at the slayer, blood running from her pink lips. Springing back, all of a sudden, the freelancer grabs the slayer's hand pushing Natsuki back as well. And after watching the freelancer swing her naginata at something in front of her, Natsuki pulls out her Reaper and swishes at the same spot, hearing a disgruntled woman's scream.
"That's the first hit that has landed," the freelancer says, admiringly to Natsuki before being hit to the ground.
Natsuki, not wasting any time, rams the figure that she expects to be hovering close to the freelancer; she is right; she hits something again. A second later, the freelancer, still on the floor, twirls her naginata, striking it at the ground. This time a loud, much boisterous scream is heard. Letting out an exasperated sigh, the freelancer gets up and runs her sleeve by her lips, staining her cream colored sweater with blood. "We did it, Natsuki."
Natsuki, letting out an exasperated sigh, signals the others to come.
"Is it dead?" the green-haired girl asks, looking at the freelancer.
The taller head nods before looking worriedly at Takeda.
"That's great and all, but are you guys alright?" the orange-haired asks the slayer and the freelancer, giving Natsuki her famous motherly worried gaze.
"Sore, but fine," Natsuki answers, smiling at her friend and then looking at the crimson-eyed girl, worriedly. "Are you okay?" Natsuki asks the taller girl in a voice much softer than she expected to sound like.
The taller, in response, nods, not taking her eyes off the werewolf who looks suspiciously at her.
Noting the exchange between the two, Natsuki rests her hand on Takeda's shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
Nodding, the boy, however, still continues to look sternly at the freelancer, making Natsuki grow uneasy.
"Good. Good. Can we leave now? This place gives me the creeps," the orange-haired wiccan cuts in, snapping Natsuki out of her thoughts, as the orange-head shivers a bit from the cold atmosphere. "It's freezing," the orange-haired girl whines, hugging herself and looking skeptically at the others.
"And that's the best idea I've heard from you bunch," the other wiccan adds, rolling her eyes and grasping the freelancer's shoulder. "Let's go home."
Following the other girl's suit, the freelancer and the wiccan say their goodbyes to everyone. Well, the freelancer, anyway- the other just waves her hand and spits out a simple 'bye'.
Before leaving the warehouse, however, the spiky-haired boy pulls Natsuki aside while Mai sprints off to see Tate and Sakomizu outside at the parking lot.
"Takeda?" Natsuki questions after the boy lures her away, raising a brow.
"Natsuki...the ghost said something about Shizuru," the boy answers, worry tinging tanned face.
"What?" Natsuki asks, furrowing her brows. "What did it say?" Natsuki asks, anger rising from anything the ghost may have said to upset the taller girl.
"She said," Takeda begins, stopping to lick his lips. "She said that Shizuru could see her because she's different."
"Different? Different how?" Natsuki says, leaning in closer to Takeda, intrigued.
"I don't know. The thing cut itself off when it went to chase you," the boy says, and then letting out a sigh. "She looked scared, Natsuki. And again after you guys defeated it."
"Is that why...I saw her-the way she looked at you...worried," Natsuki says in an admonished manner.
"I thought it was best to tell you alone and not in front of everyone," the boy says, looking softly at emerald eyes.
"Thank you, Takeda. You did the right thing," Natsuki says motioning him to walk forward.
"What are you going to do?" the boys asks they walk.
"Ask her, of course. But until then, no one hears of this, not even Sakomizu."
Nodding and smiling warmly at her, the spiky-haired boy and the slayer meet up with their friends and librarian at the parking lot.
"Natsuki!" the plump librarian exclaims, eyeballing the slayer quite harshly.
"Yes?" Natsuki asks, pouting.
"How dare you do something as reckless as that! For god's sake Natsuki I thought you were finally maturing! I thought you were a fine slayer! One that I was proud of! And you this!" the librarian exclaims, raising his hands and slapping them on his sides, getting everyone's attention. "If this was the Master Natsuki, you'd all be dead."
"Then tell more about this goddam Master! I'm sick and tired of being left out of the loop with you and that stupid council! Maybe, just maybe I acted like a child because you're still treating me like a child!" Natsuki retorts going as far as pushing and pressing the plump man against his crappy car.
"Natsuki!" Tate exclaims, getting between her and her watcher.
"Natsuki, look at me," Mai says cupping the slayer's angered face. "You're upset at the situation, not at Sakomizu. So please, calm down."
Sighing, Natsuki turns to look at her watcher who is rubbing his back. "Sorry," she utters, walking closer to her watcher.
"No. It's alright. Understandable. I'm sorry," her watcher says lightly patting Tate's shoulder. Relaxing, the bronze haired boy returns to Mai, giving the slayer and the watcher some privacy."Natsuki, you're right," the plump man says, taking off his lenses and cleaning them with his coat. "It's time I tell you who this 'goddam Master' is," he says chuckling and pulling his slayer in for a hug.
"I'm so sorry," Natsuki whispers into his ear, tightening her hold on the afro-haired man, earning a yelp. "I-I'm sorry!" Natsuki stammers, backing away from her watcher.
"That's my girl," Sakomizu chides, rubbing sides where his slayer coiled him like a python, taking the air out of him."Let's go back to my place; it's time I tell you kids what you're getting yourselves into."
Seated in Sakomizu's living room, the four teenagers await the plump to return from the kitchen. Like all their meetings, Sakomizu cannot seem to function without his tea.
And now walking back with a tray of teacups and a teapot, the librarian serves himself and his guests some Chamomile tea with a tinge of honey. Accepting their drinks, the teenagers await for the plump man to begin.
Sighing and taking a sip of tea, the librarian begins: "The Master's origins are uncertain; he is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, vampire alive today. He is a member and leader of the Order of Aurelius. This order, like any religion, worship higher beings. In this case, the Order of Aurelius worships 'The Old Ones.' These 'old ones' are the purest demons; they are the gods, the creators of all evil," Sakomizu says before taking off his lenses and placing them on the coffee table and taking another sip of his tea. "Some tribes," he continues. "These people...they refer to the 'Old Ones' as the seven sins in their purest form. And evidence of such phenomena has been found in tablets, hieroglyphics, cave dawdlings, and, more recently, in temples. These worshipers also have a symbol, a sun with three stars surrounding it: one north, one south, and one east. The Master, being a follower of such religion, attempted to open a portal. He went to the hellmouth, the magnetic pull of supernatural activity, in the year 1931, the exact year that his minions found such place, to open it..."
"Hellmouth?" Natsuki cuts in, scrunching up her face in confusion. "What is it? Why does it attract the supernatural?"
"Following the notion that there are multiple worlds, dimensions, somewhere in the universe, the hellmouth would be the rocket ship that takes you to such places," the watcher answers, noting the teenager's still confused expressions.
"It's like this: let's say that you have figured how to travel through space and time by creating or opening portals. Although, you've got your way of getting there, you're not sure where this portal takes you; it's a guess, kind of like going inside a dark tunnel, not knowing what awaits you at the other side...It means that you won't get it right the first, the hundredth, the thousandth or even the millionths of times if you travel through space. With the hellmouth, however, it'd be easier. Using the same analogy, the tunnel you entered now has light to aid you...you see through the end of the tunnel. Sure it may take you some time to find the perfect tunnel, but at least you'll know what you're getting yourself into. The hellmouth, you see, is a place where Earth's barrier, separating it from other dimensions, is at its weakest," the librarian says, looking sternly at each teenager and then sipping his tea before continuing. "The Master knew that such place had to exist, so he set out to find it. He wanted to cross over the 'Old One's and other demons to Earth to expand their empire. So, he built a temple on top of the hellmouth to aid him in is his ritual. When he conducted the ritual, however, something went wrong. An earthquake, out of the blue, struck, devouring the temple and The Master. And because of such interruption, instead of opening up a portal, the Master created a vacuum-a prison of some sort that bounded him never to leave the space that was once the temple. Magic, as taught by nature in countless tales, cannot work without taking something in return. And the bigger the risk, the bigger the consequence," the watcher says, looking specifically at the blue-eyed wiccan. "And the Master, for one, learned of this the hard way. He was going to starve with no blood around, so using the little strength he had after performing such strength-draining ritual, he cast a spell on himself. Rumors from the other side, demons that have cooperated or been interrogated over the past decades by the Watcher's Council, claim that The Master did not die, but is, in fact, in a slumber. A slumber that he just awoke from a couple of months. And this is not a coincidence, for you see, the stars will align within the next months, allowing the Master to perform another ritual-the Harvest. By doing so, the Master will regain full-strength. And, as a result, be able to open the hellmouth."
"Then we better do something about this hellmouth..." the slayer asks, rising from her seat. "Can we destroy it?"
"No. Not technically," the watcher answers, putting his lenses on again.
"Then where is it? Because it'd be a good place to start in defeating this guy," Natsuki says yet again, slayer frustration set on defeating such creature.
"The hellmouth, Natsuki," the watcher begins, and then sighs heavily. "Why do you think I put your 'toys' at school?" the librarian says, looking specifically at the slayer. "Because the hellmouth is here. In Fukka. Under our school."
After hearing such news, the group of friends go their separate ways. Tate and Sakomizu go on full research mode, with Tate borrowing books from the librarian to learn as much as he could about the Master while Mai, on the other hand, borrows some spell books and sets out to buy some other books and some other supplies at the magic shop. Takeda and Natsuki, however, decide to take a night patrol stroll at the cemetery.
"You're thinking about her aren't you?" the boys asks as he bends down to examine the earth. Sniffing it, his nose cringes.
"I can't help it," the slayer says, watching the boy perform such odd task.
"Mmm," the boy answers, still sniffing the soil. "She's either here or she just left," he continues, getting up and continuing their walk while Natsuki remains rooted to the ground, raising a brow at the boy. "Natsuki, I can smell her," he explains, turning back to look at the slayer whilst rubbing the back of his head.
"That's weird...in a good-wolfie way, of course," Natsuki stammers catching up with the boy.
Chuckling, the boy turns to look at the slayer. "How did you think I found you? In the cave?"
"You smelled me!?" Natsuki asks, face scrunching up.
"I thought it was weird too..." the boy jokes, leading them further west.
"How did- Is it- What did you think happened to you?" Natsuki finally asks, avoiding the gaze of the taller boy.
"Honestly, I thought I was so deeply in love with you that I smelled you, miles away," the boy says in an unusual gleeful voice before chuckling. "Seriously though, I didn't give it much thought. I couldn't. I knew something was wrong. But it was just easier to ignore it than face the music, you know."
"No, I know. I avoided being the slayer too. I didn't want to believe it, but deep down I knew I was different."
"You must have. There's nothing unusual about a teenage girl having the strength of a dozen grown men," the boy says in a sarcastic, teasing voice before halting. "She's here and so is that Tomoe girl."
"You have her scent too?"
"Yea...I don't trust her," the boy says, backing away a little. "Do you want to go alone?"
"Yes. I mean...no. I'll let you know," the slayer says, motioning the boy to continue forward.
When they do come across the freelancer, both the werewolf and the slayer catch the freelancer and the green-haired wiccan in a compromising position: kissing, hiding under a creepy tree.
Despite wanting to run up to them and confront them, Natsuki inhales deeply, grinding her teeth. Takeda, noting the slayer's distress, reaches out to hold her hand, squeezing it for comfort. Feeling the anger diminishing away, only to be replaced by hurt, Natsuki, letting go of her friend's hand, starts walking towards the two figures. Turning back to motion Takeda to follow, the slayer's heart breaks more, the clearer the image of the two girls gets.
When she is no more than ten feet away, the freelancer opens one of her ruby-eyes and sees the slayer. Gently pushing the other girl away, the freelancer, now looking at the slayer with full attention, asks the green-haired girl to give her some privacy.
Natsuki does the same with Takeda who follows the green-haired girl, despite earning some grunts from the wiccan. Natsuki nods, appreciatively, at him when he turns to look at her, smiling before walking away with the other girl.
"Natsuki, the thing with Tomoe is..." the taller girl begins once they are alone. "it's complicated."
"You don't need to explain yourself to me; you're not my girlfriend," Natsuki says in a much calmer voice than she expected as the other girl, however, scowls, rolling her ruby eyes at the slayer. "And it's not about her; it's just about you."
"Me?"
"Yes," Natsuki answers, eyeing the girl and analyzing her behavior.
"Do tell," the freelancer says in a cold tone and in a much too calm demeanor.
"Takeda said-"
"-Of course! The dog had to tell its master!" the taller girl retorts, scoffing when she finishes.
"Takeda said," Natsuki says yet again, waiting for the other girl to interrupt; she doesn't; the taller girl just rolls her eyes. "The entity, poltergeist, whatever it was. It said that you could see it because you were different," Natsuki says, watching the taller girl run a hand through her tawny-tresses.
"And you're going to take its word for it?" the freelancer spits back, voice laced with both anger and annoyance. "I knew you weren't the brightest star in the sky! But seriously, Natsuki, you're going to believe in something you yourself didn't hear? How stupid is that!" the taller girl bursts out as her eyes darken into a darker shade of red.
"What did she mean?" Natsuki presses, ignoring the other girl's rant, and observing the taller girl's odd behavior.
"I don't know, Natsuki," the girl says in a softer and defeated voice, tugging Natsuki's heart.
"I want to," Natsuki begins before sighing. "Truth is, I don't know if I believe you..."
"I'm good, Natsuki! I am! And you know it! At least you used to, until that lapdog of yours put ideas in your head!"
"Takeda is just trying to help!"
"Help?!" the girl says laughing hysterically. "Perhaps himself! Can't you see that he's trying to warm you up to bed?!"
"Don't start Fujino! You're the one bedding that wiccan!" the slayer shouts, anger rising again.
"SO!" the taller girl says walking closer to Natsuki, faces inches apart. "It's not like you're doing it. You said it yourself Natsuki; we won't work out and Tomoe really knows her way around my needs," the freelancer adds in a cold voice, mocking the hurt the slayer as her red eyes widen for bit before she a couple of steps back.
"I knew you were a bitch when I first laid eyes on you," Natsuki adds, smiling back, coldly, challenging the freelancer who backs more away. Natsuki, however, to piss off the taller girl more, takes several steps forward.
"Bitch?" the taller girl repeats, voice shaky.
"Bitch," Natsuki says, coldly before she is punched in the jaw on the same spot that the taller girl had punched weeks ago, thereby, knocking the slayer down to the ground.
"And, now, you just confirmed it, Natsuki," the taller girl says, spitting out the slayer's name, and hovering over Natsuki as the red pools in her eyes darken even more.
Rubbing her jaw, Natsuki, sitting up on the ground, sighs, feeling her heart speed up. And glaring at the taller still standing over her, Natsuki contemplates what to say next. "Next time you do that, I won't hold back," Natsuki says through gritted teeth. "I mean it, Fujino."
Laughing, the other girl grabs her naginata and twirls it front of Natsuki, pointing the tip of the blade on the slayer's stomach and, slowly, running it to her neck. "And when you do; I'll be ready my Na-tsu-ki," the girl adds, removing the blade from the slayer's neck.
"What are you!?" Natsuki asks still seated on the ground, confused by the sudden turn of events, particularly those involving the tawny-haired girl.
"You'll see," the girl says, swishing her naginata across the air and then stopping, looking up at the night sky, sighing. "I would've told you, Natsuki," the taller girl says, looking softly at the green-eyed girl."Had you been nicer and more respectful towards me, I would have. But now," the taller girl says, face morphing back to that of an angered girl. "Now I'd much rather see your confused and frustrated face, trying to solve the riddle of your poor battered slayer heart," the tawny-haired girl says before sprinting off.
Rooted to ground and tears running down her face, Natsuki is surprised when she feels a hand pat her shoulder.
Joining the slayer, the tanned boy, seats next to her and wraps an arm around the slayer who curls up next to him.
"I don't-I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt her," Natsuki says, voice cracking as she digs her face further into the boy's blue dress shirt.
"You won't have to," the boy says, lightly pushing the slayer away. "We'll find a way," he says reaching and tucking a strand of navy-blue hair behind the slayer's ear. "I promised you that I'd protect your heart; and, she's still in there."
"But-"
"-No," the boy says, dark forest green eyes looking hardly at emerald orbs. "There is something different about her, dark even. But I can sense, something else. Something good. We'll find a way Natsuki; I promise."
Getting up and offering the slayer his hand, Takeda is knocked to the ground by a huge blurry and fuzzy creature.
"Takeda!" Natsuki screams, rising from the ground, looking around, pulling her beretta from her back.
"Natsuki!" the boy exclaims, rising from the ground. "You have to go!"
"No!"
"Yes you do! Natsuki...it was another werewolf," the boy says, hands trembling as he falls to the ground again, body jerking and cracking as howls of pain escape the sweat drenched boy.
Watching her friend scream in such pain, Natsuki approaches him, only to have the boy growl at her. Clothes ripping, body contorting into abnormal shapes, and bones cracking, the boy continues to cry and grind his teeth as he transcends further into his transformation. All of a sudden dark grey hairs start growing out of the boy. His teeth, clenched in frustration, morph into white-tipped-pointed fangs. His dark forest eyes, almost double in size, as they bulge out of the head that grows, depth wise, before the set of eyes return to their place. Now covered in complete fur, the boy, also with a snout, and boyish face slowly fading, turns to look at the slayer, trying to talk, but growling and howling instead. Closing his eyes, the boy's face disappears when he opens them. Now getting up from the floor, the boy looks like a normal grayish-wolf; he stalks over, closer to Natsuki, whining, ears falling back, before falling to the ground again as his limbs begin to grow. Howling in pain, and panting, the boy who shifted into a wolf, once again, jerks on the ground before stopping.
Now rising on its hind legs, the werewolf, after completing its transformation, analyzes the slayer with the same dark forest eyes. Standing over six-feet high and packing at least 250 lbs, the werewolf with a six pack, bulging arms, and bulging legs that are longer than the torso,sets his furry, and claw-tipped hands to his sides as he lunges his torso forward, back curving, and tilting his head back, howling.
Setting his head back down, the huge werewolf with saliva spewing out its mouth, sets his dark green eyes on Natsuki. Releasing a mixture of a growl and bark, the werewolf lunges at her before he is taking down by another werewolf, a taller and lighter colored creature, barring its fangs at the darker werewolf on the floor. Whimpering at the scratches received on his pelvic region and the bite by his neck, the darker and heavier werewolf growls at the taller but smaller werewolf, weight-wise, before lunging at it.