The werewolves now fighting, growling and barking at each other, destructing various tombstones within sight, ignore the slayer. Panicking and not knowing what to do, Natsuki backs away, clear from the werewolves' fighting arena, but still maintaining visibility on them. That is, until the werewolves sprint off, arms and legs springing off the ground as they run, taller and lighter werewolf chasing the shorter and darker werewolf.
Sprinting off as well, Natsuki's is halted by an arrow landing and piercing the mossy ground in front of her.
"You shouldn't do that," the taller girl says, springing down the top of a branch.
"What are you still doing here?" Natsuki asks, anger rising within her again.
"Same thing as you. Only, I will succeed while you stay and wait here like a good dog," the taller girl answers, fetching a silver-tipped arrow from a pouch on her back.
"You can't hurt him! Takeda!" Natsuki exclaims, watching a smirk form on the taller girl.
"But I can. You said that I could, if he hurt a human," the taller girl chides, seemingly enjoying the frustration and worried look on the slayer's face.
"He hasn't hurt anybody," Natsuki says through clenched teeth.
"He almost hurt you," the girl says, voice softening.
"But he didn't. So. Back. Off," the slayer says pushing the girl's bow-and-arrow away.
"It's Rad," the taller girl says, sighing. "He must have smelled me on you. And you must have passed my scent to-to Takeda!" the girl says, spitting out Takeda's name. "I knew you two were-"
"-Stop it," Natsuki says, gripping the girl's bow-and-arrow. "I'll kill Rad. But nothing happens to Takeda, are we clear?" the slayer says, snatching the bow-and-arrow off the other girl's grasp.
"Or what?" the other girl challenges, red-eyes never leaving her weapon which is now in the slayer's hands.
"Don't..."
"Or what?" the taller girl repeats, only now she looks Natsuki in the eyes.
"I'll kill you..." Natsuki says, feeling her eyes sting a little.
"Hmm, and why would you do that?" the taller girl asks, and then laughs, despite the hurt expression in her ruby eyes. "I mean, could you? Do that?" she continues whilst circling the slayer.
"If you don't tell me what you are. Yes," the slayer says, emerald eyes, following the other girl. "I have," Natsuki begins before clearing her throat. "I have no time for games, Fujino. So if you get in my way I will be forced to kill you."
"Forced? I doubt that," the tawny-haired girl says, red eyes darkening. "You're selfish and selfish people are never forced; they do what they want," the taller girl says, halting her circling and lifting the slayer's chin with her hand, looking softly at Natsuki for a split second. "I really did like you Natsuki," she continues, sighing and pulling her hand back. "But, the same goes for you; you get in my way and I'll kill you."
Laughing, green eyes stinging again, Natsuki, shakes it off, and looks coldly at the girl in front of her. "You lied to me this entire time. Didn't you?" Natsuki asks, voice laced with hurt. "You said you were a freelancer and made me think you were on my side-"
"-Ara, but I never said I was a freelancer," the taller girl cuts in, and then scoffs. "If you recall, Natsuki. You and that watcher of yours carried that entire conversation. I stayed silent, watching you two guess. And quite incorrectly, I might add."
Remembering the conversation, Natsuki does recall the girl being silent-never speaking up, just looking curiously at her and at Sakomizu. She even laughed when Takeda said that he wanted to be a freelancer like her...
"So the mutt remembers," the taller girl continues, smiling broadly at the slayer.
"You've been playing me?" Natsuki whispers, realization being much too hard to bear.
"In some ways, yes," the girl replies before softening her gaze. "But we still share a common enemy Natsuki; we don't have to kill each other."
Looking at the taller girl's calmer demeanor, Natsuki tightens her grip on the weapon on her hands, causing red-eyes to dart back to the bow-and-arrow. "You're going to shoot me," the ruby-eyed girl states rather than asks, standing-still.
"No," Natsuki says, looking hardly at the taller girl. "I can't," she finishes, green eyes analyzing shocked red ones before taking off.
Running past the other girl, Natsuki follows the clashing sounds of destruction and barking.
Finally, she reaches the area where the two werewolves continue to fight. Lifting the bow-and-arrow, and placing the silver-pointed arrow in place, Natsuki closes her left eye and attempts to take aim at the taller and lighter werewolf's heart. Minutes pass and the slayer is unable to get in a good enough position to strike. Her continued aiming is interrupted when another werewolf, a black and shorter one, like Takeda, joins in, attacking the taller and lighter one.
Sighing in relief, Natsuki takes aim again before someone stands next to her.
"For hating me, you sure do follow me a lot," Natsuki says, not bothering to turn around, still aiming.
"I don't, particularly, hate you, Natsuki."
"Then why don't you trust me?" Natsuki says, putting aside the bow-and-arrow away, turning to look into crimson orbs.
"Because you don't trust me," the tawny-haired girl replies, red eyes softening.
Setting the weapon down on the ground, Natsuki reaches out for the other girl's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I trusted you once. And I can again, if you let me."
"That's not the way it works; you either trust me now or you don't."
"I want to, but-"
"-Then you don't," the red-eyed girl says, looking down at the ground and pulling her hand back.
But before Natsuki could answer, a loud screeching yelp and whine, is heard.
Turning back to the werewolves, Natsuki's heart, hammering quite loudly, searches for the dark-gray werewolf. Finding him on the ground, bleeding she sighs in relief; he is still alive. The other werewolf, however, the taller and lighter one, is being hugged, quite strangely by the other darker werewolf. Then, the darkest of the werewolves releases the lighter one, revealing a heart in its dark, furry hand. Falling roughly on the ground, the lighter one's eyes, Rad, remain open as blood pulsates out of its mouth.
The black werewolf, then, all of a sudden, drops to the ground, screaming in pain.
Watching the same process that she witnessed Takeda going through, only in reverse, the werewolf transcends from huge werewolf to wolf and then to human, naked and sweating on the ground.
Takeda, shortly follows suit.
Approaching them, Natsuki keeps the bow-and-arrow at hand. Walking to Takeda, Natsuki finds the tan boy bleeding and panting, curled up on the ground, looking at her, pleadingly before looking away.
The other boy, however, a dark-haired boy with creamy skin, grunts as he sits up, hand still stained with blood. Looking at the corpse of the huge werewolf, the boy springs up and runs next to it, digging his face in its bloodied fur, crying.
"I'm sorry," Takeda says, bringing the slayer's attention back to him.
"It's not your fault," Natsuki says, taking off her yellow jacket and handing it to Takeda. Covering his parts with the jacket, Takeda sits up. "I'm gonna call Tate to bring you some clothes," Natsuki says, pulling out her phone from her black jeans.
After calling Tate, Natsuki approaches the taller girl who is talking to the other werewolf.
"He's Reito; Rad's younger brother," the taller girl explains as the boy with teary brown eyes, looks up at the slayer.
"My brother-" he begins, before clenching his teeth. "He turned me into this," he continues, and then breaks out crying.
"Reito saw his brother slaughter several college sorority girls and eat them," the tawny-haired girl cuts in.
"He enjoyed it," the dark-haired boy says, making a disgruntled face. "He wanted me to enjoy it too. But I couldn't. He angered me and we had this fight and we turned and...and now he's dead; I killed him."
Looking at the other girl for support, Natsuki meets, instead, a girl with no readable expression.
"He's going to need to help," the taller girl says, standing up. "I'll see you around, Natsuki."
Leaving the slayer with two werewolves, the other girl, like other times, disappears into the darkness.
Calling Tate again, telling him to bring another set of clothes, Natsuki sighs; things have gotten way more complicated than she ever thought they could be.
After the werewolf incident, Natsuki leaves her friends, her mentor, and the recent addition to their group-Reito-at Sakomizu's house. As discussed Reito, too, would like some help and support to help him with his werewolf transformations. For now, he, like Takeda, will have to come to Sakomizu's basement during those three nights where he will be chained up and locked inside inside a cage to prevent him from hurting others.
Back home, however, Natsuki has dinner with her mom who is chirpy because one of her art deals fell through.
"I'm glad things worked out for you mom," Natsuki says, shoving a monstrous ball of spaghetti into her mouth, staining her cheeks and chin with spaghetti sauce.
Chuckling merrily, Saeko rests her hand on her chin. "You know what this means?" she asks, smiling warmly at her daughter. "It means that we can go on a shopping spree before school starts!"
"I'd love that!" Natsuki says, swallowing a mother-load of spaghetti.
"I'm glad honey. And would it kill you to take better care of your clothes from now on. Seriously Natsuki, your clothes either disappears, tears, or is marked with difficult stains!" her mother says, stabbing her fork into a meatball. "And I scrub and I scrub, and, still, those stupid stains always win..."
"I promise to take care of my new clothes mom," Natsuki says laughing and smiling at her mom's cute banter.
As promised, Natsuki and her mom go on a shopping spree at the local mall, the weekend before school starts. And now, since her mother knows of her unusual lingerie habit, her mother spoils Natsuki with new bras and panties. Despite blushing immensely when her mother asks the young sales girl's opinion on certain pieces, Natsuki has a good time with her mother.
Their happy joyous time, however, is disrupted when, at the food court, her mother waves at a certain tawny-haired girl and a teal-haired girl who are each carrying shopping bags.
Approaching them, the taller girl greets Saeko with a bow while the other girl simply smiles.
"Sit girls, sit," Saeko says motioning for the other girls to join them. Hesitantly, the other girls comply and sit at their table.
"Natsuki," her mother begins and reaching for her purse. "Be a puddin' and get us some ice-cream," her mother says, handing Natsuki a gold-plated card.
"I'll help you," the crimson-eyed girl says, rising from her seat, earning a glare from the wiccan.
Walking alongside each other, quite awkwardly, the taller girl is the first one to speak. "How you've been?"
"Fine."
"That's good."
"Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or yogurt ice-cream?" the slayer asks, looking directly at the taller girl for first the time since the werewolf incident.
"Green tea," the taller girl answers, whilst the slayer raises a brow.
"Whatever floats your boat," Natsuki says, looking away and shrugging. "And Tomoe?" she asks, cringing at saying the hobbit's name.
"Pistachio."
Reaching the pink-pastel colored counter of the ice-cream place, Natsuki rests her arms on the sticky counter, crossing them, and bending down as she plops her head down on top of her crossed arms.
"What can I get for you, Natsuki?" a girl with blonde hair says to the slayer who still has her head down.
"3 medium ice-cream cups: green tea, pistachio and vanilla," Natsuki says, looking up at the ice-cream vendor.
"And for you, Natsuki?" the blonde girl asks, chuckling. "Those aren't your usuals," the girl explains when Natsuki looks skeptically at her before smiling.
Raising her head back up, Natsuki scratches the back of her head and, involuntarily, grunts. "One of those frozen brownie things...one of those waffle and pecan coated ice cream cones: buttered pecan..."
"And?" the girl presses, laughing lightly.
"That thing you gave me last time."
"Yogurt Parfait?"
"Yea. That," Natsuki says, handing her mom's credit card to the blonde girl.
Running the credit card by the machine, the blonde vendor girl smiles at Natsuki and hands her mom's credit card back before leaving to prepare their order.
"She's friendly," the taller girl remarks once they are left standing, waiting for their order.
"Well she should be. It is, after all, the most essential prerequisite in the sales' business," Natsuki says, turning, facing the food court and leaning on the counter, arms crossed.
"I'm pretty sure that knowing a customer's name or 'usuals' isn't one of those prerequisites," the taller girl retorts.
"Probably not. But it is for family. Erin's my cousin."
Returning back, and handing Natsuki her orders on a tray, Erin slips in an extra brownie. "For Auntie Saeko," the blonde girl explains, winking at Natsuki.
"Thanks, Erin. And I'm sure mom will come here and splatter you with kisses, especially now that we'll be going to the same school," Natsuki adds, smiling at the blonde girl. "She'll probably try and bribe you into spying on me."
"Just promise me, you'll talk to me and not ignore me," the vendor presses as she hands Natsuki some napkins.
"I don't know..." Natsuki says whistling and looking at the ceiling.
"Fine. I won't spy on you. I promise."
"Good girl," Natsuki says before leaning in and kissing her cousin's cheek and vice versa. "See ya, cuz!"
"Can I help you?" Erin asks the red-eyed girl standing by the counter.
"No. Thanks," Natsuki hears the taller girl say, and then the slayer bursts out in laughter.
"I'm glad I amuse you, pudin'," the crimson-eyed girl retorts, catching up with Natsuki, while the slayer scoffs.
Walking the rest of the way in silence, the slayer and the tawny-haired girl join Saeko and Tomoe and enjoy a Saeko-centered conversation for the rest of their short time together. Tomoe, obviously annoyed, comes up with a 'I'm not feeling well' excuse for the taller girl and her to use as a scapegoat. Bowing goodbye to Saeko and saying a simple 'I'll see at school' to Natsuki, the crimson beauty and the green-haired wiccan leave, leaving Natsuki and her mother to each other's company. And after their ice-cream bloating passes, Saeko surely goes to Erin and kisses her, and invites her to join her and Natsuki for a movie after she gets out of work. Agreeing, the small family goes to the movies and, afterwards, drops off Erin at home. Driving back, Natsuki and her mom enjoy make small talk about about school and work as they drive home.
Before going to bed, however, Natsuki knocks on her mother's room, and, after receiving the okay, she opens the door and cuddles next to her mother who is siting up watching the news on her bed.
"What's wrong honey?" her mother asks, rubbing her daughter's back.
"Thank you for today," Natsuki says, digging her face into her mothers silky robe.
"Nervous?" her mother asks, moving her hand to run along midnight tresses.
"Nervous?" Natsuki counters, afraid that her mother might know more than she leads on.
"About school, sweetie," her mother explains, still running her fingers along her daughter's hair.
"Right. School."
Getting up, Natsuki goes back to her room after bidding her mom goodnight and, despite not being a slayer night, she falls asleep as soon as she hits the mattress.
Waking up the following day, taking a shower, applying some face-wash, brushing her teeth and her hair, Natsuki, wrapped in a towel, opens her closet and pulls out her much too familiar school uniform. Putting it on and grabbing her backpack, Natsuki heads downstairs where she sees her mother in her usual spot, filing papers on the kitchen table. Walking past her and drinking milk from the carton, Natsuki kisses her mom on her way out of the kitchen before calling Duran.
Taking Duran out to the front yard, Natsuki sees the taller and the green-haired, in matching school uniforms, exit the taller girl's house and get in the cobalt blue Porsche before speeding off.
Taking Duran back inside, grabbing her lunchbag, and hopping onto her new jeep, Natsuki drives off to school as well. Off to the hellmouth....
Spotting her friends at their usual table, Natsuki sits down, only to be joined by the newly-transferred student, Reito, who has grown close with the group of friends, especially Mai, whom he has asked for forgiveness over his asshole behavior to her at the party. Deep down, as Natsuki has come to learn, Reito isn't much of a jerk; he was just the younger brother of a popular guy whom he was pressured into being exactly alike. His parents, of course, were heartbroken thinking that their sweet Rad had run off on them, while Reito, as he confessed to Mai, couldn't help but feel more at ease now that his brother and his wrongdoings are out of the picture.
"How was shopping with your mom?" Mai asks, picking at her food.
"Great. Which reminds me," Natsuki begins, looking at her cousin, walking towards their table. "Mai, Tate, you know Erin. You know, from those times I used to babysit her," the slayer continues whilst her friends smile at a blushing Erin. "To you guys: Takeda, Reito, this is Erin."
Waving hello and making room for her to sit, Erin looks appreciatively at her older cousin. Natsuki, however, darts her attention to a tawny-haired girl that is conversing with the green-haired wiccan.
After some frequent spying on the other girl, Natsuki and her friends are forced to say goodbye when the bell rings.
Walking with Tate who has first period, Comp III, with her, Natsuki nearly chokes when she sees principal Snyder walking towards them. Grabbing her hand, Tate and the slayer maneuver their way through the crowd, avoiding the mean marshmallow. Laughing, and reaching their classroom, Tate and the slayer sit next to each other.
By the time lunch arrives, Natsuki is in a chirpy mood because she has not had a class with a certain red-eyed girl or the red-eyed girl's girlfriend. Sitting in the same positions as they did during breakfast, the friends talk about their classes and their teachers. Laughing when Reito says that his new school is odd in comparison to the private school he used to attend, the group of friends update him, filling him in about the going-ones in their school. For example, they explain that the band geeks are probably the most sexually active clique in school. The jocks, despite being jerks, are actually mama's boys while nerds are the most rebellious, hacking into the school system and pulling pranks. The punks and goths, however, are sweeter than they appear to be. And that the area behind the bleachers is make-out spot number two, second to the janitorial closets scattered all around school. And, most importantly, they warn Reito to stay away from Snyder.
After lunch, Mai and Natsuki head to drama class, Mai's idea, where Natsuki signs up as a stage hand while Mai auditions for all the roles in one of the productions that the drama team is working on. Afterwards, Natsuki heads to Astronomy, an elective class, where she finds the teal-haired girl and the tawny-haired girl sitting next to each other on one of the group tables at the front of the class. Feeling relief wash over when Reito and Takeda walk in and sit next to her in one of the back circular tables, Natsuki and the two boys chatter before class begins. Laughing when Reito says that Snyder walked into him, and fell to the ground, thusly giving him detention, the entire classroom turns to look at the slayer and the two werewolves. Meeting the girl's ruby-eyes for a brief moment, Natsuki goes back to laughing and chatting with the boys until class begins.
Unfortunately for the slayer, she has yet another class with the tawny-haired girl-gym. And seeing the girl in a pair of short white shorts and a snug purple tee isn't easy for the slayer. The tables, thankfully, turn when they are placed on opposing teams during volleyball and the slayer, much too her content, is allowed to strike the ball, roughly, on the other girl-stirring up drama between the two teams. Of course, Natsuki's team says its sportsmanship while the tawny-haired girl's team says that it's the ice-princess being a bitch. The coach, an old 80 year guy, Mr. Ichi, however, quite excited that the semester began with so much energy allows the teams to settle their disputes over a sudden death match between the slayer and the ruby-eyed girl. Natsuki, always priding herself on her natural sports abilities, is happy with Mr. Ichi's decision.
The game, however, ends as quickly as it begun. The taller-girl, purposely missing her serve, smirks and walks away from a pumped Natsuki, making the slayer feel guilty.
When it comes to free period, however, the group of friends meet up at the library, each cooperating in their own way towards their mission: the Master. Natsuki cooperates with the werewolves as she excitedly spars with Takeda and Reito while Mai practices her magic with Tate. The watcher, however, spends his time reading or researching.
By the time free period ends, the friends go to their last class. Thankfully, Natsuki has her last class with Mai and Tate. Once after school come by, the friends meet up at the library to do their homework and research.
Natsuki, however, after having a long day, decides to patrol the cemetery. Despite Takeda's and Reito's pleas to accompany her, the slayer decides that she need some alone time.
Arriving at the cemetery, and immediately heading towards the crypt section, Natsuki is pleased to hear loud music coming from one of the crypts. Kicking open the masonry crypt door, Natsuki, using her Reaper, beheads one of the two vampires that lunge at her. The other vampire that lunged at her but missed the slayer, thereby saving his life from the Reaper, grasps Natsuki from behind, motivating the other vampires to join in. Ramming the vampire that is hanging on her back against the wall, only to throw her Reaper at the other two of vampires, but only managing to behead one, Natsuki dodges her returning Reaper. The vampire behind her, however, isn't as quick. Slashed, but not killed, the vampire yelps in pain at the Reaper pierces into his skin. Turning and pulling her Reaper from its chest, Natsuki, elbows the vampire before decapitating it. Only left with one vampire, Natsuki, approaches the frightened vampire, curled up against the wall.
"Slayer..." the vampire says before its head rolls off, body and head turning to dust.
"No fair. You stole all the fun," a melodic voice says.
Turning, Natsuki sees the taller girl leaning on the crypt door. Scoffing, Natsuki, dusts herself off.
Closing the door, the taller girl approaches the slayer. "Still mad at me?"
Sighing, and readjusting her leather jacket, Natsuki attempts to walk past the girl but the taller girl stands in her way. "What do you want?" the slayer finally asks, turning her gaze from the crimson orbs and looking, instead, at ceiling.
"I need to borrow a few books."
Scoffing, the slayer walks past the other girl, bumping her shoulder into the taller girl's shoulder rather roughly. But, as she does this, the taller grasps her hand from behind, preventing the slayer from leaving. "Natsuki."
"I'm not gonna help you, okay," the slayer says, refusing to turn around, retreating her hand back.
"Then I'll have to do it the hard way. I will get my books."
Having just about enough, Natsuki turns around Natsuki punches the taller girl, knocking her to the ground. Shortly afterwards, Natsuki, sighing, feeling guilty, she extends her hand for the other girl to take, only instead of taking it, the taller girl pulls Natsuki to the ground with her.
Rolling, now on top of Natsuki, the taller smashes her lips against the resilient slayer. And it doesn't take long for Natsuki to give into the other girl's kiss. The only difference now, as opposed to the last time that they kissed is that their lips weren't as rough on each other as they are now. Before, it was more exciting and enthralling and, now, it's more desperate. Natsuki, now slowly sitting up and not breaking the kiss, adjusts the other girl into their new position. Seated on the crypt's floor, legs extended, and the tawny-haired girl's weight resting on the slayer's thigh, the taller girl wraps her arms around Natsuki's neck. The slayer on the other hand, removes her leather jacket and grasps the girl's hips, sliding the red-eyed girl closer to her. Moaning, the taller girl bites Natsuki's lip, breathing roughly on the slayer's face. This time, as the taller girl fishes for the slayer's lips again, Natsuki, instead, kisses, bites, and nibbles on the taller girl's neck as her hands run lower along the taller's sides and over to her hips and thighs. Clasping the slayer's necklace, the crimson beauty brings the slayer's lips back to her own lips and awaiting tongue. Kissing again, the taller girl removes her shirt and, after taking it off, she scrunches the slayer's black top, and pulls it off as well. Natsuki now deeper into the kiss, slowly, lures them back to the floor, hovering the taller girl who wraps her legs around the slayer's hips as her hands roam the slayer's toned stomach. Natsuki, digging her right hand into the other girl's tawny hair, brings the tawny-haired girl closer to her, needing her. Satisfied that the tawny-haired girl got the message, as she is leaning her face closer to the slayer, Natsuki uses, her now free hand, and slides it under the the taller girl's back, lifting her and signaling the taller girl to rise and curve her back. Doing so, the slayer then proceeds to unclasping the girl's red bra and caressing her bare back. The taller girl, in response, now going further south, undoes the slayer's white jeans. But before they could go further, a gasp, an 'oh my god', a 'Natsuki?' , a 'Zuru?' and two sighs interrupt the slayer that is only wearing a black silky laced bra and an undone pair of white jeans, revealing a matching pair of black laced panties on top of the crimson eyed girl with an unclasped red bra and black leather pants.
"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Natsuki asks, grabbing her jacket to cover herself.
"Tomoe and I both felt something," Mai explains, hand still covering her mouth. "We thought-we thought something happened to you..."
"Tomoe," the crimson beauty says, now wearing her grey, sleeveless, top.
"Don't!" the teal-haired girl exclaims, yelling through tears. "Don't."
"I'm sorry," the tawny-haired girl says in a tender and pleading voice, getting and slowly approaching the green-haired wiccan.
Backing away and bringing up Natsuki's Reaper with her magic, the wiccan aims the Reaper first at the taller girl and then floats it over to Natsuki.
The slayer, too scared to move, stares at her own weapon, glinting, awaiting the command to strike its master.
"Tomoe!" the red-eyed girl yells, getting the smiling wiccan's attention. "It's not her fault! I kissed her!"
"Did you now?" the green-haired girl asks in a venom-laced voice. The taller girl nods. Tomoe, not dropping the weapon facing Natsuki, walks closer to the slayer before turning to look at the crimson eyed girl. "And after everything I've done for you, you do this to me?"
"I didn't ask you for it," the crimson-eyed girl says through gritted teeth, anger clear in her voice. "None of it."
Laughing quite loudly, the wiccan, pulls her own hair, dragging it down, and looking down at the ground. Takeda, seizing the opportunity rams the green-haired to the floor, causing the Reaper to fall back to the ground.
Shoving the boy to the ceiling with her magic, the teal-haired girl gets back up. "Poor boy, he doesn't understand slayers, but I do," the wiccan continues looking at Natsuki. "Tell me Natsuki, did Shizuru ever tell you what she is?"
"No," Natsuki says, softly whilst shaking her head lightly.
"Then let me be the one to tell you what this girl really is," the teal-haired says, acknowledging everyone present: Mai, Tate, Reito, Natsuki, Shizuru and Takeda who is bleeding from his right eyebrow.
"Tomoe, please don't," the taller says as her ruby eyes water. "Please."
"After what you did to me? I don't think so Zuru!" the green-haired spits back before composing herself again, smiling. "Shizuru here didn't always go by Shizuru. She was Viola Amethyst-slayer-awakened at the age of fourteen."
"Slayer?" Natsuki asks, shaking her head in confusion. "That's impossible; there can only be one..."
"True: in order for a slayer to awake, a slayer has to die," the girl answers, looking at the taller girl and then setting her blue eyes back on Natsuki.
"Then how?" Tate asks, speaking up for the first time since he got here.
"Zuru died, more than a year ago, and awoke Natsuki here," Tomoe says, nonchalantly. "If you want to blame someone for such a burden, blame her," Tomoe continues, looking between the taller girl and Natsuki, smirking.
Scrunching up her eyebrows and opening her mouth, saying inaudible words, Natsuki turns to look at the taller girl. "What are you? Really?" she asks as the ruby-eyed girl turns her gaze away.
"Oh! But this is the interesting part," Tomoe chides in. "You see, I've loved Zuru for a long time. I was six when my family introduced me to the famous Shizuru Viola Fujino- a potential slayer like all the Fujino girls," the green-haired says, lost in her memories. "I was told to protect this beautiful seven year old girl; I was to be her priestess, like most of the women in my family who serve the Fujino girls in hopes of creating a slayer. I, Tomoe Marguerite, was therefore relocated and forced to train and help Zuru become the slayer her family wanted her to be. And together, we did just that. By the time I was eleven and Zuru was twelve, we had already slayed our fair share of demons and vampires. We grew up together...me and her, and I fell more and more in love with her as the time lapsed. Then, one day, we felt it; we got our wish; Shizuru became Viola Amethyst. For you see, Zuru needed a secret identity to protect the Fujino bloodline from the demons', vampires' and other evils' who might target and threaten the precious Fujino blood. And she was new the slayer. And we were a good team, until the incident..."
"What incident?" Natsuki asks, searching crimson-eyes who refuse to meet her gaze.
"Tomoe..." the taller girl pleads to the green-haired girl.
"But this is the best part Zuru!" the girl exclaims, walking over to the taller girl, and kissing the motionless tawny-haired girl's cheek. "The incident was a massacre- a big one. You see, cocky little Zuru here, bit off more than she could chew. She raided a temple, the Order of Aurelius' temple, and massacred its worshipers. That is, of course, until a certain powerful vampire, Boone, the Master's right hand, got even. He tracked our Zuru and just like she massacred his people; he killed her watcher, her brother, Ryu, a freelancer who aided Zuru at times, and his son, Zael, Zuru's nephew who was five. When Zuru and I came back home, we were greeted by her family's and watcher's dismantled corpses and blood stained walls in our home. Then we met Boone who approached Zuru grasping her by the neck, suffocating her. And I, loving her with all my heart, tried to get the vampire to release Zuru. I succeeded, briefly, before being thrown out the screen door. When I awoke, I set out to find her; and I did. Thrown on the floor with the rest of the corpses, my Zuru lay, paled and with her precious Fujino blood drained out; she was dead."
"And you brought her back..." Mai says, making a disgruntled face. "A resurrection spell! You played with dark magic! You disobeyed the order of things; you defied nature!"
"I did. For the one I loved," Tomoe says, eyeing the taller girl who has a few tears running down her face. "But I did not play with dark magic; I gave myself, my soul, my afterlife, to it so we could be together forever, even if it'd eventually be in hell."
Hell. "The hellmouth," Natsuki cuts in, looking between the tawny-haired girl and the green-haired girl.
"Yes. Zuru left me to go search for the hellmouth, only I knew that she was secretly angry, ungrateful really, for what I did," Tomoe continues, looking back at the expressionless girl, smiling. "Eventually, she came back for me, as she promised when she found out that hellmouth was somewhere in this craptown. She made me promise not to say anything about her past. She said she used the money that her watcher left her in a safe at his house, in case anything happened, and drove off in her a little expensive convertible, the last gift she received from her rich parents. Unfortunately for poor Zuru here, however, is that her family wants nothing to do with poor Shizuru... Hell, she's even lucky she kept her name...But still, I've kept my mouth shut since then, out of love for her; but now, I pity her," the green-haired says, mocking the other girl. "I mean...to know that you're responsible for the death of loved ones, a child even, must be a pretty awful thing to live with, even if you are a walking corpse that's-"
"-Enough!" Natsuki exclaims, challenging the other girl.
"Of course!" the green-haired girl chides. "Stop me after you hear what you wanted to hear! What. A. Hero."
Ignoring her, Natsuki turns to look to her friend. "Mai," Natsuki says, giving her orange-haired wiccan friend a knowing look.
Mai, as requested, casts a boundary spell, sealing the unknowingly green-haired girl in. Receiving a nod from her orange-haired friend, Natsuki, now dressed, walks over to the taller girl.
"Leave town and never come back," Natsuki says as she walks past the green-haired wiccan who rolls her eyes.
"Let's go," Natsuki says, reaching for the tawny-haired girl's hand. Grasping it, Natsuki moves forward, but is halted by the other girl's refusal to move. "Hey..." Natsuki tries again with no success. "I'm sorry, but we have to go," Natsuki says to the red-eyed girl before bending a bit to lift the girl and walk out, carrying her. "Leave Tomoe," the green-eyed slayer finishes as she exits the crypt with the others following her suit.
"Neat," the green-haired girl spits back, realizing that she's sealed in. "But, not necessary. You see, I'm going to take my time planning these slayers' deaths: a perfect kill can only come from perfect timing," the girl continues raising her left hand, touching Mai's seal, looking intensely at it, and then walking out of the crypt, smiling before vanishing.
Showing Natsuki her Reaper, Takeda nods at the midnight-haired slayer and leans in closer to her ear. "We can take her," he says trying to cheer Natsuki up, who has the taller girl enveloped in her arms.
"You bet your ass we can," Natsuki says, smiling weakly and curling the taller girl closer to her.
