Hey guys! Sorry it's taking me a while to update, I've been busy. But I promise to update as soon as I can. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter.
I own nothing, except Kayume and Kojinki.
"The Blood Red Moon..." A soft, strange voice hissed in Kayume's ears. "The demon will be revealed..."
"Who's there?" Kayume asked, her voice only echoes in the darkness. "Who are you? What do you-?"
"The demon will appear, the night of The Blood Red Moon...!"
"HEY!"
Kayume eyes shot open, as she noticed she was lying on top of a crate. She sat up quickly and put her hand against her head, as it began to throb in pain.
"It's about time you got up! We've been calling your name for hours." A familiar, male voice said beside her. The hanyou turned her head to the side, and found Natsu sitting beside her. Kayume looked around and noticed she wasn't in the streets of Magnolia, or the Guild...
"Wh-Where are we?" She asked, still a little dizzy.
"We're in the Guild's underground cellar." Lucy answered, walking up to them, carrying an object wrapped in cloth. "After you joined the fight, I came back to the Guild and found everyone here. When I found no one was hurt, I tried to go back for you guys, but the fight was already over and Natsu brought you back here. You were unconscious, and carrying this in your hand..." Lucy handed the wrapped object to Kayume, who took it with caution.
The hanyou carefully unfolded the cloth, to reveal the bow and sheath her mother gave her. H-How? It can't be! She thought. Kayume took the bow and held it close to her chest, tears forming in her eyes. It's the only thing...I have left...That's hers... "Thank you." She whispered to the Celestial Mage, through quiet sobs.
Later That Day
Kayume decided to explore the 'underground cellar', Lucy had mentioned. It wasn't that different from the Guild above; only smaller, and a lot more condensed. Everyone was laughing and having a grand old time, as though nothing had happened.
Cana was hugging a barrel of booze, Mira was going around and serving everyone drinks and food, Wendy was with Carla, Erza and Gray at another table talking among each other...As usual!
They're so happy, Kayume thought. But why? The Guild was burned down… "Why are they all happy, even though the Guild was destroyed?"
"Because the fire didn't take away what was really important." Makarov answered beside her. He appeared out of nowhere, completely drunk. "The flames may have taken the Guild, but not the family within it."
Kayume looked at the Master with a confused expression on her face. "Excuse me?"
"Excuse you!" Makarov retorted with a perverted grin, sending cold chills down Kayume's spine. "Even though most of us are not related by blood, we're still a family. It doesn't matter how much, or how little we have. As long as we have each other, and stick together..."
Kayume blinked and glanced around at the 'family' Makarov was referring to, and found Natsu and Happy. They were standing on top of barrels of wine, to see who would last the longest. Other members gathered around and were laughing at the two numb-skulls. The hanyou couldn't help but crack a small laugh herself. She turned back to the Master, to thank him for the advice, but when she turned back he was already gone. For a drunk, he gives pretty good advice. She thought.
Hours Later
Kayume sat at a rundown table, by herself, holding a cup of water in her hands. Her bow was placed across the table-top, and the sheath was slung across her body.
"The Blood Red Moon!" The strange voice hissed again.
Kayume whipped her head around the room to see where the voice was coming from, but quickly turned back to her cup when she realized... Tonight's another New Moon! That explains why I didn't catch the Master's scent when he came up to me. Not to mention, I didn't pick up Natsu's scent either. She looked at her reflection through the water in her cup. Blood Red Moon...? What does it mean? On another note, how was I able to contact my mother, and Kikyo!? I need some answers, and fast!
"THERE YOU ARE!" Natsu shouted, jumping in front of Kayume and making her jump out of her seat, in surprise.
"Natsu!" The hanyou shrieked. "Y-You were looking for me?"
"Aye!" Happy answered, flying up from behind Natsu. "We were calling your name..."
"Sorry, I'm just a little...slow today. That's all." She lied, not looking at the Dragon boy or the feline, as she slowly stood up from the floor. "So, what did you want me for?" When Kayume lifted her eyes to meet Natsu's, Natsu was already inches from the hanyou's face, giving her a long hard stare. "N-Natsu?" His green eyes bore into her's, as if he could see right through her soft, luscious skin.
"Natsu, you better not be doing that to her too!?" Lucy interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the Fire Dragon Slayer.
Kayume turned her head to the Celestial Mage, fear in her eyes. "Too?"
"Yep! I've decided!" Natsu finally said, pulling back from the hanyou. "You're gonna be in a group with us!"
"OH NO! What job did you pick this time?!" Lucy yelled in anger.
"Gosh Lucy, you gotta ruin everything don't ya?" Happy shrugged.
"SHUT UP CAT!"
In the Streets of Magnolia
Natsu and Lucy were walking in front of Kayume; Lucy still arguing about the unannounced job request Natsu pulled on the poor hanyou. Apparently, the Dragon Slayer pulled the same trick on Lucy (He picked a job request that required a Blond-Haired Maiden.)
"I bet they'll still be arguing by the time we get there." Happy stated, flying up beside Kayume.
"I think it's cute." Kayume replied softly, with a small grin. "I can tell that they make each other happy."
"Aye, they make a cozy two-some, don't they?"
"I CAN HEAR YOU CAT!" Lucy snapped, turning her head back towards Happy.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Kayume asked, as she lightly pulled her hood over her ears.
"We're going to the clients' place first. We need to confirm what's written on the job request." Lucy responded, in a kind tone. "THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT SOMEBODY WON'T TELL US EXACTLY WHAT THIS JOB IS!" Lucy turned her gaze to Natsu, her attitude quickly changing back to anger.
Let's just hope the job won't take too long. Kayume thought, looking up at the sun. It's already late afternoon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"SO THAT'S WHY YOU NEEDED HER!?" Lucy yelled.
The job request the pinkette had chosen, was to hunt down a mysterious beast that has been disturbing people's houses, late at night. According to the client, the beast camouflages into the shadows, before it slowly creeps upon its prey, and takes on the shape of many creatures.
Of course... Kayume thought, hanging her head in shame. It had to be at night...
"What? With her bow and speed, we're definitely going to find this beast." Natsu said excitedly, pounding his fist and his palm together.
My bow...and speed? Kayume thought. "Ummm… N-Natsu...? There's something you should kn-" Kayume was cut off when the Dragon Slayer grabbed her by the arm, and started pulling her away. Lucy and Happy following behind.
"Come on! Let's wait over here!" He cheered.
"N-Natsu!" Kayume stuttered, but the Dragon Slayer didn't hear her. "NATSU!" Kayume ripped her arm from his grasp and took a few steps back. The Fire Mage turned, and noticed the sad expression on Kayume's face. "I can't do it."
"Sure you ca-"
"Natsu! Just listen to me!" She snapped. "First of all, I only had one arrow, and I used it on Kojinki. Second-" Kayume glanced at the sun, Dawn was upon them. She looked back at Natsu, fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just can't." Kayume ran in the direction they came from, tears flowing down her face in embarrassment. Natsu, Lucy and Happy watched as the hanyou ran into the setting sun.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Blood Red Moon..." The voice whispered again. Kayume ignored the voice and kept on running as fast as she could. "The Demon will be revealed..." The voice hissed louder and louder. "The Blood Red Moon...Demon...Red Moon...THE BLOOD RED MOON!"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kayume stopped in her tracks and fell to her knees, her hands tugging on her hood and eyes squeezed shut. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" She screamed, and the voices stopped. She suddenly froze and slowly opened her eyes, panting, and watched as the sun set before her. "It's time..." Kayume stood up, removing the hood from her head.
Natsu, Lucy and Happy were chasing after Kayume, when they finally caught up to her, but stopped a few feet away. They watched closely, as the hanyou stood tall and let the darkness consume her. They watched as the ends of Kayume's hair grew upward, toward her roots of her head, so that her hair was completely black. They watched as her little dog ears disappeared from the top of her head.
Kayume slowly turned around to face the others, and they watched as the colour of her yellow-gold eyes dulled into a deep brown.
Natsu and Happy stared at the transformed hanyou, their jaws dropped in surprise. Lucy, however, just stood back and examined the human Kayume, from head to toe.
"You followed me?" Kayume asked in surprise.
"Of course we did. You're our friend, and friends stick together." Lucy said, walking closer to Kayume, with a soft smile.
Kayume's eyes softened at the word friend. The last friend she had was Komori, before he left her and was devoured by Kojinki. "I should've told you earlier..." She started. "But, I guess I was a little scared. All of these things that are happening to me, are really scaring me and I just..." Kayume began to tear up, when she felt a hand on her head. She looked up and found Natsu staring right into her eyes again. This time they were soft, kind, and she never wanted to look away.
"You don't have to be afraid. You're a member of Fairy Tail, and as a member you're never afraid of anything." Kayume stared at the Dragon Slayer, wiped the tears from her eyes, and lifted her head high in the air, a big smile on her face as the tears flowed down her cheeks. "That's the smile we've been waiting for."
Behind Natsu, Lucy stood and watched as the two were having their conversation.
"You look tense, Lucy." Happy said, walking up beside the Celestial Mage.
"I-I'm not! It's just...a chill."
"Mmmhmmmm. I'd say you're JEAAAAAAAAALOUS."
"I am not! BUTT OUT CAT!" Lucy dropped the conversation with Happy, and stormed over to the other two. "You guys, we've got a job to do, and if we don't get this reward I WON'T BE ABLE TO PAY OFF MY RENT!"
Kayume and Natsu broke their gaze, and glanced at Lucy.
"You're right, Luce." Natsu said, "Come on! You're gonna help us with this one!" Natsu grabbed Kayume's arm again, and Lucy's, and dragged both girls toward the middle of town.
A Few Minutes Later
Natsu and the others sat in an alley, waiting for any sign of movement.
Nothing...
"Ugh! How long has it been!?" Natsu whined. "I wanna catch this guy already!"
"Give it time, Natsu." Lucy replied gently.
Kayume just stayed silent and stroked Happy's head, who fell asleep in her lap. In her head, Kayume thought about the events that had happened to her, since she came to the land of Fiore. How she was able to go back in time and see Kikyo, and talk with her dead mother... Kojinki's appearance... The Blood Red Moon...? Suddenly, there was a loud BANG! in the distance, causing Happy to shoot up from Kayume's lap.
"IT'S HERE!" Natsu cheered, and ran after the sound, Lucy right behind him.
Kayume grabbed her bow and followed after them, when she suddenly felt a cold chill run down her spine and froze. Before she was able to scream for help, or do ANYTHING, a shadowy hand covered her mouth and pulled her into the darkness. At the last second, she dropped her bow, making a loud echoing crash.
Natsu, Happy and Lucy froze, gave each other a quick glance, and darted back toward the alley they just left.
That didn't sound too good. Lucy thought. I hope it's not what I think it is... When they got back, the alley was empty except for Kayume's bow lying in the middle of the floor.
I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm sooooooooooooooooo sorry I updated late. I've been real busy this summer. Please leave a review when your done if you have any ideas for the next chapter, or your opinions on this one. I promise I will update sooner ;)