Nagoya was quite beautiful from above. All the buildings, the park, even the vampires walking among the gardens. It was all peaceful, delicate. It reminded Emiko of her time as a child. She had always been playing out in the gardens. She would roll around in the grass, run after the many pets she had, or chase the butler with a garden hose. Perhaps to some it seemed chaotic, but there was never a more simple time in her life. Looking at the supposed tranquility of Nagoya made her feel nostalgic, for a lot of things.
She missed her parents. They had always brought her comfort and love. She missed the innocence of childhood. Being ignorant to the cruelty and complexities of the world had been frustrating at the time, but now, oh how she would love to go back to ignorance. Emiko had spent so long wanting to regain her memories. When she remembered the torture that had been inflicted upon her by someone she'd loved, that desire had faded. It was then she realized that ignorance truly was bliss.
So, why did she keep searching for answers? She had learned, time and time again, that answers only brought heartache, and even more questions. Emiko stared down at the city sadly. It looked so peaceful, from so far away. It was only when you reached your destination you realized the horror.
"What are you doing way up here?" Horn approached, a soft lilt to her voice. She must've sensed the forlorn surrounding Emiko. She approached cautiously, stepping into line beside Emiko. Her eyes trailed over the sight below, before returning her attention to Emiko. "Is something wrong?" She asked. Emiko shrugged.
"I don't really know." She answered softly. That wasn't true. Something was definitely wrong, Emiko just didn't know how to put it into words. She felt like she was stuck in space. Like everything around her felt like it was either frozen or on fire, and she couldn't decide which she'd rather die from. "Just...thinking, I guess. Wondering about my life. Have you ever stopped and just asked yourself 'why did all of this happen? Why me?' I keep asking myself these questions, and I can't come up with any answers." She explained.
"Fate, maybe." Horn answered surprisingly. Emiko glanced at her in surprise. "Or chance. Perhaps it's consequential. Not even vampires know why things happen. I suppose that knowledge is left to the gods." Horn's voice was filled with it's own kind of gentle wonder that took Emiko by surprise.
"You believe in Gods?" Emiko asked quietly. Horn hummed thoughtfully.
"I may be a vampire, but i'm not quite so vain to believe we're the strongest species in existence, especially after having met a demon." She glanced at Emiko meaningfully. Emiko shrugged as a response.
"I think you'd be the first." She joked half-heartedly. Finally, Emiko sighed, and stretched her limbs. It was time to end all this existential crisis thinking and get back to living. Not that living was exactly preferable at the moment. "Alright, what's on the agenda?" She asked. Horn smiled.
"It seems that Lucal Wesker is curious about your fighting capabilities. He's demanded you display your abilities." She explained. Emiko's eye twitched.
"Demanded?" Emiko spat out, the word tasting bitter on her tongue. Emiko scowled openly. Horn shot her a warning look.
"Remember Emi, he has authorization to kill you." She reminded the temperamental human. "And he's nearly already done so. It's best if you behave-"
"Yes, yes, I know, I need to behave." Emiko interrupted, irritation clear in her voice. "I really think you all have this idea in your head that I'm capable of that." She was being snarky now, and Horn didn't really appreciate it. However, she ignored it for the time being, as she could tell that beneath the levels of sass and irritation, something was troubling Emiko.
The two of them soon arrived at an open court gym, where Crowley, Lucal Wesker, and his servant Esther were waiting. Crowley smiled pleasantly, which clearly meant he was annoyed. Lucal Wesker had a deep scowl on his face, and Emiko could already tell this wasn't going to go well. She stopped a few feet away from the both of them, giving them both a blank stare. "You demanded my presence, oh great one?" Lucal's eyebrow twitched, making it clear he'd heard the deep sarcasm in Emiko's words and that he didn't like it. Crowley sent Emiko a slightly exasperated look. She ignored him.
"It's like she's asking to be killed." Esther murmured quietly by his master's side. Lucal nodded his agreement, his eyes still narrowed on Emiko. Emiko felt the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him, but decided against it. Despite her many, many problems, she did enjoy being alive, and she was quite fond of her ability to speak.
"Livestock." Lucal addressed her coldly. "Lord Crowley expresses high praise of your combat skills. I would like to assess them myself." Wasn't he a lower rank than Crowley? She didn't know how it worked in Vampire society, but that almost seemed like an insult to Crowley. She glanced at the thirteenth progenitor curiously. By his pleasant look, she could still detect the layers of annoyance. Emiko returned her attention to Lucal, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Of course. What form of combat shall I display?" She asked, trying to keep her tone polite. She wasn't doing a very good job. Lucal's eyes narrowed further.
"What sort of impertinence is this? Show me all of your combative qualities and stop badgering me with questions you lowly swine." And there went her self-control. Crowley and Horn both saw the invisible restraints snap, and reacted accordingly. Crowley grabbed hold of Emiko, stopping her from leaping at the Noble. Horn left in search of Chess, in case things got ugly.
"Okay, you know what, I tried! I tried!" Emiko shouted angrily. Hatred seethed behind her blue orbs, and her outstretched arms reached to claw at Lucal. "Listen here, bitchstick, I'm going to wipe your ugly, depressing face all over this floor and I'm going-hmph! Mmf!" Crowley placed his free hand over her mouth, cutting off any further dialogue. Emiko kicked her legs out, fighting desperately to attack the annoying noble vampire in front of her. Crowley laughed joyously, all the while keeping her restrained and quiet.
"Amusing, isn't she?" He offered playfully. Lucal did not look amused in the least. His glare landed on Crowley this time, something turning behind his gaze.
"Why do you defend this pathetic human?" He hissed. Crowley shrugged.
"She's grown on me." Was his simple answer. Then, Crowley leaned forward, that terrifying pleasant smile returning to his face. "And if you lay finger on her, I'll disembowel you." With those polite last words, Crowley threw Emiko over his shoulder and disappeared. Once they were back at Nagoya City hall and a safe distance away, he set her down. She was practically fuming, glaring up at Crowley angrily.
"Why'd you stop me? I could've done us all a favor and killed him!" She snapped. Crowley tisked.
"That wouldn't have solved anything. It'd only serve for Lest Karr to kill you, and it's for the best he doesn't get involved again." Emiko crossed her arms and pouted. Although she understood what Crowley was saying, she didn't like it in the least. She wanted to get rid of Lucal Wesker and Mel Stefano and be done with it. She had enough problems as is, and she didn't need them making her life more difficult.
"Then, can I prank them?" She asked. He glanced down at her, amusement shining in his eyes.
"Don't provoke them more than necessary." He advised.
"I pranked you and I survived!" She objected. He shook his head.
"I like your spirit. They do not." She frowned. He kind of had a point, and it was pissing her off. She wanted to get back at Lucal in some way for that 'swine' comment. She'd grown more accustomed to the use of the word 'livestock', considering vampires literally used it all the time, but swine was going way too far. She wanted to punch his lights out for that one.
"Why do you like my spirit?" She asked suddenly. "Why do you like me at all?" She wondered aloud. Not that Emiko didn't find herself totally likable, but her and Crowley hadn't started on the best of terms. Okay, she hadn't started on the best of terms. Crowley was harder to read, even now. Crowley frowned, obviously thinking about something. Finally, he shrugged.
"I don't really know." Emiko scowled. He had to be messing with her. Crowley laughed at her expression. "Don't pout." He teased her. Her scowl deepened. She wanted to argue with him, but she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere. She dropped the subject.
"Where am I going to train? Certainly not outside?" She asked. He glanced down at her.
"There's a room here in the capital that would work as a gym." He explained simply. She nodded. "There's also a music room." He hinted. Her scowl returned and she crossed her arms.
"I don't play music anymore." She huffed. He gave her a curious look. She ignored it, and instead continue walking along. She didn't want to tell him that music made her sad. It reminded her of all the things she had lost, and she wasn't one to ruminate. Or at least, she didn't want to be. Emiko had always told herself that she didn't have time to worry about things she couldn't change. Obviously she didn't stick to those words all the time, but she attempted to at the very least. Lately, sticking to that belief was getting harder and harder though. There was so much she couldn't change and yet, so much she wanted to. She couldn't help thinking that if she just tried harder she could fix things. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the way the world worked.
Crowley and her parted, and Emiko headed to the gym. She was still angry about earlier, and she needed to work off some of that. She found the gym with a servant's help, and quickly went to work on some drills. Lately Crowley had been teaching her muay thai. It was a scary offensive martial art, and Emiko had been picking up on it fairly quickly. Unfortunately, all the thoughts running through her mind kept distracting her, and in turn she was messing up her footing. She sighed in frustration, brushing the hair out of her face.
Why not just tell someone already?
Emiko made a face. "Because who would believe me? Plus, telling someone 'hey I'm an angel' is a little pretentious. I'm not even technically an angel anyway. You're an angel, you just messed up my life by giving me your psycho crazy angel powers." There was heavy silence.
I saved your life with 'my psycho crazy angel powers', and stop being a bitch.
"Wha-! How dare-Ugh!" Emiko growled in annoyance.
Plus, I'm not an angel, not anymore. The power rightfully belongs to you now.
"I don't want it." Emiko growled in annoyance.
Tough luck. You're an angel now. Or, well, half.
"Half? You said I was an angel!" Emiko objected.
I didn't have enough power left for you to be a full angel. Power grows in humans, but slowly. It would be several centuries before your power reached that of a full angel.
"Would?" She asked. Mirai was silent, and Emiko soon realized why. Would, as in she wouldn't be living that long. That brought the conversation to a halt. Emiko sighed, and returned to practice. Soon it was evening, and Emiko headed to the kitchens for dinner. She searched the fridge for food, pushing aside bags of blood. She found a carton of milk and some ham. Pulling those out, she then searched the cabinets, thankfully coming across some bread. She made herself a sandwich and poured a glass of milk, taking a seat at the empty table.
She ate quietly, thinking over what Mirai had said. She clearly didn't believe anything could be done to save them now. Chess nearly barrelled into the room, suddenly distracting Emiko from her thoughts. She tripped and stumbled (a rare sight to see of a Progenitor) and stopped in front of Emiko. She slapped her hand down beside the plate of food, making Emiko jump.
"We're pranking Lucal Wesker, now!" Then she grabbed Emiko's arm, and pulled her out of the room before Emiko had a chance to respond. They raced down the hallway at top speed, Emiko nearly tripping to keep up.
"Crowley said I shouldn't!" Emiko called to Chess. Chess glanced back at Emiko, a mischievous grin on her face.
"Lord Crowley doesn't have to know." She responded teasingly. Emiko dug her heels into the ground, pulling the both of them to a stop. Emiko crossed her arms.
"You're not one to disobey Crowley." Emiko stated suspiciously. What was Chess planning? Chess sighed in exasperation.
"I've disobeyed him plenty of times. Do you think he would've wanted me to help you prank him?" She asked pointedly. Well, she had a point. Emiko huffed.
"Point taken. Still, why would you want me to prank Lucal Wesker?" She wondered. Chess scowled.
"Because he's an idiot. I heard he called you swine, and he called me a hyperactive bunny. We have to get back at him." She exasperated. Emiko sighed slowly, and then grinned.
"We can't let him get away with this." Emiko agreed. The realization that she might very well die for this was clear to Emiko, but that had never stopped her before. Honestly, she was getting far too serious. A good prank would remind her who she really is. Chess laughed and hugged onto Emiko.
"Okay, what are we going to do?" She asked secretively. Emiko thought about it, wondering just what she could do to punish the fifteenth progenitor for his arrogant ways. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. She knew exactly what she was going to do.
…
As always, Emiko's plan was a terrible idea. That just made it all the more fun. Giggling quietly to herself, Emiko snuck into the darkened bedroom. Chess' part of the plot had already been fulfilled, when she'd sneakily snuck a sedative into his glass of blood. Now, he was out cold. Trying to stifle her laughing, she pulled the bottle of nair from behind her back. She approached the sleeping progenitor, and opened the bottle of nair, and leaned down to put some over both eyebrows. He didn't stir in the slightest. Next, she used a cloth to wipe it off. Her giggles returned in full force at the sight of him without eyebrows. She covered her mouth with her hand, backing up to exit the room.
In doing so, she ran right into something standing behind. Jumping, Emiko turned around, finding Esther looking down at her with a glare. She gulped nervously, hiding the nair and cloth behind her back. She smiled sheepishly up at him. He continued to glare, and reached out, moving to grab her upper arm. Emiko's instincts reacted properly, as she dodged him effectively and roundhouse kicked him in the chest. Then, she ran like hell.
Panic started to fill her as she traveled through the halls of their estate. She hoped she could escape before Esther managed to wake Lucal up. She found Chess standing at the entrance to their estate. "We have to get out of here!" She yelled as she grabbed Chess' hand, racing towards the capital.
"What happened?" Chess shouted as they ran.
"Esther saw me! I'm so dead!" Emiko felt sick to her stomach. She knew, she knew something like this was going to happen, and she still did it! Why did she have to be so stupid! They managed to arrive back at the capital without anyone chasing after them, but they knew it was only a matter of time.
"We can hide in my room." Chess urged, pulling on Emiko's arm. Emiko shook her head.
"Screw that, I'm hiding in Crowley's room." She squeaked. She let go of Chess, racing down the halls on her own.
"He's sleeping!" Chess called after her, but she didn't sound too disappointed. Emiko ignored her, and ran down the halls till she found Crowley's room. Subtly lost, Emiko threw the door open and rushed into the room, diving underneath the covers before Crowley even had a chance to open his eyes. Once he did, he sat up, glancing around the room and then at the lump on the other side of his bed. Curiously, he peeled the covers back.
He saw a flash of blonde hair and then she'd ripped the covers out of his grasp and pulled them back over her head. "What are you doing?" He asked, amusement laced into his tone. Emiko whimpered lightly.
"You know that thing you told me not to do?" She squeaked, voice muffled by the covers. His grin slowly fell.
"You didn't." He stated, a frown covering his lips.
"I did." She muttered fearfully. "And Esther saw me! I'm in so much trouble!" Just as she spoke the words, there was a loud crash down the hall and a shout of anger. She jumped and clutched at the covers tightly, fingers trembling. Crowley sighed and stood. Sending her a final frown over his shoulder, Crowley approached the open door. He left the room, and moments later there was angry shouting out in the hallway, followed by Crowley's calmer words. Emiko winced, but could not understand the words being said between the two of them. There was an eerie silence that soon followed, and then a loud shout of pain.
Crowley soon returned to the room, one of his hands covered in blood. Peeking her eyes up through the covers, she eyed the blood warily, but said nothing. Crowley left to the bathroom, and Emiko heard the sink turn on. A few moments later, the sound of running water stopped and he returned into the room, blood washed off.
Emiko sat up, staring at Crowley curiously. "What happened?" She asked finally. He glanced at her, a twitch of irritation in his eye. He closed the door to his bedroom and then approached the bed. He sat down on the edge.
"Tomorrow you'll be meeting with the queen to discuss punishments." Emiko winced again. She supposed that was the best she was going to get though, considering what she did. Emiko nodded her acceptance, and then moved to climb off of the bed. Crowley acted quickly, reaching out and grabbing hold of her waist. Emiko let out a squeak of surprise as he pulled her back against his form. He pushed the hair away from her neck, leaning down to release hot air against the curve of her neck. She shivered.
"Stay here with me." Emiko froze. What was he implying? If he was implying what she thought he was implying..well, Emiko wasn't ready for that. Nowhere near ready. She twisted her head, turning to glance at him cautiously. Noting the slight panic in her eyes, he gave a reassuring smile. "Sleep next to me." He rephrased. Emiko visibly relaxed, though still seemed a bit cautious.
"What do you want?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. She sighed, realizing she would have to elaborate. "Unless you're asking for...something else, I don't see what's in it for you." She answered. His answer was to lay back, pulling her with him. She rested with her head on his chest, and she was unsure of how to respond.
"I want to be near you, Emiko." He whispered quietly next to her ear. Her heart jumped in her chest. Did he really just say that? She couldn't convince herself that he had just admitted that to her, but...he had. She'd heard it with her own two ears. She moved to sit up so she could ask him to say it again, but he kept her trapped against his chest. He shushed her. "Go to sleep." He murmured. Part of her wanted to snap at him, and tell him not to order her around. The other part of her found that she was starting to find this extremely comfortable. She thought being this close to him, lying in his bed would maker her nervous, and it had, for a moment. But again, she found she was naturally so comfortable around him, always felt so safe. And without her approval, her eyes started to close on their own.
…
Krul was, to put it lightly, pissed. She paced the floors of her throne room, glancing at Emiko every few seconds. Crowley waited patiently beside her, looking as pleasant as always. Suddenly Krul stopped, abruptly turning to Crowley. "Why didn't you stop her?" She snapped at him, eyes blazing with fury. Crowley glanced at Emiko, and then looked back at Krul.
"I told her it was unwise." He explained calmly. "You know how she is." He stated, as if that explained everything. According to Krul's expression, it did. Exasperated mixed with the fury on her face and she turned to Emiko.
"I thought you were smarter than this." She accused her. Emiko shrugged, chewing her cheek nervously.
"That was clearly a judgement fail on your part." If possible, Krul's look became deadlier. Emiko let out a sheepish laugh, and took a cautious step back. Perhaps now wasn't the time to be sassy, she reasoned. "Sorry, force of reflex." She squeaked. Krul growled in annoyance, and began to pace again.
"Lucal went straight to Lest Karr, now, it's been decided that Karr will get to decide your punishment." She growled. "I have no authority over whether you live or die." Oh. That didn't sound good. Emiko glanced at Crowley.
"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to run, you guys cover for me." She turned, fully prepared to take off, when the doors. Lucal Wesker and his servant Esther walked through the double doors. Lucal glared heatedly when he caught sight of Emiko. Emiko on the other hand, tried to stifle a laugh. Despite the very serious situation on her hands, she had to admire her own handiwork. The loss of his eyebrows did not do Lucal any favors. Lucal's eyes raged with fury, and he grabbed his sword, the intention clear in his eyes. Emiko came prepared this time. She grabbed the guns out of their holsters, pointing them at Lucal. She shot, the bullet colliding with Lucal's hand. A horrible sound left his lips as the bullet shot through his hand and the blade fell from his fingers.
Emiko smiled pleasantly at his enraged features. "Go ahead and attack. I'm prepared this time." She'd never felt so smug as she did at that moment. The hesitation on his face, the flicker from her guns to her face, well, she felt pretty powerful knowing he was cautious of her.
"Emiko." Krul spoke sharply. Emiko didn't take her eyes off of Lucal. "Back down. Now." She ordered coldly. Emiko stared at him for a few moments longer. Then, she sighed, dropping her guns to her sides.
"Fine." She relented begrudgingly. She stuck her guns back in their holsters, and shuffled closer towards Crowley. If she was going to turn her back on them, she needed to be closer to someone with faster reflexes. Sending Lucal and Esther a suspicious glance, she slowly turned around to face Krul again.
"Karr should be calling any mome-" It was then the holographic image of Lest Karr appeared before them. He studied the room for a moment with an emotionless stare, before his eyes settled on Emiko. He motioned her forward. Emiko glanced at Crowley and then at Krul, and then stepped forward nervously. He rested his head on his palm boredly, in a manner similar to the way Krul did.
"Tell me, livestock, did you attack my noble servant?" He asked coolly. Emiko gulped. Before when she had met Lest Karr, he had seemed a bit more...friendly. Now he looked a bit like Krul the first time Emiko had met her; like he had much better things to do.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it 'attacking' him. I pulled a prank, really a harmless prank. He called me swine-"
"And that matters?" He asked. Emiko tried to keep her calm. A mixture of irritation and fear had managed to break loose in Emiko's veins, and she was desperately trying not to let it show. She didn't like being intimidated, but she liked being threatened even less. There was definitely a silent threat lying in the air now. She cleared her throat.
"How would you like it if I called you leech?" Her voice shook slightly. A slight grin curled the edge of Karr's mouth.
"She will live as a livestock for a few weeks as punishment. Perhaps it's time she remembered her place." The holographic image ended before Emiko could protest. She glanced around the room, taking in everyone's reactions. Lucal looked even more infuriated than he did before, probably Karr hadn't ordered her death. Krul scowled, clearly disliking the idea. Crowley openly frowned, and glanced back at Emiko to gauge her reaction. She shrugged, though her expression showed a certain level of misery that was befitting of the situation.
"Does that mean I have to wear those ugly uniforms?"
...
Fun fact:
Emiko didn't learn to sew until after the virus hit. It was something she learned after she found out the apocalypse means drab clothing.
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