Jeane was fluttering above the city of Aisu, hoping he could find Kaasu for his master, Toga. The city was under such lockdown that guards were sprawled about, and many of them were near the theatre and the Roman Cathedral. There were flyers pinned onto doors and wooden telephone poles. They read "Closed" or "Under Lockdown" as though the city were under quarantine from a hideous disease. Guards and priests were roaming the streets near the Roman Cathedral. Many of the priests gathered near a peculiar staff with a disquieting formation of the cross at its tip. A tail of purple, green, and black sashes pooled around the staff along the yellowing tips of the grass. Jeane zoomed his camera eye onto the staff and noticed writing in a strange language on the weapon. Jeane used a translator feature in his body and decoded the language from the Latin family. He read the message to himself as did the other priests.

PROCLAMATION!

We, the members of the preJÜDice, bear arms against a licensed vampire executioner you hereby name Nix Kaasu of the Hunters Association in Precinct 38, District VI. On Monday of the second day of June in the year 3003, Nix Kaasu MURDERED one of our men we name PURPURIU, by preternatural abilities not observed by your hunters' league, in the Klaxon Church located off the ports of Lake Mana in Murasaki.

For arrest and conviction of the Murderer, we offer a reward of 240,960,000 yen for her alive and 120,480,000 yen for her dead. The Mercy of the Holy Church does NOT protect this Murderer. Whosoever keeps her in hiding or refuge will be placed as a bounty and identified as an accomplice for hiding the Murderer. We consider any and all means to pursue her no matter what risks should be taken. Should we decide to destroy your city to find the Murderer, Aisu will perish and we will convict the Murderer.

MURDERER described as follows: A Romanian gypsy, lightish tan complexion, average height and build; weight about 140 lbs.; has long, wavy, black hair and silver eyes; physically a virgin; dines, smokes and drinks in local pubs that are very reclusive; suffers from spontaneous cases of hysteria; holds GYPSY QUEEN MEDALLION.

"Egad!" Jeane whispered.

"Any news from the prejudice?" Edonbrook asked, leaning toward the guard.

Jeane hovered above the Nightspring Temple, listening to the priests and the guards speak in whispers. Father Edonbrook and another priest looked around to see if anyone or anything was listening to them. Seeing no life existing in the streets but the guards, Edonbrook looked into the tall guard's eyes with an earnestness in his wrinkled frown. The guard had cropped brown hair and a clean, shaven face. His forehead was bandaged, and his eyes were a prominent hazel color.

"None, sir," the guard answered in a gentle voice. "Odd that the monster escaped is it not?"

"The prejudice have made their actions quite clear," Edonbrook said, folding his arms behind his back. "Should anyone interfere with their execution rights, they will hunt all who were involved. We had to risk an entire city for Nix Kaasu. For them to attack that girl means she is also a monster who had come from the fabled Precinct 27."

"How do you know the prejudice were after her?" the guard asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "I understood that no one knew who the prejudice were or their purpose."

"Superior Akai confessed to the church fifteen or sixteen years ago that a group of killing machines tried to take the head of his younger apprentice," the silent, unnamed priest said. "They had just returned from a mission in Ryokuchi near the Far East Temple in the Midori area. Akai-sama was shaken from the ambush of the prejudice, but he saw no fear come from the girl. Only wrath. The legendary nomadic city of Cinci was burned to ashes, taking many gypsies' lives. The girl sought vengeance and killed a leader within the prejudice. She has become a target for them since. The group foiled Akai-sama's plans to have the girl become the next ruler of the vampire hunters. She has no eye for the superior's seat, and she wishes to trust no one in her line of duty."

"Why kill the gypsies?" the guard asked, raising an eyebrow. "They are affiliated with no one but each other."

"Nix Kaasu is one of the gypsies, and she is the only surviving one," Edonbrook said. "I have heard from Superior Akai that Nix bears the gypsy queen's medallion: a very rare and important item to the nomadic peoples. In her rather accurate description, the medallion was mentioned. Why bother to say she carries it is unknown. However, throughout history, the medallion was forged to hold the powers of their gods. The jeweled ornament makes her half-goddess and half-queen to the pagan belief of the gypsies."

"Did you see the monster yesterday evening?" the guard asked.

"I did. Why is that important?" Edonbrook asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"It was my first time seeing her smile," the guard said, looking into the night's sky. A storm was approaching. "For one moment, I thought she was very beautiful and desirable. I…wasn't afraid to speak to her." Drizzle fell from the dark clouds. The guard smirked then said, "Although Akai was my mentor when I was ten years young, I have never feared anyone else except him. I suppose a lot of what is in Akai is in her. To us all, Akai is a king. To the gypsies, Kaasu is queen."

"Where do you think the…young woman…has disappeared to?" the jittery, silent priest asked. "It is against our faith to have lied to the people like this. We are not blasphemous speakers. The people had a right to know that she was not brought to a hospital."

"Her captain, Nagasaki Dylan, went out to search for her, but Superior Clovis told him to retire for the night," the guard informed, closing his eyes. "No one has found her yet. Seeing as though the monster is a gypsy queen, I assume she went to a gypsy city nearby to hide there, given the circumstance that the city has not been destroyed completely."

The jittery priest said, "Only a gypsy knows where the cities are hidden. That is why the nomadic cities are considered fabled, made-up lands. There are many rumors of the cities being safe havens and paradises. I fear we may never know of these cities, and I fear the young lady will never be able to earn her place amongst the vampire hunters. She is forever lost as a valuable warrior to us humans should we face a war."

Kaien took a deep breath, placed his hand on the doorknob, and opened the door with an unwanted creak. His chest was tightening as he crept into Toga's room. Zero had decided to leave Toga alone to his thoughts. He must have been desperate to find his friend, Kaasu. He heard the confession she made when she was younger and had sympathy for her. Zero thought Kaasu was a beautiful woman and sweet as can be, but evidently everyone else thought differently. Kaasu herself must have been a vampire like Zero. To fear the love of your life rejecting you because you were something no one accepted must have felt terrible. It had to have made her views on life cold.

Zero remembered the conversation he had with Kaasu in the suburbs of Aisu. She said she hated being a vampire huntess, and she hated her mentor. Zero was the first to have seen his statue in the Tanana Theatre. At that moment, while reviewing what he knew about Kaasu, he began to think that he and Kaasu were the same. They were both betrayed by the world they held precious to themselves, and they both lost someone they loved. He lost Yuki, and she lost Toga. The only thing Zero didn't understand was why his mentor didn't ask her out on a date. If the rumor was so big amongst the gossipers, why didn't he hear about it like Kaasu heard about them? If the rumor of them dating was strongest for two years, where was Toga when it was rising to fame? He sat on the couch and contemplated on the events for several minutes until he noticed Kaien was not in the door.

Kaien entered the room and noticed how cold it was inside. He blew into his hands to warm them then walked over to Toga's bed. Toga rested against the headboard, staring at the ceiling. The life that escaped while drinking returned to his eye and face. Kaien was bothered by something, however. Toga was soundlessly chanting. Kaien sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his thighs to warm them.

"I've decided not to give Sayori her shoes," Kaien started, biting his lip. Toga seized his chanting and remained still. Kaien said, "I thought I should tell you because I know you're thinking about Kaasu right now… I noticed you didn't give her the dress that you bought for her when she was here. Even though you've spent the night at her house without telling us, you still kept the dress here. I know there was a lot going on and there still is, so I understand there was no time for gifts."

Kaien looked into Toga's eye and gasped when he realized Toga was looking at him. He was simply listening to him, and that made Kaien fear him because he never truly listened to anything Kaien had to say.

"I also heard the recording your scout fly played," Kaien said, looking down to his hands. "I didn't ask if Zero did, too. But…there was something I wanted to ask you…about that message. I'm not as masculine or gruff as you are, and I don't have a definitive history with dating other women, but the fact that you have a history has been a major surprise to someone as considerably effeminate and passive as I am. I just need to know one thing, Toga-kun… Did you ever notice that Kaasu-san might have had feelings for you or was struggling to tell you those feelings?"

Silence filled the room as neither man spoke. Minutes passed and still no words were said between them. Kaien had given up on receiving a direct answer from Toga, so he sighed and prepared to stand. Suddenly, Toga clutched Kaien's trench coat sleeve and opened his mouth to say something. Kaien waited, reached out to the man, and laid his hand on Toga's to encourage him to speak.

"No," Toga answered, voice cracked and heavy with misery. "I… I couldn't tell at all. Half the time, I never knew she faced a problem because she seemed as though she already overcame it. She seemed immune to feeling. I thought she was stronger and better than me, so I wanted to become the strongest and the best hunter to impress her. She was my rival and friend. She became an example for me and my ideals on the perfect woman and lover. She had strong resilience, was very classy even though her clothes were in shambles after her missions, and pointed out my faults because she was aware of the conditions. When I became a captain, I was guarding Section A of this city. All of what we've seen since we came here and stayed in our hotel I had to guard. Because she traveled the entire city to shop, eat, and research, she knew where protection was needed most. There were more guards in Section A than Section C and the suburbs combined, and she knew that better than anyone. Any deranged vampire could have destroyed the city if they entered Section C and raided it. Once there were guards sent to Section C, Section B was the next target and then A. The suburbs were goners. She made it so impossible for me to impress her, so I worked harder and took more assignments. She noticed how much I was trying to do and rewarded me for each thing I did."

"What kind of reward did she give you?" Kaien asked, smiling. Toga was opening up to him more than he usually did. "She said she rewarded you with lunch by a pond for your promotion to captain, so what did she do for your hard work?"

Sixteen years ago…

It was almost curfew in Aisu. Toga was so stiff from taking eight missions that Wednesday, he barely had time to talk to anybody. He felt wrinkles form on his face and his muscles ached from combat. Somehow, though, he felt closer to Kaasu's level than anything and that gave him extra adrenaline. His confidence grew tenfold when his mentor and adoptive father heard about him taking so many missions voluntarily. He was excited for his student and invited him to lunch with his family. Hal and Lotte were happy to see Toga again after two years, and Clara made one of Toga's favorite dishes: barbecued ribs, baked macaroni, and boiled broccoli. The dessert was cherry pie; ironically, one of Kaasu's favorite treats were chocolate cherries.

Toga turned over in his bed and tried to relax, but he was having trouble sleeping. If he could just get one lieutenant-level mission, then he could come face-to-face with Kaasu and ask her on a date. She said she's only received one lieutenant-level mission in her career. That was enough motive for Toga to get the mission, pass it, get his money, save it up, shove his new status in Akai's face, and win over Kaasu. He just needed that one mission! A banging noise struck Toga's window and disturbed his thoughts. He was already tired and prepared to cuss out the noisy brats on the ground floor of the dormitory. He stomped to his window, opened it, and unleashed a short hell.

"Will you fucking stop throwing shit in the middle of the - ?" Toga started.

"Shh!" Kaasu interrupted, putting a finger to her lips.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing out here?" a neighboring huntess questioned. "Get inside or I'm calling security!"

"Shh!" Kaasu hissed. Everyone was so picky today. "The guards are upgrading their punishments for disturbing the peace. Do you want to get a taste of that?" The huntess was silenced and closed her window. Kaasu looked up to Toga's window and said, "Evening, Yagari-senpai."

"Don't you evening me, ya rebel!" Toga shouted in whispers. "What the hell are you doing out here at half past ten? Don't you know the curfew time?"

"I don't have a curfew, senpai," Kaasu said, cutely and pouting.

Toga blushed visibly then argued, "Don't give me that cute face! Why don't you have a curfew?"

"I don't live in the dormitories. I have my own house," Kaasu answered, twirling her toes into the ground. "Homeowners have no curfew unless the city is under extreme lockdown. You didn't get a little booklet explaining those things?"

Toga opened his window to the top and shoved his entire upper torso out the window to yell in whispers, "Stop being so damned smart and sexy, will you? There's rapists out at this time of night!" Kaasu seized being cute and smirked. She leaned on the wooden fence that protected the outdoor garden and licked her lips as she displayed a very playful and mischievous grin. To Toga, she had gotten amazingly sexier than her cuter self. He snapped out of his lustful thoughts and said, "I don't want you getting hurt out here."

"If you think I'm sexy, senpai, why don't you just say it?" Kaasu asked, whispering in a seductive tone. Toga thought his balls would scream if she kept talking like that. "I find you sexy sometimes."

Toga swallowed a frog in his throat and stared at Kaasu as he drifted in his own lust-filled thoughts. Kaasu gave Toga another moment to stand in the window motionless before she began to snicker. Toga watched her descend, hidden behind the wooden garden fence, as her arms flailed and banged against the little wall. He grew somewhat angry and offended. He liked being called sexy by the girl of his dreams, and here she was trying to suppress her laughter and he didn't know why.

"What is so fucking funny down there?" Toga asked, watching Kaasu wipe a tear from her eye.

"Sorry, but I've never seen anyone so unresponsive to me before," Kaasu said, chuckling. "You just stood there like a vampire put you under like epic paralysis or something!"

Toga growled as he heard Kaasu giggling then said, "You are not allowed to talk to me for a week!"

Kaasu stopped laughing immediately and gasped. She said, "B-b-b-but, senpai!"

"Go home or we won't speak for two weeks and a day!" Toga threatened, slamming his window.

Toga walked away from his window then heard a pebble hit his window. He stomped to his bed and heard more pebbles being thrown at the window. A moment later, a rock broke through the window and glass was splattered everywhere.

"What the fuck?" Toga shouted, running around the shards to look out the window. Kaasu was gone.

A security guard flashed his light in Toga's face and said, "What happened?"

"Someone threw a rock in my window," Toga said, putting a hand in front of his face to block the beam.

"Did you see the culprit?" the guard asked, putting his light down.

"No, sir," Toga answered. "But they couldn't have gone far. There's a short alley a condo over. Whoever it was might've hid there."

With that, the guard left to check the alley. Toga looked around on the floor to search for the stone and noticed a pair of boots at the foot of his bed. He brought his gaze up to Kaasu and stood there.

"Hi, senpai," Kaasu said, waving and looking at the glass on the floor. "I can fix that if you like. Cheaper than a fiberglass repair man, ya know."

"How the fuck did you get in my hou - ?" Toga started before stopping to throw a textbook in Kaasu's face. She yelped in pain. He said, "Tell me that wasn't you who threw that rock."

"I didn't!" Kaasu said, covering her nose. Her cowboy hat was crooked on her head and strands of her hair came out in little curls. She just can't stop being adorable to poor Toga! "I was already in your house when someone threw the rock at your window!"

"Who let you in my house?" Toga shouted, throwing another book at Kaasu.

Kaasu dodged the weapon then said, "Dude, stop throwing your shit at me! I picked the lock with a paper clip and some chewing gum! I can show you right now."

"You can't talk to me for a month!" Toga threatened, silencing Kaasu.

Toga stopped throwing books at her and watched her remain still. She looked depressed in that instant. Kaasu fixed her hat, bowed, then left the room and the house without another word. Toga didn't want that to happen at all. Since Kaasu was already in his room near his bed, he wouldn't have minded if they could have kissed or touched each other. Everything went downhill instead. He made Kaasu sad, but he was going to be the one to make her happy again. Toga ran out of the condo and rushed to find his friend. She just so happened to be leaving the entrance gates. The guards were still searching for the window breaker, so it was easy to just leave in and out. Toga ran to Kaasu and grabbed her hand to twirl her around.

"You," Toga said, panting, "still have to fix my window since…you said it was cheaper."

"Okay," Kaasu said, smiling though still hurt from Toga's threat. "I'll come by tomorrow morning, captain."

"Um," Toga started, licking his lips, "Kaasu-chan… You can talk to me whenever you like. I just don't want you to get in trouble."

"Trouble is within my occupation," Kaasu said, adjusting her hat. "You're just not used to it yet. I'll bring my tools tomorrow to fix the window. Make sure you brush your teeth before you say good morning."

Toga smirked then nodded. He walked back to his condo, went inside without disturbing the search party, and covered the broken window with a trash bag then went to sleep soundly and blushing. He liked when Kaasu got into trouble. It made the day more exciting, and it gave Kaasu some badassery points in her personality. He knew she threw that rock because no one else was there, but she had to have amazing speed to have snuck into the condo and make it into his room undetected. Toga licked his lips then opened his eyes and blushed deeper. He couldn't believe she was in his room, hiding from the cops no less. She was such a criminal!

The next morning, Toga heard clicking noises and drilling in his room. When he opened his eyes to the sunlight, Kaasu was blocking some of it and repairing the window as promised. Toga wiped his eyes some and made sure he wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, Kaasu was there and picking the fiberglass out of the window frame. She placed a huge piece of broken glass from the frame and placed it on a foldable table. She stood from her small stool, placed her flathead screwdriver down, and bent over to pick up the glass and place the pieces in a box on the floor. Toga licked his lips slowly and stared at Kaasu's round butt. Okay, so his hormones get worked up easily in the morning.

"Hey, Kaasu-chan," Minoru, Toga's roommate, called. "Do you know how to fix a coffeemaker machine?"

"Yeah, why?" Kaasu asked, standing straight. Toga pretended to still be asleep.

"This retarded machine keeps having a shortage," Minoru complained. "I do not do good without my coffee. Yes, I am an addict."

"I'll take a look at it now," Kaasu said, taking her toolbox downstairs.

They left Toga's room in silence until they made it downstairs. Toga lifted from his bed, raked a hand through his hair, and then went into his bathroom to wash up. He came out of the bathroom and saw Kaasu returning to the window, but she removed all of the broken glass and there was nothing but sun pouring into his room. A perfect gold nimbus crescent circling the top of her head and high ponytail. Minoru came in the room again and started speaking to Kaasu as she put glue on the window frame's corners.

"Ne, Kaasu-chan, did Toga wake up?"

"Yep," Kaasu said, pointing to Toga with a thumb.

Minoru looked in front of Toga's bathroom door to see the man he was looking for. He said, "Ne, Togs, your librarian is an awesome cook! You should invite her to one of your barbeques."

"Oh, come now, he cooks?" Kaasu questioned in a friendly banter as she put the new window in the frame. "You must be lying."

"No, Togs can make a mean rack of ribs," Minoru boasted, praising Toga's cooking.

"What?" Kaasu questioned with a squeak, smiling. "Get out! He can't be that good at cooking."

"He is," Minoru said, laughing. "He barbecued for the party we had in his honor for being promoted. Burgers and all!"

"That sounds kinda good right now," Kaasu commented, testing the window's new glass. "I haven't eaten yet since last week's slew of missions." Kaasu covered her mouth rapidly and said, "I mean I ate snacks in between, but not a whole meal! I mean I ate a meal when I got a chance!"

"Kaasu-chan…" Toga called, silencing his friend. She seemed so helpless when he didn't want her to be. "Sometimes, if the work piles on you like that, it's best to say no. It's not healthy if you don't eat. Your hair will fall out and your eyes will grow dull. I like to see your hair and eyes shine. I don't want any of those qualities to die out because of a giant stack of work."

"Gomen nesai, Yagari-senpai," Kaasu said, saddened. Toga took her hand and led her out of his room. "Senpai, what are you - ?"

"Feeding you like a baby," Toga remarked, dragging Kaasu to his kitchen.

"That's not what I had in mind!" Kaasu shouted, blushing a bit. "For doing such a good job at work, I wanted to give you something else."

"Like what?" Toga asked, stopping.

"I was gonna be your housekeeper for free all morning since I don't have any missions until the afternoon," Kaasu said, blushing more. "You know, as a reward for working hard, you don't have to clean up today. And, I found a lieutenant-level mission that no one could take since all the lieutenants are strangely busy and the generals are mobilizing several units to Aisu's southern borders. You have a higher status than most captains, so I thought you could take the mission. I'm to report to Superior Akai for a mission in Corviere and Flos later tonight, so I won't be here for about two weeks or so. I'll understand if you're too busy to - "

"I'll take the mission," Toga said, smiling brightly to himself for receiving the mission he wanted.

"I want to go home…" Toga whispered, wiping away fresh tears. "I want to go home…"

"Okay," Kaien said, wiping away a solid tear from Toga's eye. "Let's pack together. But…Toga-chan…what about your family? I think you should tell them goodbye."

"I will…"

Kaien nodded then left the room to tell Zero to pack. Zero surprisingly understood Toga's pain and obliged to leave. Inwardly, he wanted to refuse, but this was for the best. His mentor had too many memories in this city, and it was hurting him terribly. He agreed to pack if he could send a letter to Ishka and Father Edonbrook before departure. Kaien permitted him to do that and went to his room to pack.

About half an hour later, the hotel's staff escorted the gentlemen out of their building, praying for their safe journey home. The city was empty and dark. The group told the guards they were leaving to Corviere and gained their approval to go to Kori train station. Once they walked along the dirt path to the train station, they boarded a train, told the driver to travel to La Gare train station, and left without another word said. Letters, farewells, and souvenirs went with the men as they went home to Corviere.

Jeane was zooming through the skies, hoping to find Kaasu somewhere. He couldn't believe his own creator was a murderer. He just couldn't! She was the kindest spirit who ever lived! It had to be a lie, a setup, anything but real! The rain made it harder to fly, being a mechanic device, but Jeane had to keep tracking Kaasu down for himself and for his master. An abandoned church and village stood against the rain in its ancient pride. Jeane made a quick analysis of the area and discovered a crumbled sign hanging from a chain on a wooden pole. It read "Sapte." Jeane translated Sapte to a Romanian language in which "sapte" meant seven. He used this information and traced the origins of the Romanian culture in Aisu. There was only one source: gypsy markets. Sapte could have been Kaasu's birthplace, which means she could have run here to heal herself.

A demonic roar bellowed from beneath the city and frightened Jeane. He landed atop a shattered house's roof and waited for hell to release its unholy spawn; moments later, nothing happened. Abruptly, a large claw emerged from the ground and a man wrapped in a bloodied yellow robe and pants hung in the claw's grasp. The man was lifeless and limp in hell's hand. Another claw reached out and a ghastly creature hoisted itself from the hole in the ground. It was tall and menacing. Its bones were silver metal and its flesh a peeling heap of skin hardened to look like grated stone. Its tail was long and spiked, and it had twenty flowing extensions spew from its narrow head. From its sharp, gaping teeth came a hellhound's roar and howl. The beast threw the dead man in the air and caught him in its widened claws. It ate him whole and only chewed twice.

The beast sniffed about searching for more food, but it found none and stood motionless. Several moments later, the creature traveled south. It stopped traveling, however, and turned to the fallen Sapte. Opening its fearsome jaws, the monster gathered enough energy to create a fire blast and burned the remains of the city. Jeane watched the monster leave and flew to his master in fear of the creature attacking him.