A/N Much love to all my readers and reviewers out there. You guys are beyond awesome and the driving force behind all the stories I write. There has been a question raised and I wish to address it immediately- I AM NOT ABANDONING ANY OF MY STORIES. I would never do that. I love them too much to leave them unfinished. I have been extremely busy with the life I lead- I do have a husband, daughter, home, and job to keep up with. Just want you all to know that yes, updates may be slow, but I am continuing the stories. XOXOXO
Chapter 37- A Fate Worse Than Death
Hibiki sat in the window of her and Kanade's shared bedroom. With a heavy sigh, she thought of her the young man that had taken her heart. It just couldn't be true. What they suspected could not be true.
She looked to the gloomy clouds that had gathered, signaling the first approaching cold front of fall. All the excuses her mind could conjure tumbled over each other inside as her heart felt as if it was constricting with all the pressure of not knowing where he was.
They had returned to Okinawa a week after Aunt Saya appeared with Uncle Hagi. The image of the two seasoned warriors fighting was something the young queen would never forget. Before Mary Frances was revealed, the queen and chevalier were an unstoppable force.
The dark figure leapt from the shadows, silver sparks glinted off the daggers that preceded him before they caused an eruption of blood when they embedded themselves into the creature's eyes.
The young, blue-eyed queen tried to warn them, but it mattered little. The battle was easily one sided in this case. Hagi alone had enough stealth and skill to bring the beast down, but Saya was the one that could strike the finishing blow.
The moment Hagi reappeared in a blue streak near a stand of trees 20 meters away, a loud cry caught the beast's attention.
The blinded eyes turned to the direction of the war cry, oblivious to the knowledge that it would be the last sound it would ever hear.
The blazing eyes of the oldest living queen burned bright red as the dim light of sunset shined an ominous crimson reflection on the massive katana. Her long hair was pulled into a braid that reached her waist, the bangs partly covering her eyes.
With a loud cry, she lunged into the beast, burying her sword in the massive body. She began to pull the blade back, but the creature's mighty claws were rushing toward her small frame.
The red-eyed queen did not even blink as a massive case whizzed by, catching the claws and knocking them away from her.
She pulled her sword back, causing the wound to gush blood and cause the creature to emit a sound that was a mix between a grunt and a moan. The creature didn't have a chance to bring his claws back down on its attacker.
"Huuurrr- YAAAAAAHHHH," the small woman cried as she used all her might to bring the blade through the torso of the chiropteran. The upper half alone was enough to dwarf the red queen, but it slid apart from the lower half before both halves crashed to the ground. Blood spurted as Saya came to her knees and began panting.
Blood dripped from the damp bangs that covered her eyes now. She leaned on her sword in an attempt to catch her breath. They had fought non-stop for the last couple of days and, being that she had only awakened a couple of weeks ago, her muscles weren't quite used to the strain.
Hibiki watched as Hagi came and scooped her aunt up in his arms and carried her to a nearby stream. His eyes stayed on his task, never once did his hands roam her body inappropriately, yet she could see it in his eyes, he was in love.
Saya stayed in a trance-like state as her chevalier stripped her of her outfit, dipped her and the blood stained garment in the stream, and bathed the naked queen. He did it all with such care and reverence that it looked almost like he had no feelings of love for her at all.
"So this is what it's like for a chevalier," Hibiki thought in a whisper to the trees in her hiding place. "They must forever serve their queen until her death if they are unmated to another queen… and if their queen is unmated."
The young queen watched as the man that was named her uncle dressed her aunt in fresh clothes. The elder queen murmured to her chevalier, "My muscles are still sore from lack of use." With burgundy eyes turning accusatory she added, "You should train me harder, not spoil me."
Without a word, the chevalier began to rub her muscles to ease the ache in them while she continued, "We should continue training when we get back to base camp." When he did not answer, she sighed and added, "I need to train until I'm at my best. You know we still have to face Diva."
At this, Hibiki's eyes went wide. She had heard from Kai before that Saya loses her memories when she falls into her hibernation, but regains them with time. What her aunt was saying meant that her full memory was not quite intact. How on earth were they going to explain to the queen that not only was Diva dead, but her daughters live as Kai's children?
The young blue-eyed queen then caught what Hagi's response was. It was his usual, cold voice that responded, "Saya, remember, I have explained that you have defeated Diva."
Saya responded absently, "Oh, of course."
A loud thump was heard from the wall that separated the young queens' room from the elder's. It brought Hibiki's thoughts back to the present. Saya had regained her full memory, but what good did it serve her now? She now knew that Hagi claimed to have loved her, but yet he has a daughter that was conceived and born while she was sleeping.
She sighed as she looked at the wall and wondered what was happening on the other side. Either Saya was moving something or Hagi was getting smacked again… the scoundrel.
~0~
Saya was on the other side of the wall, but Hagi was not with her. He had left with his daughter to the apartment they shared. The girl went to get a change of clothes and possibly take a shower. Hagi followed later, after he realized Saya was in no mood to discuss this situation.
The oldest living chiropteran queen was taking out her frustrations on the items Kai had stored in her closet. She was tossing out random boxes of junk before she found a rounded object she knew was not hers. With a toss, she didn't really think anything would happen other than a dull thud. The result was more of a boom.
Her wide-eyed gaze turned to the offending object to realize, she had tossed a bowling ball across the room. "What?" she asked in a nearly lost voice before she yelled out, "KAII!"
Before he could even get to the stairs, she began ranting, "Who stores a bowling ball in his sister's closet?" She tossed a stack of papers over her shoulder and continued, "I'm gone for 30 years and he's piling all his unwanted stuff in my closet!"
By the time the red-head of her elder brother popped through the door, there was already a pile of his stuff littering that side of the bedroom. "What are you doing in here, Saya?" he asked.
Her ebony braid whipped through the air as her head turned quickly. With a huff, she asked, "Why did you put all this old stuff in here?"
Shrugging, he began to gather the items into his arms before answering, "Well, you were sleeping and I guess I kinda forgot that I left all this in here." Finally, he looked at her, standing with his arms full. "It gets distracting when you are raising four kids."
Saya sighed and looked down at the floor. He was right. While he was busy raising kids and cleaning up the mess she left behind, all she was doing was sleeping. "Sorry, Kai. I shouldn't snap at you. It's just a bit… overwhelming… when you wake up 30 years later and realize…" She sighed and sucked the tears back before she finished, "...when you realize the world has gone on without you."
He gave her a soft look and responded, "I understand, Saya. It's not like it's up to you that you sleep for so long. It took me a long time to understand that, too."
The chiropteran queen looked at her brother with saddened eyes. "Kai," she choked as she tried to speak in a less quivering voice, "I'm sick of the world leaving me behind. I don't want to go into my long sleep anymore."
The head of the Myagusuku household dropped all the items back where they were and rushed to his sister's side. Pulling her into his arms, he soothed, "Hey, look, I know you hate that you have to go through this hibernation bull shit, but Dr. Julia says she thinks she can find a cure. She's waiting for all this crap with Argiano to die down before she gets started on it." He felt her trembling sighs as hot tears seeped through the fabric of his t-shirt. "Come on, Saya. Dr. Julia's smart. She'll figure something out. It was her that came up with a shot to turn the princesses into normal humans."
Saya then pulled back from him and looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. A hand swiped under her eyes as she asked, "All the princesses are human again?"
His facial expression sobered as he knew what she meant. With a heavy breath, he responded, "Not all of them. Mary Frances is somehow immune to the injection." He ran a hand through his hair as his eyes moved to the wall. "There's something way different about her. Dr. Julia says that it's because she's from the red line- the only one from the red line, but… I don't know…"
Her eyes narrowed and as asked, "What do you mean?"
"Mary Frances can heal really fast… almost as fast as you or Hagi. I haven't seen it, but Hagi told us that when they were in the US, she got wounded- badly. She was impaled and they thought she was dead, but she got back up a little while later and started fighting again."
Saya blinked. This was such a surprising development. From what Dr. Julia had explained, she knew the princesses to be weak and most couldn't even fight. The only thing they seemed to inherit was slow aging and unnatural longevity. How was Mary Frances so much stronger?
Reading her thoughts, Kai responded, "I know. It is really hard to believe."
What was really hard to believe for Saya was the fact that Hagi had a daughter. If he was obviously "visiting" that girl in Vietnam, what was to say that he wasn't "visiting" someone in the US? The painful truth was eating away at her. The red queen looked into the closet she had almost emptied and decided to go for round two. If she didn't tear apart the closet, she might just tear apart that wandering chevalier of hers.
Kai decided it was time to get this pile out of his sister's room while she worked through her problems. With a grunt, he gathered some in his arms and walked out the door.
After he was gone, Saya leaned her head against the door frame to the closet and allowed a singe tear to fall from her eye and caress her cheek. She loved him! Even now, her heart betrayed her logic and dared to feel for him. Her mind saw the deceit and betrayal. He claimed he was in love… and then took on a lover, bringing a daughter into the world.
What was worse, far worse, was what Hibiki explained to her. The first betrayal was with that young woman at Bach Mai hospital during her last hibernation. It hurt that that one had resulted in the birth of a child which died at the tender age of 12. It was a stab in the gut, but the twist of the knife, the mortal wound, was this Mary Frances' situation.
Hagi had found some common whore to spend time with and didn't stick around long enough to discover she had a child too- one that survived. Hagi was not the father of one, but two daughters- one living and one deceased.
Burgundy eyes snapped open wide at the loud bang that seemed to come from downstairs. Saya uncrossed her arms and rushed to the doorway of her room. Turning her head to the left, she saw Hibiki with the same alarmed look, she turned to the right and saw Kai's youngest son, Riku.
All of them hurried to the stairs that led down to the family restaurant and pub, Omoro. What greeted them upon their arrival was surprising. Kanade stood with a surprised expression on her face as Hojo came up beside her for support. Even though he was Hibiki's chevalier, it was Kanade he was drawn to.
They had just finished with their explanations to Kai and though the patriarch of the family was reluctant, he had given the young man permission to officially date the younger red-eyed queen. After all, unless Hibiki took another chevalier, Hojo was destined to be Kanade's mate.
What caused the alarm was standing in the pub, completely subdued in chains and locks. A gag was placed over his mouth. He had been pretty roughed up by the look of his bruises and the amount of blood that was already pooling on the floor of the pub.
Hibiki would recognize this man no matter how he was beaten or how many chains had him bound. Her hand went to her mouth as a gasp escaped. With a blue streak following her as she blurred down the stairs, Hibiki cried out as tears of relief and confusion trailed her cheeks.
Before she could reach the severely injured man, a strong hand caught her wrist and her eyes turned up to meet blue eyes and blonde hair. "Nathan?" she questioned as she tried to break free of his hold. "Let me go," she demanded. "I have to help him."
"Ah-uh-uh!" Nathan warned as she held her wrist tighter and pulled her into an embrace. "You won't be saying that in a few minutes, Hibiki," his cool voice warned as he did his best to calm the distraught, confused queen.
With a heavy sigh, the eldest living chevalier explained, "The Red Shield was so busy subduing the chiropterans that were created, they didn't see the scientist and the CEO escaping." He released the blue-eyed queen and gestured to the young man on the floor, "He helped them escape."
Taking a seat gracefully, the blonde chevalier flipped his hair and added, "Since no one was following the real criminals, I decided to do your job for you."
At this, Kai began to glare at the over-confident chevalier. Rather than pick a fight, Kai decided to listen to the rest of the story. He could always get this fickle chevalier later.
When no one in the room took the bait Nathan offered, the chevalier pouted a bit, but continued, "I decided to follow the little group as they disguised themselves as ordinary farmers and got into a car- a brand new Mercedes. After I followed them to the nearest city, one of them had removed his disguise."
At this point, Riku interrupted with a serious expression and crossed arms, "Excuse me for interrupting your story, but I would like to know why you didn't tell anyone that you saw them leaving."
Nathan waved a hand dismissively as he leaned back in the seat he had taken by the window, "Please, I knew about your spy long before the battle started." The bound hostage beside him squirmed a bit, but Kanade already had bound the wounds, keeping them from bleeding on the floor… as well as keeping him from dying of blood loss. Nathan reached down and swatted at the compassionate queen. "Stop helping him. I've already told you, once I finish telling you the rest of the story, you won't want to help him."
Kanade glared up at the chevalier, "I would help him even if he was Argiano himself. I may be a chiropteran, but I still have a human heart. I will not watch a man bleed to death in my home!" Her eyes cut to Kai, who stood next to her Aunt Saya, both with worried looks on their faces. Her voice continued a bit lower than before, "My father taught me that."
Nathan nodded and then continued, without hindering Kanade anymore. Hibiki tuned the rest of the tale out as her heart was torn. Sure, Kai had raised her to do exactly what Kanade was doing, but something within her was screaming that this man had done something to her- something that warranted a punishment too terrible to think. She had been betrayed! Her eyes begin to blaze a vibrant blue, so she closed them.
Something Nathan said finally brought the blue-eyed queen's attention back to the issue at hand, "I've known for a while about this one. The Red Shield should be more careful about who they hire. This is the second time they have hired someone that was clearly a spy." He noticed Hibiki's glowing eyes come up to meet his. "This delicious little whelp is Argiano's nephew."
Several eyes went wide around the room and all fell on the now conscious young man. He didn't look like Van Argiano and his last name was Carter. Finally, Kai spoke up, "How is he related to Argiano? His last name is different and he doesn't even look like him."
Nathan rolled his eyes as he chewed the inside of his cheek. "You idiots would be lost without me, you know that? Argiano was the only male born in his family. He had a younger sister that passed away just after her brother was released from prison, leaving behind a son from her former marriage. Her estranged husband didn't want the boy, so he was handed over to his only living relative- his uncle."
Hibiki was livid. This man had betrayed her! She looked down at the cold, green eyes that stared back at her. "Just tell me one thing," she requested coldly, staring down her nose at the scum, "did you really have feelings for me… or was this just…?" She already knew the answer. His reaction alone gave her the answer her natural chiropteran had been screaming since he got here.
The commanding look the young queen suddenly took on brought Hojo and Nathan to sudden attention without a single word. Riku's eyes came to Kanade in question, but Kanade didn't need to answer. Nathan's serious voice questioned loudly and seriously, bringing Riku to a stiff pose and Kanade to her sister's side. "What is your verdict, Hibiki?"
Saya watched on with an angered expression as she wondered what course of action the young queen would take. Most likely, this man was breathing his last right now. She glanced at Kai to see that he was glaring down at the scum that had fooled his hard-headed daughter. The red haired man was biting his knuckles, no doubt he was trying to keep from punching the man on the floor.
With a sudden movement, everyone's attention moved to the door. Hibiki was missing along with the traitorous man that was bound. She was followed by the blue streaks of Nathan and Hojo before Riku also followed. Kanade looked up at Kai and Saya sadly before she turned and followed. Saya gave Kai a tired look and said, "I'll walk with you, Kai. It seems you're the only one…" Her voice trailed off as guilt rose like bile in her throat. Everyone that Kai loved was now gone- all chiropterans. The only human left.
Seeming to know her thoughts, Kai put an arm around her shoulder and reassured, "It's alright, Saya." Grabbing the pooch in his belly, he commented, "I need to lose a few pounds anyway."
She smiled gratefully as they walked over to the commotion at the old ball park.
~0~
Raoul trembled as the blue-eyed queen lifted the blade of a knife above her head. This was it, he was going to die. Her voice as was cold and stern as steel when she spoke, "Raoul Carter, you have betrayed me as queen of the blue line and as a traitor to my kind, you deserve death."
An evil smirk lit upon the young queen's face, reminding the elder queen of Diva. For a moment, Saya had to remind herself that this was not her sister. She then added in a proud voice that also sounded like her mother's, "I have decided to bestow a much worse punishment, however."
The blade of the knife came across the young man's throat. He wanted to speak out for himself, but there was no way to do that now. Even if he could, what would he say? He knew full well that he had seduced her to get close to the plans of the Red Shield. He knew he felt nothing but hate for her. That's why this punishment was so fitting for him.
"For your betrayal to my heart, I have decided to allow you to live," she informed the dying man before she swiftly grabbed a handful of his hair and cruelly jerked his head back, causing his mouth to gape open.
Hibiki bit into her wrist and took a mouth and throat full of her own blood as her eyes blazed an icy blue. Then, with sudden violence that was more common of her mother than for her, she slammed her lips against the traitor's and gave him her blood.
His eyes shot open wide as he couldn't help but swallow the crimson life force. It didn't make sense that he could swallow with his throat slashed, but he had heard of the power of a queen's blood. There was no way to escape.
Nathan then spoke to all present, all stood with their mouths hanging open wide in shock, "Betrayal of the heart is the worst kind. Hibiki is well within her rights to demand retribution in this way. As her fist love, this man will haunt her heart for the rest of her days. For that, he will pay by serving her for eternity."
Nathan was being serious, which meant the situation was serious. Raoul's wounds healed before their eyes, but then his eyes snapped open and he began twitching and writhing in impossible angles. His screams tore at the hearts of all present, save Hibiki and Nathan. The man was being torn apart inside as Hibiki looked on coldly. Kanade came to her side and grasped her hand. "You will reluctantly serve as my chevalier. You will be completely bound to what you hate. I will never want you. You are the rejected one." With that, Hibiki and Kanade turned and headed back to Omoro followed by their chosen chevaliers and Nathan.
Saya watched on with an expressionless face as Kai buried his face in his hands. He moaned, "Please tell me there not going to leave him out here to go through this alone."
Saya responded coolly, "Hibiki feels he deserves this. I would never have done something like this, but I am not as accepting of myself as Hibiki is."
Knowing how Kai was, Saya turned him and walked behind him to be certain he wouldn't turn around to help the young man. Even though Saya would never want to do something like this to anyone, she understood how Hibiki felt. It was the worst feeling- being betrayed by someone you love.
~0~
Mary Frances had her feet propped up on the table… again. Her fingers were moving furiously over the keys of her laptop as she described another part for sale on her site. It had been a good month for her and the man she shared an apartment with was not about to ruin her mood.
The quiet chevalier moved by her and caught her feet in his hands, knocking them off the table, causing her to glare at him icily. She grumbled something about his sexual frustration and continued her work.
Without a word, he grabbed his cello case and pulled the strap over his shoulder. Mary Frances turned her eyes to the man as he prepared to leave- again without a word. A frown etched her features and she decided to voice her opinion, whether he wanted it or not. "Here you fucking go again! Always leaving and not saying a damn thing! You know what? I fucking hope she tears your ass to shreds! You won't own up to anything you did and you won't even attempt to tell her anything remotely close to the truth. All you do is fucking STAND THERE!"
Her ranting had little effect on the chevalier as he made his way to the door. She grasped his shoulder as his hand began to turn the knob and she pulled him back. He turned on his heel and brought his hand up. The chevalier brought his hand across the girl's face with a loud smack, leaving behind a red print. His face, though, did not falter. For the first time she could recall, he was showing emotion- anger.
But that didn't matter to her. Saya wasn't the only one that felt betrayed today. She brought her right up and brought it across his left cheek in a closed fist. The chevalier was nearly turned around from the force of the blow and the young woman was panting from the rage her body demand she express in some form.
Before either could continue their spat, a sound came from the door that was nearly opened a moment ago. Both pairs of eyes, one blue and one brown, came to the door and the sound of three consecutive knocks were heard again.
Hagi opened the door as the bluish bruise on his cheek was already vanishing. His stoic expression remained the same as a familiar voice came from the young man in front of him. "Still as stiff as ever, Hagi."
The young man pushed past the chevalier without being invited in, but was immediately recognized by the young woman. She launched herself into his arms with a cry that was a mix of happiness and relief, "Jack!"