Miku stared aimlessly at nothing. The words bounced around inside her head, failing to process themselves in a way she could understand. There was so much more to everything that she could have ever imagined. Betrayal, secrets, family - it was too much to take in at once.

"Miku?" Len called to her. "Miku? Say something."

"Something," Miku whispered.

Len sighed as he said, "At least she's not too out of it to have a sense of humor."

"Miku, are you all right?" Luka asked, reaching out to rest her hand on top of Miku's fingers.

"I'm fine," Miku mumbled the answer. "In a state of shock, but I'll be okay."

"Sorry we had to bring this down on you at once," IA apologized, a small frown on her face.

Looking into IA's blue eyes, Miku whispered, "You're really my cousin? You really are my family?"

"I don't know for a fact if you're a direct ancestor of Mary Hatsune," IA said, "but my family lived in Italy at the time they sheltered her and Jacob."

"What does Italy have to do with anything?" Miku asked before remembering that Len told her Zeito claimed her mother was Italian. "Wait, so I'm Italian?" Why did it take her so long to process that little piece of information?

"No, you're a Hatsune," IA said. "White Flower blood cannot be mixed with the blood of either a human or a shapeshifter in ways that impact your heritage. White Flowers have their own - let's say - nationalities like Hatsune, Megurine, and Lian, so really the only thing you inherited from your father was some of your looks and the DNA that makes you related to him and your brother." Seeing Miku wince, IA said, "I'm sorry. I was only trying to make an example. I completely forgot about the brother I was told you once had. I apologize for my foolish mistake."

"It's okay," Miku responded, the statement sounded like a lie to her own ears. Am I really okay about never meeting my brother? Or my birth parents? Tears began to fill Miku's eyes. I lost so much, and I spent my whole life never realizing it. Would it have been better if I never found out about any of this?

"Miku."

Slowly, Miku cast her gaze in Len's direction. He took hold of her hand and held it as tightly as he could without unintentionally breaking her hand. "I don't understand why so much was taken from me all because some lady wanted to be queen," Miku whispered. "I don't understand why so much of this has to continue. Why . . . Why must there be so much suffering?"

"Because jealousy, when unleashed, destroys anything and everything in its path. Innocent or guilty, it won't matter. Once someone decides to let their jealousy rule them, all hell breaks lose."

"Yukari," Miku looked at the purplette.

"I know I'm an airhead most of the time," the girl said, a playful smile tugging on the corners of her lips, "but I know a lot about deadly sins and their outcomes."

"That's why we're choosing to fight," Luka said. Miku couldn't begin to imagine what Luka was feeling. If Lady Megurine truly was the one behind all of this then Luka would never have reason to trust her mother ever again. How could Luka still hold herself together after everything she learned about the woman who raised her? "We need to put an end to this once and for all. We will fight, but I need to assume leadership before anyone will listen to me. Only when I become Lady will what I say make a difference here."

"Luka, about that . . . ," Miku trailed off. "I know what your intentions for tonight were, but you will not end this being the Lady over this entire tribe."

"Miku?" Luka felt her blood turn to ice. IA and Yukari gave Miku a quizzical look. Len feared for what Miku was about to say.

With a deep sigh, Miku said the words she never would have imagined herself ever having to say. "I am your princess. It is my position to make these decisions. After tonight, this community will have a ruling far different than anyone would have ever previously imagined."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You look so much like Luka," Zatsune said, causing Lady Megurine to stiffen.

"How do you know my daughter's name?" the woman hissed.

Zatsune completely ignored the Lady's question and said, "Luka is nineteen, right? She seems to be nineteen. Ren was nineteen. He was my cousin, but he always felt like a brother to me. I loved him dearly.

"Ren died the night we invaded that event. I lead a girl with short blonde hair to him, and he began attacking her as I fled. Later on I heard that he was killed. His head was torn right from his shoulders. Whoever I lead to Ren's grasp had someone watching out for her, because whoever killed Ren saved that girl.

"Lin, his twin sister, was so heartbroken she didn't leave her room or eat the food I brought her. She was like that for days. I couldn't coax her to do anything. Part of her died with Ren, and I knew then and there I had lost Lin as well."

"Enough talking," Lady Megurine ordered.

"His name was Zeito," Zatsune continued to ignore the Lady. "He was the love of my life. We planned to run away together, but tragically we never pulled through. He kept wanting to prove to his father that he was not a disgrace for a son. Zeito wanted to make his father proud of him, but Andrew hated Zeito so much. How a father could hate his own son, I don't know, but all it did was convince Zeito he had to do something, anything, to earn his father's love.

"After Ren died I heard that some of our brothers and sisters started a rebellion. We sold ourselves as puppets centuries ago, but we would no longer assassinate innocent blood. I joined without hesitation, because I knew had we no reason to go after the girl's life Ren would still be alive. When Zeito found out, he joined only reluctantly. He didn't care about the White Flower you wanted us to kill, but he decided to stand against his father in the strongest way possible before he started his life with me.

"That didn't happen, though. Akaito is a lot like his father. He had no problem ripping his little brother's head off as if Zeito were nothing more than a plastic doll. He killed Zeito, and since then I have had nothing whatsoever to live for."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lady Megurine asked after a long, painful silence.

"Because it's your fault they're dead," Zatsune answered, aiming an intense death glare at the woman. "You could have called this off years ago. You could have freed my family from centuries of hunting down and killing innocent people. I know there was actually a period in which we thought we were done and resided in this very place. Cole told me all about it."

"Do not mention his name!" Lady Megurine growled.

"Why not?" Zatsune challenged. "You think I know nothing about yours and his relationship? I know you two meet in secret as children and fell in love during your teenage years. Your protector found you two out, and you swore to her to never see Cole again on the cost of the wolf keeping her mouth shut. You married a wolf to keep your family happy, tearing Cole apart in the process. Not that you kept your promise in the end, of course."

"Shut up," Lady Megurine said, her tough attitude fading as she heard her past repeated against her will.

"You grew bitter from it," Zatsune continued. "You felt the need to knock off every single threat you saw your way. When news reached you about a living Hatsune in Europe, you sent Cole and everyone else after her. You didn't want to be knocked out of power by someone on the other side of the world."

"You don't know me!" Lady Megurine yelled.

"Oh, but I do," Zatsune taunted. "It took them three years, but we finally found her in New Jersey with her husband and children. Cole and half our family was still in Europe, but Andrew and some others, myself included, were there to witness the death of the woman you felt so threatened by. Or shall I say, you pretended to feel threatened by."

Had it not been for the bars between them, Lady Megurine would have strangled the girl to eternal silence by now.

"You didn't want Cole to find out you were pregnant," Zatsune smirked. "Of course he found out when he came back to find you had a toddler, but you didn't fool him like you planned, Lady Megurine. He knew the whole entire time that the girl is his child."

"Luka is not Cole's daughter!" Lady Megurine cried. "Her father was a shapeshifter, not a vampire!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Zatsune sneered. "Luka was born in January, no? That would mean you conceived her in April. During that time your husband was out of town for his job, and it's no secret to us vampires that you cheated on your husband regularly before your daughter's birth."

"Stop making such crazy assumptions," Lady Megurine said. Her jaw was clenched so tightly it was a miracle her teeth hadn't cracked from the pressure by now.

"As for Miku," Zatsune said, changing the subject without acknowledging the Lady's behavior, "I can't decide whether you went along with having her murdered so no one would question your having her mother killed but sparing the girl, or if you did it because this time you truly felt threatened."

"Why I feel threatened by the likes of her?" Lady Megurine asked with a growl.

For the first time since she started taunting the woman, Zatsune answered her. "Miku - by coincidence alone or by the Hand of God, you decide - was adopted by a family who moved her here with them, just outside your precious little community. Being a Hatsune, Miku naturally could become queen, meaning Luka would lose her right to become Lady. You never heard of Miku until a year ago, and since then you have ordered us to finish her off for good. You had Miku's family murdered so you could hide your pregnancy from Cole, and now you want Miku murdered because she's a threat to Luka's future as Lady."

"I know I'm a horrible person," Lady Megurine spat, "but I truly do love my daughter. All I ever wanted was what's best for her."

"To the point you felt threatened by a little girl who had no idea what she was," Zatsune sang in a non pleasant way. "Had you left the girl alone she would still be convinced vampires were nothing more than monsters on Halloween night. Hell, had you not ordered the death of the mother they would probably still be living in Italy, away from everyone here and unaware this is where they really belong. You brought this on yourself, Lady. You brought so much hell on everyone, too. Everyone I love is dead now because of you, and because of that I will never, ever forgive you."

"As if I care to be forgiven by a vampire," Lady Megurine spat.

"I never suspected you would," Zatsune replied. "I actually feel sorry for you."

"How could you possibly feel sorry for me?" Lady Megurine snorted.

Tilting her head to the side in mock innocence, Zatsune responded with, "How do you think Luka feels about your ordering us to kill Miku?" Seeing the blood drain from the Lady's face Zatsune said, "That's right, Luka knows. She knows we were ordered centuries ago to kill off all the Hatsunes, and she knows you could have called it off but didn't. Do you think Luka is proud of you for any of this? Or do you think she's actually very ashamed to have you as her mother?"

"Shut up!" Lady Megurine nearly yelled. She stood to her feet and stumbled to her cell's bars. Gripping the bars she snapped, "Don't you dare say another word about my daughter!"

"Oh, but I will," Zatsune said, smirking at the Lady's pathetic behavior. "Luka knows what you have done, about making sure every Hatsune is murdered. You know how that can get worse? Just like myself, Luka would never forgive you, either. You did all of this for your daughter, and that very same daughter hates you for it."

"I swear if I get my hands on you-" Lady Megurine started but was interrupted by Zatsune.

"What will you do?" Zatsune challenged. "The ones I love are dead because of you, but no one died by my hands. Of the two of us, I'm the one with more motivation to kill the other. Oh what I wouldn't give to watch as the light of life fades from your eyes."

"You wouldn't dare," Lady Megurine said.

"You're right," Zatsune easily agreed, surprising the Lady, "but not for the reason you think. Luka, though nobody knows it, made me swear to never hurt you if I ever crossed paths with you." The statement left Lady Megurine at a lose for words. "Even though you want to have Luka's new friend murdered, your daughter still loves you too much to have you killed. Truly, you don't deserve that child."

"I know," Lady Megurine whispered as she retreated to the corner of her cell. She sat in silence while Zatsune went as still as death again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Miku," Luka began after said girl explained her intentions, "are you sure?"

Miku nodded. "It's my birthright to assume leadership. I know I lack the required knowledge, but I refuse to give up what is supposed to be my crown. Trust me, Luka, this is for the best."

"I know it is," Luka replied.

"I, for one, am all for it," IA agreed.

"Same," Yukari smiled.

Still tightly holding onto Miku's hand, Len asked, "Are you sure you can do this?"

"No," Miku honestly answered, "but now is the time to take a stand. No more being pushed around by vampires. No more jealousy ruling over us. We will fight. I will finally take a stand. I'm the last true Hatsune. I will make this last chance count."


Author's Note: I have to say this was a fun scene to write. I just keep picturing Zatsune taunting Lady Megurine about her past and her dark secrets (like the true identity of Luka's father, in case anyone didn't catch that) to the point Lady Megurine wanted nothing more than to strangle Zatsune to death. I guess I enjoyed this a little too much. . . .

Fun But Pointless Fact: Corra Megurine is named after Cora from the ABC TV show Once Upon A Time (my favorite show ever!). Just as Cora wanted Regina to be queen so much she killed people so her daughter could have the throne, Corra is willing to have a sixteen-year-old girl murdered just because of her name and birthright for the sake of Luka-San not losing her chance to become Lady. The reason for the spellings of their names differing is because I actually thought the name was spelled "Corra" at the time I revealed Lady Megurine's name.

-Ray