Chapter 19

Had anyone told him a month ago that he would be laying on the floor of an empty room, in excruciating pain, with wings covered in black feathers, and screaming in agony, he would have never believed them. Hiro had warned him of the consequences of Kyoko's blood mingling with his own, but he honestly didn't believe a word of it… until now. There were moments that he wished that he'd never put those vials of blood in his pocket, but now those were fruitless thoughts. It was happening. What was happening, he wasn't really sure of, but he was absolutely certain that he was changing. His very DNA was transforming or he could say that the recessive genes were being activated and thrust to the front, changing him fundamentally… Kuon Hizuri was no longer a human as he was familiar with.

The very building blocks of his being changing wasn't what troubled him the most. It had to be the fact that Rick had come to visit him daily. Rick was dead. He knew that to be a fact. Rick had been killed by a hit and run car accident. Well, he wasn't sure how much of an accident at the time it had been considering that his cousin Cedric and his gang had been involved, but the fact remained that Rick was visiting him and actually talking to him as if he were still alive, in his waking moments.

The very first to know that he was truly Kuon Hizuri, and the creature he had become, had to be Hiroaki Ogata. The man had completely understood the reasoning behind Kuon's hidden identity. If he had the resources to do the same, he would have done so in a heartbeat. He had been overshadowed by his own father's achievements at a very young age and it had nearly smothered him. He had worked hard to overcome that particular hurdle. He couldn't imagine the psychological impact of what was happening to Kuon at the moment.

The second to know had been Kotetsu Uesugi. A venerable, talented, older gentleman who knew more about what he was becoming than anyone else in their little hideaway did. He had discovered that there were far more species of human than he ever imagined and Kotetsu was similar to Reino, a shade. Well, at least that's what he thought he was. He preferred to keep that little supposition to himself, lest he was wrong. Reino did imply to Lory that he was something else entirely.

"Regardless of the physical discomfort, Kuon… You need to start training immediately or you won't be able to control your abilities. You won't even know what they are, for that matter." Kotetsu scolded.

Kuon started to say something to the effect that it wouldn't be a problem, but Kotetsu was always used to the younger generation being adverse to his wishes. He startled the elder with, "Yes, Sensei."

Kotetsu nodded sharply, not really prepared for such a pliant charge. "Good, get changed and have something to eat. Then come see me in the training room after Hiro gives you a checkup." He commanded firmly.

Kuon sighed inwardly. He honestly didn't have an appetite to begin with, but now it was even worse. He had one, but he was craving something that he wasn't familiar with. Certainly it wasn't blood or anything weird like that, but everything just tasted so bland.

The little blue stone that Maria had given him before she left, was glowing an amber color. He honestly didn't believe it when she initially told him, but now here was the proof, she was an authentic witch. She had cast a spell on two large, uncut water sapphire gems. She had told him they would use them to communicate with each other, and doing it this way they would be outside of the normally traceable methods.

To activate it, she had told him that he only needed to gently rub the stone, but he'd been so elated that he'd quickly picked it up and kissed it. "MARIA! You're safe!" He cried out in relief.

"Ojii-chan… I've only been gone a day." She groused, forgetting the time discrepancy that traveling in the world of the fae had caused.

"Maria Takarada… I've not heard from you for a month! I was so worried about you." He scolded.

Maria's image displayed shock and astonishment. "I'm so sorry! We had to spend the day in Avalon." She informed him. "Chiori-san has been assigned to protect you. Things are a little more complicated than before." Maria murmured in irritation.

"Who's there for you and Sebastian?" He asked with concern.

She smiled, and a familiar face came into the picture. "Good evening Admiral." Yukihito Yashiro waved to him. "I assure you, Maria-chan is in good hands."

"Yukihito-kun! You're okay!" He exclaimed. "I thought… We all thought…" He stammered in happiness and relief. "You need to contact your family. I'm sure they're worried about you." He scolded.

Yuki chuckled. "Not to worry, Sir. I visited them while we were in Avalon. They are aware of the situation."

"Yuki-kun is a fairy prince, Grandpa! I got to meet the King and Queen." She gushed and Yuki blushed fiercely.

Well, he was learning something new every day it seemed. Now, if he could only safely contact Kuon. Kuu and Julie had heard of the calamity that had befallen the academy and were worried about their son. Lory had assured them that he was alright, at least he was last time he saw him. Lory wasn't aware of the fundamental changes that his godson was going through, the discoveries about himself that he was making, or the rigorous training he was enduring.

Ah, to be deprived of the usual sources of information that he normally used. He supposed it was a good thing though, at the moment he was busy forging new contacts and relations. Thus far, he was in contact with the fairies, the kitsune, and the dark elves. He was absolutely certain there were more, and communications with them would come in due time, but it was like starting all over again, like when he was a young man and just starting out.

"And when will I be able to see you again?" He asked, sulking a little.

Maria smiled softly. "Soon… I promise Ojii-chan." She paused and looked away at someone off to the side and nodded.

"We'll need your help soon, sir. You're a little too high-profile to keep you hidden. If you don't show yourself soon, they will send someone to look for you, and we can't have that right now." Yuki informed him.

Lory nodded in agreement. "I'll put out the word that I was taking a break to grieve the loss of Kyoko." He grimaced at the thought, and sighed. He glanced at Maria. "They don't need to know anything about you, princess. If they ask, you've been spending time on our island with Sebastian, recovering from your loss."

"Oh! That's a wonderful idea, Ojii-chan." She was significantly more cheery about it than he expected; which gave him hope. Actually, it alleviated his anxieties completely. Maria would not have been her usual peppy self had Kyoko and her Ren-sama actually died. Apparently her sources were more thorough than his. He really needed to work on that. He nodded inwardly at the thoughts.

They spoke for a few minutes more and finally ended their communications with expressions of love and wishes of safety. Lory held up the little blue stone and chuckled to himself. I think I need to make something to keep this safely in. Yes, he would make it himself. He didn't want anyone else to touch it and accidentally activate or break it. He kissed the stone once again and placed it carefully in the breast pocket of his shirt. This would be something that he would keep close to his heart, the little blue gem that Maria had enchanted and given to him, thinking of him and his only means of communicating with her for now.