Hikari awoke to darkness. She couldn't see anything around her but felt comfortable regardless. It felt like being in her bed, only even more relaxing and safe. She sighed softly realizing she'd have to move soon. It was only then that the events of last night returned to her thoughts; the blood, the carnage, the death. She shivered, feeling as if the environment around her warmed slightly to compensate.

What caused the vines to attack? Where did they even come from? They were monsters and yet they saved her, just like Shinji did. And then her guilt came as she realized she may have overreacted at his strangeness… maybe…

No, she thought, He's Dracula… he must be evil… and yet, I know he wouldn't harm me.

What was she to do? She could try to tip off the authorities to his whereabouts; she had a good idea of where his apartment was in the city, or at least enough of a memory that she was confident she could find him again. But maybe she should talk to him first, maybe try to ascertain if he was really all that bad. Maybe he would know something about the weird vines… and why it hurt her when they were broken.

She sat up, desiring to get out of bed, only to watch her covers part above her, and in that moment, she realized to her astonishment and terror that she wasn't in her bed at all…

…she was in the middle of a giant rose…

III: Cupere Se (Self-Loathing)

Broken sunlight hit her, filtered through the canopy of green above. Massive trees surrounded her and the underbrush all resembled the blood red plants from last night. Numerous vines, none carrying thorns at that moment, ran along the ground, some grasping nearby trees and branches, forming an intricate protective web around the area. Nothing could approach without it coming in contact with a vine. The warm morning breeze greeted her and the branches swayed in its current. The cascading sound of the wind though the leaves formed the backdrop of the symphony of birds and insects nearby.

She was in a forest, and she had no idea where she was, but that didn't bother her. What bothered her was that the plants were more or less conforming to her desires. She wanted to escape last night, and they took her here. She wanted to be safe and so they created a network of defenses around her, from the thorny underbrush and red plants to vines that would know if so much as a flea got close to her.

And the pain from last night… the pain from the breaking of the vines… Though not physically connected, she realized that every plant here was a part of her… a part of the whole that was her. Something happened Friday night, but Hikari had freaked out before she got an explanation as to what happened to her. Whatever it was, it changed her…

Crystaline chimes could be heard, forming a soft melody just under the rustle of the leaves. Glorious sounds drifted though the forest, sounds of which the source was unknowable. It drifted on the wind, reverberated though her being, filled her with joy, surrounded her in its beauty and perfection. And somehow, she knew it was music that no normal person could hear, music that she alone could feel within her very soul… it was the Song of the Forest itself.

She had always loved flowers and plants. Being stuck in a city, it was hard to sustain such beauty around her. Now however, she had this new darkness to contend with. Her essence, her very being was now being expressed as plant life that bowed to her every whim. She had become some kind of monster with the power of nature within in her.

"I'm… a freak," she concluded. "Not even human anymore… I'm a monster… just like Shinji…"

Tears came unbidden, tracing down her face and falling to the rose beneath her. This was Shinji's fault… and he would answer for it. Pushing away the sadness for now, she did her best try to subsume the oddities she had unwittingly created. It took a few minutes of learning how to control it, but soon the vines and red plants pulled themselves back underground. The rose lowered to the floor and Hikari stepped out of it. Once clear, she watched as it closed back into a singular large bud before retreating into the ground as well. She could still hear the forest, but only a small part of her wished she couldn't now: The sound was soothing after all.

It took the better part of the day to find her way back to Tokyo-4. When she finally managed to make it back into mobile range, she received a voicemail message. It was from work. She dialed in, and listened to the message… and was instantly even more upset than she was before.

"This is Tanaka from Takadami Financial, I'm with the Human Resources department. I regret to inform you that due to unfortunate circumstances we have had no choice but to terminate your contract with us, effective immediately. Details regarding your severance package will be emailed to you by midday Monday. We appreciate your loyalty and wish you luck in your future endeavors."

She froze, unable to believe what she just heard.

"They… fired me?"

"Your boss, Nakamura Heeto is a member of a cult called The Order of Infernus. They're dedicated to the fall of civilization to make way for a new order."

The memory of Shinji's conversation to her before the attack suddenly rang crystal clear in her head. The Order of Infernus must be the cult that attacked them, and she must have been seen. They must have decided to get rid of her believing she was working for Shinji.

"Guilty by association," she whispered bitterly. "So what if I was working for a cult? I was putting food on the table!"

The worst part she realized was that Kodama wouldn't find out until her and Nozumi got back from their trip to Hokkaido… Nozumi was on a school trip, and Kodama took vacation time to go with her as her guardian. She could contact her, but she wouldn't want to ruin Nozumi's experience.

Now very upset, she made her way back to her apartment. Upon opening the door, she found she wasn't alone. Her eyes set on the trespasser; she had her chance to get answers it seemed.

"Sorry to intrude," Shinji greeted. "I knew you would come back here eventually."

"First of all, how did you even get in?" Hikari demanded. "I thought vampires had to be invited into the homes of mortals."

"That's an old wives' tale," Shinji noted plainly. "And even if it wasn't, I'm not a vampire… not yet at any rate."

"You're Dracula," she pointed out.

"No… I'm not. I'm only a candidate for his power, and far from the only one. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you freaked out on me and refused to listen."

"You expect me to take the word of a monster?" she noted he flinched when she called him that. "One who turned ME into a monster too!"

"I… what?" Shinji couldn't believe his ears. "I saved your life! The spell Rastur used was meant to do something to my ability to control my power. When it hit you, it damaged you on a metaphysical level. As it happens, my powers entail the use of spiritual energy, specifically the energy of the soul. I used it to heal the damage."

"You made me a freak!" She yelled back insistently.

"What are you…" then it hit him. He looked around the room, and where there were potted plants near the windows he noted before, those plants were now shifted as if staring at him with aggressive intent.

"I killed dozens of men last night with vines!" she shouted. "You made me a murderer!"

"Alura Une? No… that's not… how…" He held up his hand. He remembered he only had one of each soul he had gained though the initial transformation as well as the souls he gained from Taleth reciently. He only had one of Alura Une at the time, but now he couldn't call her, or even sense her.

"Alura what?" Hikari replied, now confused. She felt like the name was somehow part of her, but she couldn't really put a finger on why.

"The power I control allows me to summon some of Dracula's minions to do my work, or allow me to call upon the powers of those minions. Alura Une is one such minion… a girl bound to a flower able to control vines among other things. I must not have as much of a grasp on that power as I thought."

Hikari listened, watching him walk a few steps away as he collected his thoughts. "Rastur's spell must have been designed to rip the souls of my minions from me, but since I managed to block it, it must have only weakened the connection slightly. When the spell hit you, it tried to tear your soul away, but your soul is your own, not another's soul. The damage done was severe enough that I had to push some raw soul energy into you to seal the damage to your very essence. Alura Une must have slipped out during the transfer without me noticing her doing it."

"And now she's bonded to me?"

"She's part of you," Shinji clarified. "Her powers are yours now."

"So… in trying to save me… you turned me into a freak."

"Hikari, it was an accident. I had no way to know my link to my souls was temporarily in flux at that moment. And you're not a freak."

"I am!" she cried. "My skin is glowing, my plants are my literal children now, and I can kill with a thought! No one should have this kind of power! Fix this!"

Shinji looked at her sadly. "I wish I could, but attempting to rip her from you, will kill you."

Hikari looked away, tears streaming now. "I don't want this!" Shinji walked over to her, gently grasping her by the shoulders. "No! Get away!" But he persisted, forcing her into his arms even as she fought. Hikari resisted until she realized her vines and plants weren't helping her now… Alura Une was apparently still loyal to her master, and Hikari did deep down still trust Shinji even though every ounce of her reason screamed at her not to.

Finally, her resistance broke, and she clung to him desperately as she cried. Her life was torn asunder, and she only had him to help her. He was a dark soul who cared deeply for her, and who she knew would protect her. Holding her close, he rubbed her back gently, reassuringly, whispering to her that he would help her. Ragged breaths left her as she stopped actively crying and did her best to stop the tears. Despite being so in control in Middle School, Hikari was a very emotional and passionate girl, and Shinji always knew this about her.

Suddenly, she tugged away. Shinji let her go and she mouthed a warning…

"Someone's coming."

The front door was suddenly kicked in, revealing more cultists from the Order of Infernus. Hikari instantly slid behind him as Shinji called Flying Armor forth and blocked the cultists with a pair of massive swords. He couldn't easily swing them in the tight confines of the apartment, but their design along with their physical size formed an effective barrier.

"Is there a back way out?" Shinji asked. But Hikari was already snapping back into the moment. Flames slammed into his swords trying to force past but they were quickly cut off as vines began to entwine and crush the cultists.

"Leave us alone!" Hikari yelled. Shinji could see she wasn't directing them, only acting on instinct, but her instinct was effectively stopping the assault. He grabbed her and ran past the ensnared cultists, dismissing the swords so he could get outside where he had room to maneuver.

The hallway was thick with cultists, and Shinji immediately went to work, summoning a pair of Axe Lords to clear one side while he turned his attention down the other with a pair of Skeleton Blaze fighters. He was happy to have these in his arsenal now as it opened up his options considerably in combat. Following behind the two Blaze, he watched as they cleared the path. Within moments they would be at the stairwell.

A column of flames erupted at the end of the hall with the sound of echoing laughter. What Shinji saw was not a cultist. Stepping out of the flames, a man with wild hair in a fur collared open jacket stepped out, thrusting his hands forward to pierce though both Skeletons with jets of fire like that of a blow torch. They blew apart instantly, ending their massacre. Shinji noted the man's jacket had flame patterns on the sleeves. He also wore denim jeans with a metallic belt and heavy boots. His open jacket revealing only a yellow T-Shirt. Immediately Shinji realized this man was just like Taleth… another candidate. This didn't bode well.

"Well, looks like I finally found you," the man proclaimed. "I can't believe a chump kid like you could possibly be a Candidate."

"Don't underestimate me," Shinji warned. "I've already killed one Candidate."

"So, I've heard," he replied with a chuckle in his voice. "That just makes this more interesting. If you were truly a weakling, this wouldn't be at all fun.

"'Fore we gets started though, let me introduce myself. The name's Dario. Dario Bossi. And you must be the great Shinji Ikari."

"Seems my reputation proceeds me," Shinji noted.

"Crazy bitch said you'd be here."

"Oh really? Did Carmilla put you up to this?"

"I don't know who that is," Dario replied. "I work for someone else, someone interested in seeing you pushed."

"Pushed? Not killed?"

"Oh, this is just a warm up," Dario clarified. "I was told not to kill you… yet. But I wasn't told I couldn't hurt you… so hurt you I shall." He then slammed his hands together igniting his hands and wreathing his forearms in fire. Even Dario's eyes began to emit flames.

"Wonderful, he's a Pyrokenetic," Shinji noted. He had absolutely no intention of fighting him here, especially with Hikari in such a weakened state. But he also knew Dario wasn't going to let them go easily. He formulated a plan quickly in his head. Dario's method of teleportation seemed slow and his powers seemed very specialized…

Dario pulled his fist back and slammed it into the ground sending a wave of fire surging forth. Shinji pulled Hikari close as he summoned Final Guard to block the flames, but the wave rolled over, setting fire to everything around them. Shinji realized he had precious little time before this entire complex went up like a tinderbox. He saw no choice, and scooped her up and ran the other direction.

"Where ya goin'?!" Dario yelled. "We're just getting started. Shinji waited until he heard the column of flames erupt for Dario's teleport and concentrated at that moment to teleport himself. Dario managed to catch a glimpse of the column of moonlight before Shinji faded completely. Dario growled and tried to feel out his location, but Shinji's teleportation powers were far beyond Dario's own, and so the pyromaniac realized Shinji was able to teleport out of his sensing range.

"I found you once," Dario whispered as his flames engulfed him once more. "I will find you again."

I'm staring deep, I'm staring bleak

I search in vain

Your flower grows, your mother knows

As winter comes, as time passes

We forget the

Static in sound, static in sound

"What kind of a monster am I? What kind of a monster am I going to be forced to fight? My life is being torn asunder before me and yet… with Shinji, I think I can preserve. This safehouse in the woods… its peaceful and close to what I love. Close to what I love… is that why I follow him now?

Next Chapter: Synthesis