Notes: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. My mental health has been really kicking my ass lately.
The causes of the blackout that submerged Tokyo in absolute darkness were still unknown. Some experts blamed the intense rain falling that night. Journalists mentioned the small earthquake that anticipated the power outage as a possible explanation.
However, nobody knew the truth...
30 minutes earlier
"You shouldn't have done it without my consent," Kamilah argued, trying to not raise her voice. Even when Aiko's behavior had annoyed her to the extreme, she was still trying to keep her composed and calm self. One person in that relationship had to be levelheaded, otherwise the situation could take a nasty outcome. "This was supposed my decision too!"
"Oh..." the Japanese vampire let out her usual ironic laugh. "You're having second thoughts, aren't you? This is why the idea of anticipating the wedding scares you so much. You're having second thoughts because of her. Admit it!"
"Aiko... let's be honest to each other, you don't really love me. You want me as your trophy, your possession. This marriage is nothing more than a revenge for leaving you centuries ago."
"What about you?"
Kamilah rolled her eyes. She couldn't remember how that relationship even started in first place. The first night they supposedly slept together was a blur in her memories. Despite waking up without her clothes on, she could swear she couldn't remember even touching Aiko. In the following days, the woman started pressuring her for a steady commitment and well... she allowed herself to get carried away. It was the best manner to avoid any conflicts and assure she and the rest of the group could remain in Japan, where they were safe. Nothing really mattered anymore and she had to try to get over Amy somehow. After all, she wasn't coming back. Kamilah had realized that. She had lost the only woman she truly loved forever. Or at least she thought so. Damn young vampires! They could be so unpredictable.
"I was miserable, and lonely. I had no idea of what I was doing."
"You toyed with my feelings!" Aiko yelled so loud the entire building could listen. That was the kind of scene Kamilah was trying to avoid. "You used me, Kamilah. Again! And now she's back you're throwing me away like garbage."
A small tremor was felt beneath their feet, causing them to silence for a couple of seconds.
"My apologies," Kamilah continued. She knew it was useless. However, she wanted to end things decently. She didn't want to trigger Aiko's worst side, the consequences for this action could be very dangerous. "That was never my intention. I was way too drunk the first night we supposedly slept together, you knew that."
"The way you talk about it... it's like you don't even believe it happened at all," Aiko angered. "I'm sorry I believed you were actually honest about the words you said that night. But you never changed. You're still the same heartless cold..."
The lights started to blink, until they went completely off.
"What the heck?" Kamilah felt a familiar sensation in the air. An energy she only felt years earlier, in the night they faced Rheya at the Opera House. "Amy."
She had to go. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her to darkness a second time.
"I have to go," she announced to Aiko. "I must check on the others. This is over."
"Wrong, Kamilah. This is far from over."
The hotel staff made sure to guide each one of the guests to back to their rooms and instruct them to remain inside, until the blackout situation was solved.
"Thank you," Amy closed the door behind her.
Her dress, as well as her hair, were drenched from the heavy rain.
Entering the bathroom, she stopped to take a look at herself in the mirror. Her hands were still shaking from the surge of power. After conjuring a flame on her palm, she smiled, proud at herself. Her powers were back, but she managed to control the darkness inside her. This time she hadn't succumbed. She was still herself.
"Still the same old me. I did it!"
All Amy had to do now was to grow the tree and collect some poisonous sap to defeat Rheya for good. Then, there was another battle she'd have to face, forgetting Kamilah Sayeed for good. Maybe she could ask Serafine to erase the female vampire completely from her memories when she returned to New York.
Somebody knocked at the door. It was probably room service, checking if she needed anything else.
"I'm fine," she told while opening the door. "I'm not in need of..."
Not the room service she expected to see. It was Kamilah herself, delivered right in front of her.
"Kamilah, what are you doing here?"
"The blackout," the female vampire answered. "I sensed your powers. You caused it, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry, it was not my intention to ruin your party."
"My party?" A small smirk appeared in the corner of Kamilah's mouth. "You did me a favor to be honest. May I?" She pointed inside.
"Of course."
She entered the room and Amy's heart started to race inside her chest. The memories from the last time Kamilah was there returned to her mind.
"So..." she cleared her throat, "you're going to Australia with Aiko. Congratulations."
"I won't," Kamilah told, before walking to the balcony. "I broke up with her."
"W-What... but you said, back at the party..."
"I didn't want her to make a scene in front of everyone. She had no right to make decisions for me, out of pure jealousy."
Kamilah was single again, but what did that mean for them? Only a few hours earlier she said she still needed some time to think.
"I did it, Kamilah," Amy joined her on the balcony. "I recovered my powers and I'm still myself."
"Really?"
The Bloodkeeper still could see the hesitation in her eyes. Kamilah wanted to trust her, but she was still unsure. There was still pain in the manner she examined Amy, head to toes, searching for any evidence of her dark side.
"Yes," she had an idea. The whole city was still dark and not a single soul was wandering on the streets, there would be no problem showing off a little bit. "Do you trust me?"
With some caution, Kamilah nodded. Amy wrapped an arm around her waist and closed her eyes, channeling all her powers.
"A-Amy... w-what are you..."
When she opened her eyes again, they both had lifted from the ground. Tokyo was getting smaller and smaller as they ascended even further into the night sky.
"Oh my god," Kamilah told. "I had never seen this in a vampire before. I heard only the First Vampire could do it."
"And her spawn," Amy added. "Apparently I inherited all of her powers."
"This is amazing."
"You need to see it when the weather is clear. The view is like no other, it feels like you can almost touch the stars."
"I can imagine."
"We can do it again someday. If you want, of course."
Slowly, Amy took them back to the balcony. Kamilah was still amazed by her demonstration, so much that she could barely speak.
"Do you believe me now?" Amy asked, with her arm still around Kamilah's waist. "I'm not going to the dark side anymore, Kamilah. I'm never leaving you again. I'll be yours forever, if you let me."
The female vampire hand touched her cheek fondly. Their faces were so close Amy felt she could dive deeply into her brown eyes.
"Say that again," Kamilah ordered. "I need to be sure."
"I'll be yours forever, if you let me."
"Then be, please."
Their lips crashed against each other desperately. As Kamilah traced Amy's bottom lip with her tongue, the girl pulled her even closer by her jacket. She needed to feel every inch of her lover's body against hers.
"What are we going to do about these soaked clothes?" Amy giggled as Kamilah's mouth descended to her neck.
"We take them off, obviously," the female vampire grinned mischievously.
They both returned to the bedroom, where Amy kicked off her heels and quickly started to unzip her dress.
"Stop," Kamilah tortured.
"Whoa, giving orders already?"
"You don't understand," the woman pressed herself against Amy's back, brushing off her hair and leaving a trail of soft kisses around her exposed neck and shoulders. Her finger slowly toying with the dress zipper. "Isn't it the wait that makes things better?"
Amy felt a shiver going down her spine as she felt Kamilah's nails traveling down her back while she unzipped her dress.
"When we're forced to wait, we have expectations. We imagine, we fantasize... we want nothing but perfection, right?"
"E-Exactly."
The air left Amy's lungs at the same moment her dress fell to her feet. She turned around to face Kamilah, who welcomed her with a fiery kiss.
"God, I missed you so much..." she whispered, as her mouth descended to Amy's jawline, then at her neck. Her hands massaged Amy's breasts, playing with her nipples.
"I missed you too," Amy closed her eyes and moaned loud. Her whole body was burning with pleasure. "In my fantasies, it was exactly like this. Everytime I touched myself, I imagined it was you doing it."
"Oh," Kamilah focused her attention on her eyes again, "describe me your fantasies then."
"Why don't I show you instead?"
Amy took Kamilah's hands in hers kissing the soft skin of her palm to the inner part of her wrist. After removing her jacket she followed her way up to her arm, until she reached her collar bone.
"First..." Amy brushed her lips on Kamilah's, "we kissed like this."
Cupping the female vampire's face between her hands, she kissed her long and deeply. Her tongue explored every inch her lovers' mouth. She giggled as she felt Kamilah's fangs softly nibbling on her lower lip.
"Clothes! You definitely had less clothes on."
"We can work on it."
Although she liked giving orders, Kamilah allowed Amy to undress her, which she did in a frenzied mode. She desperately needed to feel her skin. She desperately needed to stare at her perfect body.
Nothing had changed through the years. Kamilah still looked like an Egyptian goddess. Her beauty was something stunning, something almost supernatural. Amy worshiped her features in silence for a minute.
"What now?" Kamilah asked, breaking the silence.
"I... I..." it was impossible to even think of a coherent sentence when everything Amy wished for in the last few years was right in front of her. "I lied in bed and... then you did too. On top of me."
"Right."
Kamilah grinned mischievously as she positioned herself between Amy's legs. The girl trembled in anticipation with the contact of their bodies.
"And?"
"You started kissing me. Everywhere."
The female vampire followed her instructions. The fantasies were nothing compared to reality. Amy let out moans and gasps for every part of her body Kamilah kissed, starting by her feet, then going up to her calf and her tights.
"Is it enough?" She stopped and raised her head to look at Amy.
"No... I want more."
"As you wish."
Kamilah gave some special attention to Amy's inner tights. After covering the skin with soft kisses, she applied a bite, hard enough to mix pleasure and pain. The girl squirmed under her.
"Shhhh," she traced the bite with her tongue. "Quiet, be a good girl. Are you ready for more?"
Amy was more than ready, she could feel it where she wanted Kamilah the most.
"Y-You can see it... for yourself."
Using her fingers to feel, massage and tease, the female vampire confirmed what she said. Amy closed her eyes and arched her back, feeling she was closer and closer to climax.
"Not yet," Kamilah stopped, giving her some time to breathe and recompose herself. "Huh, so where were we?" She spoke before lowering her head and start kissing Amy's center.
The Bloodkeeper grabbed the sheets as she went deeper into her core. Kamilah's movements sent her into pure bliss, making her lose every bit of control she still had over her body.
"Kamilah... oh my god..." she said between pants.
"Are we done yet?"
"No, we're just getting started. Now comes the part where I show you what I did to you in my fantasies."
Waking up next to Kamilah felt unreal. Amy closed her eyes again. She cherished the warmth of the vampire's body against hers, the smoothness of her skin and the scent of her hair, anything to make herself believe it wasn't just another dream.
"You're going to be late," Kamilah hummed softly.
"Huh?!" Amy mumbled. "Late? For what?"
"Your training with Kano, silly. I suppose you're excited to deliver him the good news."
"Oh! That's right, my training with Kano! I can't wait to hear what he has to say about my powers," the girl quickly jumped out of the bed, heading straight to the bathroom. "Would you like to come with me? I mean, it could be a great help."
"It'll be a pleasure."
Even Kano and his assistant, Daichi, stared in disbelief as Amy entered his office holding hands with Kamilah. After a moment, the boy gave them a small nod in approval.
"Hello, Kano, Daichi," Amy greeted. "Kamilah is here to help me in my training, if that's okay."
She told him about the sudden return of her powers. The psych vampire fell pensive for a moment.
"You're finally ready," he told. "This is your final test, Amy. Then you'll ready to advance in your journey."
"B-But... I'm not sure it's enough yet. I don't know if I'm strong enough to face Rheya."
"I'm here with you," Kamilah squeezed her hand. "Remember that."
Still holding Kamilah's hand, Amy closed her eyes and got pulled by Kano into a mindscape. She was taken to a memory that was very familiar to her. The one that still gave her chills even five years later. The most difficult and painful night of her life. The moment everything changed.
She was in the Opera House face to face with Rheya. With the blooded dagger in hands, the First Vampire looked furious.
"Demetrius... you found him," she snarled. "How dare you to use him against me?!"
The following words came out automatically, the more she tried, Amy couldn't change them.
"Rheya, he still lo-"
Like all the other times, Rheya lunged forward blinded with rage, ready to stab Amy's chest with the dagger. Time seemed to freeze around her. One of her friends, or even Kamilah, would take the fall for her. But they couldn't. She was Rheya's descendant. She was the one with the mission to destroy her, even if it costed her own life.
"No!" She yelled, closing both of her fists. She remembered one of her training sessions in the mansion, when Rheya watched in amusement how none of her lackeys were able to defeat her granddaughter. Because they shared exactly the same powers. And suddenly, she knew what to do.
Amy crossed both of her arms in front of herself, conjuring a psychic shield.
Differently from the real Rheya, her mindscape version was far from amused.
"Well, well... it seems like I underestimated you after all, little Bloodkeeper. Still... THIS ISN'T ENOUGH!"
The First Vampire tried to stab her again, but Amy was prepared. After deflecting the blow, she used her telekinesis to take the dagger from her possession. With her psychic powers, she regained control over the weapon.
"Do you think you can beat me?" Rheya laughed sarcastically. "We may share some power, yet you're not me. You're not a Goddess or ever will be!"
"You're right, Rheya," Amy stared deeply into her eyes, she could see her confidence was partially broken. She never had to face an opponent with the same strength before. "I'm not you. And I'm glad for that."
With a blast, Amy threw the First Vampire against the wall. Rheya was temporarily stunned, what gave her enough time to attack. To put the dagger right into her heart.
As she started to become a Feral, another figure emerged from the corner of the room. Moving her daggers in a scissor move, Kamilah sliced her head off, converting the ancient vampire into nothing but ash.
"That was badass," Amy smiled, falling on her knees in exhaustion. "I hope you can do it in the real world too."
"Amy..." Kamilah kneeled right beside her. "This is what you protected us from. Rheya would kill one of us."
"Yes, I had this vision before we entered the Opera House that night. So I got rid of the dagger and... it didn't end well, did it?"
"Not yet. But it will."
Kamilah cupped Amy's face between her hands, pulling her for a delicate and tender kiss. After they parted, she rested her forehead against the female vampire's.
"I'm sorry," she let out a few tears. "I couldn't risk losing you. Or Adrian, or Jax or Lily. But especially you. I can't imagine living in a world you're not part of, Kamilah. Even if you hated me for all these years, I was relieved to know you were alive somewhere."
"Shhhhh," Kamilah silenced her with another kiss. "I'm the one who owes you an apology. I should have known there was something noble behind your act. You sacrificed yourself somehow. I should have fought harder for you, for us."
"So... can we start over now?"
"Of course. We'll return to New York, we'll defeat Rheya and... I'll make you my wife."
The last words made Amy's eyes widen in surprise.
"Excuse me?!"
"Too soon?"
She grinned ear to ear. That was everything she always dreamed of.
"Not at all," she kissed Kamilah again. "I don't wanna waste any more time."
Kano cleared his throat, interrupting their moment. It was time to return to reality. A reality that was now better than any of Amy's visions or dreams. A reality where she'd be able to share with Kamilah for the eternity.
"You passed the final test, Bloodkeeper," Kano announced. "You're now ready to face Rheya and change the course of humanity."
"And I won't fail this time," Amy firmly said.
Leaving the building, she and Kamilah followed to Raines Corporation's secret basement, where the rest of the group was already reunited waiting for them.
"That's it," Amy told them. "I'm gonna use my powers to grow the tree into its final form, where we'll be able to use it to defeat Rheya."
She entered the glass display where the tree was growing. Though it was still young and small, she could already feel the effects of the poisonous sap developing within its bark.
"Okay..." she took a deep breath. "I've seen Rheya doing this many times before. If she can, I can do it too."
Touching the tree's bark, Amy started channeling all of her powers. She needed to create, to shape, to grow. The tree started to absorb the energy irradiating from her hands.
"Yes!" She closed her eyes, feeling all of that energy leaving her body and being transformed into something else. Into life.
Falling on her knees in exhaustion, she opened her eyes to see the tree had grown but not completely. It needed more power to reach maturity. With her legs still shaking, she stood up and approached the tree again, trying to repeat the procedure... and she couldn't. She was too weak.
"Amy?" Kamilah and the others entered the chamber. "What's going on?"
"I almost did it," she told. "If I had more energy, more power but..."
"We can try again another day," Adrian told. "We've been hiding for five years. A few more days of wait won't kill us."
"No! I must return to New York soon or Rheya will start to freak. And... what other excuse I'll come up with to come back here alone? I must do it right now!"
"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Lily wanted to know.
"You... you could donate me your energy. I wouldn't absorb all of it, of course, only enough to grow the tree a little bit more. But it's okay if you guys don't trust me for this, I know what happened when Rheya absorbed energy from other vampires and humans."
Lily instantly grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly.
"I trust you. You're not Rheya."
"Me too," Kamilah grabbed her other hand.
"Let's do this," Adrian joined her.
Jax gave a hesitant look at the group before sighing deeply.
"Let's end Rheya once for all," he grabbed Lily's hand.
Amy nodded at her friends and closed her eyes, absorving their energy. She could feel each one of them inside her veins, as if they were all merging and becoming one. She could feel Kamilah's wisdom, Jax's bravery, Lily's loyalty and Adrian's kindness. In that moment, they all became a part of her. Amy smiled. A genuine smile. She had never felt so happy in the last five years.
When she let go of them, all of her friends were exhausted but well. She pressed her hands against the tree again, donating all the energy she received. A couple of minutes later, she witnessed the transformation, the Tree Of Death had finally reached its final form. Exactly like in the island Demetrius used to belong.