Chapter Seven: To Thaw a Frozen Heart
The three made it to the fortress, bursting through the door with a few grenades from Tsurara. They rushed through the fortress, trying to find where the priestess could have possibly taken Mizore.
"Where could she be?" Tsurara almost yelled. "She's got to be here somewhere!"
"What about this big red door here?" Moka asked, pointing to said door. "It's always a boss door in Mario, so maybe it's important here!"
"That's crazy enough to work." Tsurara shrugged, the three managing to pull open the door.
On the other side stood a figure with ice on her hands.
"If you want to get to the top, you have to beat the priestess' elite Yuki-Onna guards." She said in an emotionless tone.
"Get the hell out of our way." Tsurara said, pointing a gun at her.
"You are trespassing." The figure said, ice beginning to coat her whole body, forming a sort of armor as she stepped forward. Tsurara shot her with the gun, the bullet falling to the floor, crushed by the impact.
"You must be eliminated." The Yuki-Onna lifted her hand, icicles shooting up from the ground and surrounding the three newcomers.
"Give back Mizore-chan!" Moka punched through the ice, punching the Yuki-Onna in the face.
"Even with the rosary on she's still pretty strong." Tsurara mused. "She definitely is the spawn of Akasha and Alucard's line."
The Yuki-Onna punched Moka, the vampire falling back and grabbing her and punching her with all the force she could muster. The ice around the Yuki-Onna's body began to crack, the single punch being enough to damage her significantly.
The Yuki-Onna stepped back, firing icicles from her fingers at Moka. Moka dodged as best she could, the two humans in the icicle circle ducking to avoid damage.
Moka grabbed the Yuki-Onna, but her body began to be coated with ice as the youkai's power began to move through her.
"You will be detained and the priestess will deal with you personally." The Yuki-Onna said, grabbing Moka with her other hand. Moka's body began to freeze faster, ice moving up until the struggling vampire was fully covered in the ice.
"Moka!" Tsukune shouted. He aimed his gun and shot a bullet at Moka's arm, the bullet exploding in fire, the ice dripping off of the pink haired vampire.
"You are impressive." The Yuki-Onna's gaze moved to Tsukune and Tsurara, both of whom were aiming their guns at the Yuki-Onna. The Yuki-Onna flicked a finger, the icicles around them beginning to grow larger as more began to shoot up from the ground around them.
"You will be taken care of and the pink haired one will be dealt with by the priestess." The Yuki-Onna said. "Perhaps she can create another Yuki-Onna with her."
"That's what you think!" Moka shouted, punching the Yuki-Onna in the face, the ice around her shattering completely as she now had her human looking skin showing.
Moka gave the Yuki-Onna a severe uppercut, knocking her out. Tsurara and Tsukune escaped the icicles, running over to Moka and hugging her.
"Great job, Moka!" Tsukune said, grinning. "We might have a chance!"
"We sure do." Tsurara said, putting a bullet in between the eyes of the Yuki-Onna. The Yuki-Onna shattered, crumbling into ice.
"Wh-why'd you do that?" Moka asked.
"There's no saving her." Tsurara said. "She'll be in constant pain and suffering. There's no known reversal of the disease of Yuki-ism."
"But, what if Mizore-chan is one of them?" Moka asked.
"Then, we'll cross that bridge then." Tsurara sighed. "For now, we can't leave any alive unless we want trouble. One Yuki-Onna's tough, but ten is nearly impossible, even for a vampire, especially if the Yuki-Onna are S class in strength."
"Let's just go." Tsukune said. "We don't have time to stay here. We have to go now!"
"Right." Tsurara nodded, the three running through the halls of the fortress.
"Where would she keep Mizore-Chan?" Moka asked.
"Probably where she plans to transform her into a Yuki-Onna." Tsurara said. "Which means we need to hurry so she doesn't become one. Once she becomes one, there's little to do other than… I don't want to think about that."
"What if she controls it?" Tsukune asked.
"The problem is that she'll be in constant pain." Tsurara said. "That's the biggest thing about it. But, we'll save her."
"Yeah!" Moka shouted, running ahead, peeking around the corner.
"Where could this place be?" She asked, pulling her head back just before an icicle shot past her.
"You are trespassing." The Yuki-Onna said. This one looked similar to the first one, almost identical.
"She looks like the one we fought earlier." Moka said.
"There's two explanations." Tsurara said. "Either that one was an ice clone or this one is related to her."
"Ice clone?" Tsukune asked.
"It's a power that Yuki-Onna are capable of." Tsurara said. "Well, it's never been proven, but some believe they can do it. The problem is there are several factors that are said to disprove it. The first is the fact that most of the maidens used for Yuki-ism are from my clan, which means they all look similar. The second is that very few people have killed a Yuki-Onna, so they don't exactly know what happens to the body when they die."
"Oh." Tsukune said. "That might be why it wasn't in the book."
"Right." Tsurara said, nodding. "Now, let's go."
The two gun wielders, Tsukune more hesitantly, began to open fire on the Yuki-Onna, dealing some damage to her as they used their bullets to damage her.
Moka ran forward, landing the finishing blow as the Yuki-Onna shattered.
"Two down, quite a few to go." Tsurara cracked her neck.
"Look." Tsukune said as they kept walking. "There's a split in the path."
"Let's stick together." Tsurara said. "We don't want to be separated in here."
"Got it." Moka said. The three continued to run through the fortress, taking out any enemy they came across.
"I think we're almost there." Tsurara said. "The fortress can't be too much bigger."
"Right." Moka and Tsukune nodded.
However, before they could take another step, another Yuki-Onna, this one seemingly more powerful than the last ones, arose from the icy floor, clenching her fists. There was something… something the vampire couldn't quite place due to her icy voice and her face being covered by ice save her mouth.
"You have killed my sisters." She spoke in an emotionless tone, though flecks of anger could be heard. "You will now face me."
"This could be a problem." Tsukune said. "I can't sense power, but I can tell this one's much stronger than the last ones."
"It might." Tsurara said. "Now, let's beat this Yuki-Onna and find my daughter."
"right." Moka and Tsukune said, Tsukune aiming his gun at the Yuki-Onna while Moka ran towards her with her fist pulled back, landing a powerful blow on the Yuki-Onna's chin.
The Yuki-Onna's head snapped back as she grabbed Moka's throat, punching her back.
"I will be far more difficult than the previous Yuki-Onna you have fought." She said, putting up a thick ice wall between Moka and the two humans. "You and I will now fight to the death. If you wish to find your friend and confront the priestess, you will have to defeat me first. However, I will not be as simple as defeating them was. You will fall by my hand. You shall not beat me."
"I'll do just that." Moka growled, running forward and throwing a punch at the Yuki-Onna. The Yuki-Onna dodged, punching Moka in the face with her ice covered fist. The blow drew Moka's blood, the vampire giving a small shriek at the pain.
With Tsukune and Tsurara
"We should run to that split in the path." Tsukune said. "It might lead around so that we can get to Moka."
"Right." Tsurara said as they turned back and ran.
"Hold on, Moka." Tsukune said. "We're coming."
With Moka and the Yuki-Onna
"You will not succeed." The Yuki-Onna said, kicking the crouching vampire in her jaw, moving behind her with an unexpected speed and landing a powerful chop to her neck, causing her to spit out saliva, gagging as she struggled to get air.
"You are pathetic." The Yuki-Onna grabbed her by her hair, holding her up. "But, for the sake of honor, give me your name and I will give you mine."
"M-Moka…" Moka strained to get out.
"My name is now Winter." The Yuki-Onna said. "This is where we part ways, Moka."
Winter punched Moka in the face, sending her into the ice wall. She made a dent, but no cracks appeared in the ice wall.
Winter held up her hand, almost looking as if hesitating, icicles flying straight out of it and into Moka's chest. More icicles pierced her from behind, bursting out from her chest.
Moka screamed in pain, coughing out some blood as she shed a few tears upon seeing the bloody red icicles coming out of her.
"I apologize for your friend's fate." Winter said. "But, you are not passing."
"I" Moka weakly said, looking at her. "I will save her."
"You will not." Winter said. "You are dying and your friend will become one of the priestess' finest soldiers."
"I… I won't give up." Moka strained herself as she reached for her rosary, pulling on it.
"What do you plan to do?" Winter asked, her battling spirit intrigued by this.
"I plan" Moka pulled on the rosary, the chain breaking as she pulled it off. "On saving my friend!"
As Moka removed the rosary in her anger and desperation, a brilliant flash of light and power emerged from her. The icicles in her burst, shattering to simple icy dust. Moka levitated slightly, her body bulking up slightly. Her entire attire began to change as a new power unlike any she'd ever experienced emerged from her body. A field of blood red aura surrounded her, completely hiding her from view.
Winter shot icicles into the field, but they shattered upon contact with the sheer power emerging from Moka.
As quickly as the field emerged, it exploded outward, revealing a new being, completely unlike Moka. She was dressed in an outfit befitting a Romanian noble, a black uniform with some gold trim adorning the vampire. She wore long, black, leather boots with two inch heels on them, though, these still looked combat worthy. She wore a thick, blood red sash around her waist that went under her black, red trimmed outer garment. A long black cape flowed around her, the inside blood red. The cape moved like a shadow, wisping with her movements as she stood, her eyes piercing into Winter's soul. Her hair was a pure white, long and flowing around her. Her eyes were blood red, slit like a cat's or a reptile's, power seemingly gathering behind her as she clenched her bare fists, her angered gaze piercing Winter even further.
The Yuki-Onna took a step backward, actually a little put off by this new being that had seemingly replaced the pink haired vampire that stood before her.
"You are different." Winter said. "What sort of vampire are you?"
"You've really made me draw deep into myself." Vampire Moka said in her deeper voice, angry, taking a step forward, moving as if she was a shadow in the night. "I am impressed. However, even as wounded as I am and with as much blood as I've lost, I can and will still break you like a twig."
"You shall not pass me." Winter said, firing icicles at Vampire Moka. Vampire Moka swatted them away, moving forward like a ghost, kicking her in the neck.
"You'd do well to learn your place." She said, glaring down at Winter as she shattered. "Seems you were just weak trash after all."
"You have yet to learn my full power." Winter said from behind Vampire Moka, an icicle piercing through the transformed vampire, blood red as it emerged from her. "Powerful Yuki-Onna are capable of creating ice clones. You have simply killed my ice clone. Prepare to face your true opponent."
Winter emerged from the freezing air in front of Vampire Moka, sporting an icy armor, her fingers long and sharp.
"It is time we finished this with a blood duel." Winter stated. "You will adhere to those rules?"
"State them." Vampire Moka growled.
"The winner takes the blood of the loser." Winter stated.
"Fair by me." Vampire Moka growled, rushing forward to attack. Winter grabbed her wrist, beginning to freeze it.
A powerful kick from Vampire Moka rendered that trick ineffective as she knocked the Yuki-Onna away from her.
"Where is your power, vampire?" Winter asked. "Vampires are said to be the most powerful monsters, only the Yuki-Onna and a select few others truly rivaling them."
"You want my confidence?" growled Vampire Moka. "You'll get it."
"Damn." Vampire Moka thought. "Those wounds I suffered were more severe than I thought… then again, to bring this form out… mother and grandfather sure made this seal strong. They said something about my true form being further sealed and inaccessible by me alone… such a shame. I'd hoped to have been able to see the terror on her face… this form will have to do."
Vampire Moka rushed forward, ducking under a punch from Winter and slamming her fist into her face with enough force to shatter a mountain. Winter was thrown back powerfully by the force of the blast, slamming into the walls behind her, crumbling them slightly.
"You truly are a powerful vampire." Winter said, standing up, snapping her nose back into place. "I can tell you are of the Bloodriver line. Such power. You truly wield the power of vampires."
"Save your flattery." Vampire Moka kicked her in the side. "I'm tired of it."
"You will now die by my hand." Winter said, the wind whipping up around the two as the Yuki-Onna disappeared, reappearing in various places around Vampire Moka and kicking and punching her. The unsealed vampire took several hits, her body being tossed around like a rag doll after a few seconds, Winter finishing the combo with a powerful blow that sent Vampire Moka into the wall.
The transformed vampire cracked the very wall she struck, falling to the ground on her knees. She panted, a drop of blood falling from her lips as she looked down at it. An intense anger overtook her as she growled, her eyes almost glowing as she stood up, grabbing Winter's foot, which raced for her face. She began to crush it, the sound of crushing ice and bone coming from it.
Winter's face showed no pain, though it was obvious she was in pain. Vampire Moka yanked her leg towards her, slamming her fist into her face, which cracked the armor on her face.
"This battle is over." She growled. "Learn your place!"
Vampire Moka kicked Winter in the side of the head, sending the Yuki-Onna into the wall. She then picked her up by her throat, feeling the Yuki-Onna's energy enter her empowering her, recharging her.
"You seem to have a lot of energy." Vampire Moka said as she crushed the throat of the struggling youkai. "I'm going to drain you of all of it."
When she had finished, she tossed the Yuki-Onna's body off to the side. When she hit the ground, the ice she had on her cracked and shattered, falling apart, revealing the white haired girl, who looked no older than twelve. Her green eyes closed in soft sleep.
"Hmm." Vampire Moka looked down at her. "It seems that that cures her Yuki-ism. Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind."
A soft moan came from the girl formerly known as Winter. She blinked her eyes open to see Vampire Moka standing over her, staring down at her with indifference and curiosity.
"Wh-who are you?" She asked weakly.
"Rest." Vampire Moka commanded. "I will carry you. You will require medical attention, but you shall recover."
"I-I saw everything." The girl said, tears falling down her face. "Th-the ghost, the blood. Sh-she did this to me."
"And, I am going to kill her." Vampire Moka said. "She has taken someone from me as well."
"Th-the new girl?" the girl asked the white haired vampire.
"Mizore Shirayuki." Vampire Moka said.
"She's been m-made into a Yuki-Onna already." The girl said. "B-but, you can fix her, right? You can cure her?"
"If it works like it did with you." Moka said. "I will cure her. For my sake as well as Tsukune's."
"Who's that?" the girl asked.
"One of the best friends a vampire could have." Vampire Moka said, picking the girl up bridal style and walking down the hall.
Along the way, she encountered Tsukune and Tsurara.
"Moka!" Tsukune hugged her. "You're alright!"
"I am." Vampire Moka said. "I have figured a way to cure Mizore from Yuki-ism."
"What?!" Tsurara exclaimed. "How?!"
"If I drain her energy like with Winter." Vampire Moka handed the girl formerly known as Winter to Tsurara. "It is how Winter was cured."
"I'll hold her." Tsurara said. "We'll get her to the hospital after this is over."
"We must find Mizore." Vampire Moka said. "It is imperative."
The group ran down the hall to encounter none other than the Snow Priestess, smirking, another Yuki-Onna standing in front of her. This Yuki-Onna, however, was very obvious who she was. It looked exactly like Mizore, but had an icy blue tint to her skin and had white tear streaks down her face, as if she'd been crying.
"So good of you to come to me." Yukia smirked. "I'd been waiting for so long. You need to simply hand her back to me and leave and this will all be over."
"We're not leaving without Mizore." Vampire Moka growled, stepping forward. "You will hand her back or I will make your death so much more painful."
"I don't fear you, Akasha spawn." Yukia smirked, chuckling. "You will be a welcome appetizer and new addition to my collection."
"I will be the one that takes your head." Vampire Moka growled, her fists clenched as she walked forward, blood dripping from the wounds she'd suffered previously. She stood about seven feet from the two Yuki-Onna.
The Yuki-Onna that was previously Mizore moved forward with unexpected speed, slicing at Vampire Moka with her sharp fingers. She drew several long marks through the transformed vampire's chest, more blood dripping from her wounds.
Vampire Moka grabbed the Yuki-Onna's arm, beginning to drain the energy from it, straining as she couldn't pull much from her.
"Damn it!" She thought, growling. "She's too fortified to draw energy from. That bitch must have seen through that technique previously. I'll have to figure out another way to break her out of this!"
Moka landed a hard, yet restrained blow on 'Mizore's' chest landing a chop on her neck as she pushed her to the ground. She got on top of her, pinning her to the ground.
'Mizore' struggled with her, trying to get up, but a few quick blows from Vampire Moka rendered her unable to counter her.
"Here goes nothing." Vampire Moka growled, biting down hard on 'Mizore's' neck. Her fangs pierced the ice, reaching the soft flesh underneath as she began to suck blood out of her. She felt the chilled substance enter her body, her face scrunching up at the bitter taste purely unlike that of Mizore's.
She kept draining blood from the ice youkai until she finally felt and tasted the familiar taste she was used to when drinking Mizore's blood.
She stopped, her mouth covered in blood from the sheer amount that she'd ingested, blood beginning to gather at the puncture marks she'd made, contrasting the rest of her icy blue skin.
"Come on." She growled. "Give me back my friend!"
The ice surrounding Mizore began to crack slowly, pieces falling off to reveal the pale skin of the girl Moka had come to know as a friend. As it began, the ice began to fall off more and more rapidly, eventually, leaving the near unconscious Shirayuki on the ground under Vampire Moka.
"Th-than…" she whispered before she fell unconscious, looking very peaceful as she lay there.
Vampire Moka's gaze shot up to the Priestess, who began to back away at the glowing rage in the transformed vampire's eyes.
"You did this to her." Vampire Moka growled in a low, seething voice. "You turned her into a monster. Your blood is going to be my next meal."
The transformed vampire leapt at the priestess, slamming her fist into her face with a force that could shatter stone. Blood still dripped from her wounds, which had not quite healed. She picked the priestess up and slammed her into the ground, causing a crater where she impacted.
"It seems I underestimated your seal." The priestess said, smacking Vampire Moka away with a backhand. "But, I will not do so again. Your power is weakening due to the seal not being there currently. It's only a matter of time before you lose your powers and must revert. And, due to those wounds, you'll be out of commission for quite a while afterwards. Long enough for me to erase you permanently."
"You'll get no chance!" Vampire Moka rushed forward, clamping down on the priestess neck, draining her blood as she began to siphon her life force at the same time. Yukia struggled, trying to push the transformed vampire off, but Vampire Moka held her with an iron grip.
Over time, the priestess' body began to shrivel, her struggles ceasing as Vampire Moka drained her dry.
"Learn your place, freak." She stood when she was finished, kicking the shriveled body away.
However, two words from the body reached her enhanced ears.
"Thank you." Came the quiet whisper. Vampire Moka turned back to the now corpse, who bore a smile of contentment.
"It seems you were not as evil as the monster inside you made you." Vampire Moka walked over to Mizore, placing her rosary back on its chain, which restored itself. Her attire returned to what it previously was, the pink haired vampire falling over, Tsukune catching her.
"I'll carry Mizore as well." Tsurara said. "You handle Mizore."
"Alright." Tsukune nodded. He gingerly picked the unconscious vampire up, trying not to send more blood out of her wounds. The group carefully made their way through the fortress, which seemed to be empty all of a sudden.
As they exited the fortress, they saw the bus, with Nurari sitting in the driver's seat, the same smirk on his face.
"Seems you had an adventure." He said as they entered. "Tell me about it while we head to the hospital."
"Can we get something for Moka's wounds?" Tsukune asked.
"I've got somethin'." Nurari said, placing some cloth on the wounds. "Seems like she met the power of a Yuki-Onna. But, she'll pull through. She's a tough one."
"I hope so." Tsukune said. "I don't wanna see two friends die. But, Mizore should be fine."
"Yeah." Tsurara said. "She looks peaceful."
"Time will tell." Nurari said, driving back towards the human world. "Somethin' tells me these three ain't seen the last of the youkai world."
"Really?" Tsurara asked.
"Nope." Nurari said. "There's plenty for them to see and people to face. I'm sure there's gonna be more for them to see here."
"Well, let's get through this hospital thing first." Tsurara said, holding the two unconscious human girls.
"Right." Nurari said, smirking. "You know, that one there is your distant cousin."
"How do you know?" Tsurara asked.
"The feeling." Nurari said. "I can sense the same aura from you two."
"Oh." Tsurara said. "Well, I think she'd fare better with my sister than with me. She's not in the youkai work, so she'd be able to hide her better."
"Well, either way" Nurari said, looking back at them in the mirror. "You'll have to make some big decisions, Tsukune. Maybe even choices as to whose side you'll take. Be warned. There're some dangerous people out there. I have a feeling that bad things are coming. Be ready."
"I will." Tsukune said holding Moka close, the vampire making adorable sounds in her sleep. "I'll have to protect these two."
So, they rescued Mizore. But, what's going to happen in the future? Will these three have the capability to handle whatever is thrown their way? We'll find out together.