The roaring came from a school not too far off where we were at. Though the day was over with, my knowledge about school hours was not wrong that no one should even be here this late. landing just close enough to scope the grounds before Haji prepared his cello case and braced for another jump over the fence. There was another scream echoing the courtyard and Haji tensed.
"It's Saya," Haji spoke quickly before rushing into the grounds.
Unable to see at first, but there in the courtyard looking horrified at the tree stood a girl perhaps no older than 16 being stared down by the beast next to a dead man lying on the ground.
"She's so young," shocked to see her for the first time, my afterthoughts would have to come later once I assisted Haji in getting rid of the chiropteran.
The moment happened as quickly as a second breath. Haji threw a dagger at the beasts' head to grab its attention away from Saya as she fell backwards out of fear. Coming from above with daggers in hand and landing on top the beasts' shoulders to drive the two blades into its chest, Saya scurried onto her feet and ran. Kicking off from the beast and running after Saya while Haji took care of the rest, I followed Saya to a different building and tried catching up to her before feeling something hard pressed against my back before being hurled across the pavement and through several walls of the building.
"Konella," Haji rushed to my aid, seeing if I was alright. For better or worse I was still living. Hearing another scream I waved a hand to Haji to get going and he did just that.
"Dammit…" my back throbbing from the impact and several ribs popping back into place, and several other joints doing the same, I bit my lip in frustration and got back up. "This is going to take some time to heal…" popping my neck back into place as well and following the trail of blood, I managed to catch up to the beast and took out another dagger before it noticed me. "You're going to pay for hurting me," it heard me speak and turned to roar at my presence. I spun the dagger effortlessly in hand and charged. Sinking the blade into its chest cavity to penetrate its heart, it managed to move enough to miss its vital spot and grab my leg and throw me. I crashed through a window to a classroom and found Haji with Saya. I wasn't expecting to find a kissing scene during this time and found myself in awe of his audacity!
Haji, are you serious right now? Telepathically scolding him, my answer became clear the moment I saw blood trickle out from the corner of her mouth, then I grasped the situation. Does this mean she'll wake? Asking telepathically, he was about to respond before the chiropteran walked into the room and began breathing hard to the smell of blood. Its eyes changed from the luminescent yellow to the color of crimson. A beast seeking prey.
"Sword," Saya's voice was low and stern. Eye's aglow the color of crimson blood. She was different to the small girl I saw running away. Haji handed her the katana and she drew it like it was always there for her. The chiropteran roared once more and began taking its stance to charge. I was ready to stand before a light fell across my face and a boy no older than Saya stood at the door with his mouth agape to the creature standing in the room.
"What the hell is that?!" He shook, nearly dropping down to the floor before I grabbed hold of him and got him to the hallway out of harm's way. "Let go of me lady! What the hell is that thing!?"
"You'd do well to shut up," I glared at him for his stupidity. He was babbling when I watched Saya slay the creature with utter ease.
Haji spoke to me of her special blood that can kill these things. How easily she did so when it takes Haji and I some time to even put one down.
"Saya," the boy spoke up and looked at her with confusion and shock. Saya looked back to him with blood on her face and her glowing red eyes that startled even me. She seemed unmoved by the boy calling out to her until he got up and took two steps forward and spoke again. "Saya…?" She looked at a cabinet where her reflection showed on the glass and started screaming? Her eyes stopped glowing and she immediately passed out and began to fall. Haji was quick to catch her and looked a little confused to the action, but before we could speak there were lights shining through the window and men in uniform coming into the school over the commotion that took place here.
"We need to get away from this place before they see us." Haji picked Saya up into his arms and walked out while I took hold of the resilient boy and followed suit.
"Put me down!"
"Again, you'd do well to shut up." Scolding a child and able to grasp the boy enough to keep him steady, we left the school without leaving traces of us being there and managed to get away from the police.
The scenery of the school being surrounded by law enforcers and what seemed like military troops was a close call on our part. Over the years of not getting caught by the people calling themselves the Red Shield, it's come to my understanding that the military is much more involved than it ever was before. The boy wriggled out of my grasp and threw in an elbow that got me in the ribcage. The force wasn't much, but with my ribs still mending it was enough to make me cough and feel a slight puncture in the lung.
"Get away from Saya!" The boy raged towards Haji as he set Saya down and moved away from him. The boy glared at Haji as he cradled Saya. The relationship between the two was unknown, but hearing Saya whisper the boy's name—being Kai—the look Haji gave was one filled with hurt and confusion.
"Haji—" the coughing coming quick and filling my hands with fresh blood from the lung that got punctured, he quickly came to my aide and looked me over with worry. "Not healing…fast enough…is all…" the coughing making it worse, he lifted me up and said nothing to the boy or gave another glance over to Saya. I'm certain he wanted to remove Saya from that place himself rather than me, but with how things turned out I couldn't really blame him for having to choose. Come morning I knew that things were going to change, and that change might be something even more difficult than being half chevalier.