Akira sighed as he looked upward at the ceiling of the cabin he occupied. It had been a day since they had set sail for Cross Academy. He had no doubt that Lin Hua, Beatrice, Henry and Shinji were patrolling once more to ensure their captives did not try to escape. With his own patrol shift over, he could focus on the main thing that was bothering him.
"Anju…" Akira began. "There is something I need to tell you, something that I have realized has been on my mind since the school festival. I…" Akira breathed again, composing himself for the words that he knew he would have to say. He could do it. He knew he could. He…
…he could not do it. Akira's head fell back into his pillow as he closed his eyes in frustration. He clenched his fist, gripping the mattress beneath him. With all the free time he could spare, he had been devoting himself to properly tell Anju how he truly felt about her; the realization as to what his feelings were on the night she left. Yet no matter how many times he tried, the words seemed to become caught in his mouth.
Akira grabbed his own head in frustration. Never before did he think something like this was so hard, especially after confronting all the enemies he had faced so far. He thought long and hard about what he could say, but nothing came to mind. For the moment, he simply wished something would come in and take his attention away from all this.
As if to grant his wish, the door opened. "Lord Akira! I have an incoming call from Chairman Cross!" Said the vampire steward who entered his quarters on the ship.
"What is it!?" Akira asked, rising to his feet.
"Cross Academy has been attacked!" He reported, striking alarm into him.
"By whom?" Akira asked. "And how many?"
"From what we know milord…" The steward replied. "It's just one person. Katarina Kraven."
She had reached the scene to witness Cassandra pinned to the ground by whom she could only guess was Katarina Kraven. She had watched as Katarina raised her blade, ready to impale Cassandra, cried out as she rushed to help, only to realize she wouldn't make it in time as the sword struck downward. Only when the sound of metal striking concrete reverberated through the air did Misaki stop.
Cassandra blinked as she stared to her left. Katarina's sword had struck into the ground just inches from her head. She looked back up and stared into Katarina's eyes, frowning as she saw how they appeared to glisten slightly.
"Damn you, you stupid fool…" Katarina breathed heavily. "How could you say that after all you've done? You… you betrayed us all…"
Cassandra breathed as she realized how much her actions had affected Katarina. In her mind, they were still family, with Katarina being the sibling who looked out for her constantly. Cassandra now realized how much of Katarina's trust must have been hurt by her decisions. Still, at this point there was no time for regret.
"I did not betray you sister." Cassandra said. "There were things that I was shown, things that Yuki Kuran told me. Things that made me realise I could not trust grandfather anymore. Surely, you've seen things. You have seen what has slowly been happening to our family, haven't you? That grandfather would forgive James drinking my blood, or not bothering to take me back. Haven't you noticed these changes?"
"I…" Katarina stuttered before her glare returned. "Silence! You don't expect me to believe such things do you?"
"So you have…" Cassandra said. "Please sister, let us just sit down and talk. We could always do that."
Katarina's body trembled as hesitation gripped her. Her mind was thrown into chaos from all of her experiences and emotions colliding together at once. Her hatred for those who killed her mother, her rage at the vampires who failed to prevent that, her loyalty to her grandfather that also countered her loyalty to family. Confusion that now wracked her mind at the course things had taken since the battle at Kraven castle all those months ago.
"Cassandra!" Came the voice again. This time Katarina turned to see Misaki standing some metres away, knife drawn. "Get away from her!" The young Hunter demanded as she crouched low.
Katarina's hair now flared red as she wrenched her sword free and raised it toward Misaki. "Sister! Please don't!" Cassandra begged but Katarina paid it no heed. Gathering energy within her blade, she swung full force, and now the energy raced toward Misaki, obliterating anything that stood in its way. Misaki immediately torqued to avoid it, but it was far too fast. No matter what anyone tried, it would not save her.
As soon as she closed her eyes and braced for the impact to come, something landed in front of her. An explosion flung her back, her body landing painfully on the ground. Misaki groaned as she looked up, blinking with shock as she beheld her savoir.
"Ms Katarina Kraven." Chairman Cross said. "While I consider myself a peaceful man, I harbor no tolerance for those who would bring harm upon my students. I ask that you surrender now and hand yourself over, for both yours and your sister's sake."
"Kirihara Cross." Katarina growled. "Pray tell, why would I do something so unnecessary?"
The Chairman sighed. "This is your last chance. I do not wish to hurt you."
"As if you could!" Katarina roared as she charged in, her sword raised overhead. As soon as she was within striking distance however, she stopped.
The Chairman had vanished. Even in the eyes of Misaki, Katarina could see the shock and surprise upon her face, as if she too had experienced the same thing.
Katarina now felt the cold of steel upon the nape of her neck. Directly behind her, Chairman Cross had a katana drawn, the bladed edge now drawn upon her neck. "Did you know?" Chairman Cross said. "Long ago, we humans devoured even vampires simply for the slightest bit of a chance to destroy them. Due to that, some of us are also born with the genes of vampires within us. My ancestor was no different. Before he passed on, he made certain to tell his descendants to never succumb to the mistakes his generation had made. Yet, as much as we try to atone, some things never truly get wiped away."
"You are a descendant of the old hunters…" Katarina stated.
"That I am." Chairman Cross affirmed. "While most of those have already passed on, my lineage has appeared to retain most of that old power. Of course, it has regressed over the centuries, but it has still served me well enough to protect this school."
Now, the Chairman withdrew and sheathed his blade. "I will say this once more Ms Katarina. Surrender yourself. I do not wish further violence upon the grounds of this place."
Katarina could now feel the overwhelming pressure behind her. While she was used to the power her grandfather had displayed and had seen first-hand Akira and Ren Kiryu's might, this was something else. It was as if some form of predator now watched her intently with hungry eyes, ready to strike at a moment's notice, a moment that even she wouldn't be able to predict. By all accounts, this was likely one of the most powerful opponents she had faced. Still…
"You think a show of power will force me back so easily!?" Katarina now jumped upward, forming bat-like wings from shadow and keeping herself airborne. Her eyes now flashed red as her hair glowed, the same energy now transferring into her sword.
Kirihara Cross sighed as he removed his glasses, placing them inside his coat. "Ms Shiba, may I trouble you to please take Cassandra somewhere safe? Also, report to the Hunter council and the rest of the staff that they are not to interfere. I will not have more casualties in this."
"O-okay…" Misaki nodded as soon as she beheld his face. Whatever childishness she remembered from him was gone, replaced with a coldness like steel and a hunger like some terrible beast. She wasn't sure how strong some of the high ranked Hunters were, but she knew it could not compare to this single-minded killing intent. Seeing nothing else needed to be said, Misaki quickly went to Cassandra, helping the injured Pureblood to her feet.
Kirihara now raised the katana, placing his thumb upon the hexagonal shaped guard that was decorated with white and red rose markings. With a single flick, the katana was lifted, its steel now jutting out slightly from within the black scabbard and reflecting in the moon.
Seeing that he was ready, Katarina now dived down, her blade swinging toward him. Just as it was about to strike him in the head, Kirihara's hands blurred. Instantly, she felt her sword get stopped, the katana he held now fully drawn and able to parry the attack. Katarina broke the lock and now struck overhead. Once more, Kirirhara parried the blow. As soon as the steel of their blades connected, he vanished. With the resistance of her opponent's block now gone Katarina tilted forward, leaving her vulnerable to a strike by the Chairman from above her.
When? She gritted her teeth as she spun, barely catching his blade with hers. Still, the force of the strike slammed her down upon the ground. She had to admit, this opponent was something else. Already vampires possessed enhanced speed and strength. That even a human could overpower her like this, she wondered what sort of power Ren Kiryu could fully display.
Katarina growled as she funneled energy into her sword, unleashing it in a destructive tide that pushed the Chairman away a couple of metres. As soon as she recovered, Kirihara was upon her again in the blink of an eye, pushing her back further and further.
Misaki and Cassandra watched as the Chairman drove Katarina further and further into the woods. She knew that as of now, the Chairman was intent on bringing the fight to a different area so as to minimize the casualties. "Now is our chance to get away." Misaki said. "We should just leave this to the chairman."
"Wait." Cassandra panted. "Please, I must see this to the end."
"But…" Misaki protested, but was silence with a look from Cassandra.
"Misaki, no matter what, she is family to me, perhaps the only one I have left." Cassandra explained. "While I am sure Chairman Cross will not kill her, I must at least talk to her, as her sister."
Misaki looked upon the Pureblood, and seeing the determination in her eyes, knew she could not hope to change her mind. Grunting as she supported her, the two limped toward the woods.
Their clash raged on in the night, the flash of steel brightening up the darkness with each slash with the clanging of metal against metal drove even the birds and woodland animals away.
Katarina braced herself upon a tree, pushing off toward Kirihara, her sword pointed at him. Kirihara lifted the katana, parrying with the flat of the blade. As he was repelled, he flipped the sword into a backhand hold, stabbing it into a tree. Using the momentum, he pivoted around it before dashing away; so fast that he was but a blur to Katarina.
"Not so fast!" Katarina roared as she coated her blade in the same scarlet energy and unleashed it all in a wide arc, slicing apart the trees. As the trees fell all around, her eyes darted for the slightest movement. With her keen sense of sight, it would be easy to even take notice of something out of the ordinary. However, she knew that he opponent was no ordinary person. Already he had proven to be able to match her in single combat. To drop her guard would be to court death.
Katarina now swung her blade back, catching the steel of the katana. Scraping her sword upon his, she quickly spun and struck back. However, Chairman Cross dashed away again, her sword missing him completely. Katarina growled as she hefted her blade defensively while her wing constructs wrapped around her, covering her sides. She knew it was entirely possible for the Chairman to be able to strike her anywhere and she wouldn't even see him coming. She could not be too careful with him.
"Please Ms Kraven." The Chairman said. "We can still end this battle right here."
"Meaning I surrender, right?" Katarina surmised. "You will find that I will not yield so easily."
Chairman Cross sighed once more, bending his knees as he placed his hand on the sheathed katana's handle. He breathed slowly, pooling all his concentration and focus together. Katarina responded in kind, her hair flaring with power as her sword glowed and the wing constructs writhed.
A split second lasted before they dashed at each other again. The ringing of metal clashing resounded through the air as their fight continued.
"Haa… Haa…" Cassandra breathed as she trudged through the trees, Misaki supporting her. Already she had commanded Gabriella to inform all the teachers and that the Night class be mobilized to defend the Sun dorm, though she felt it was unnecessary. Katarina appeared to have come alone, though why she did so baffled her.
"I think I can manage on my own now." Cassandra said as her final wounds healed.
"Don't mind me saying, but that took longer than usual." Misaki remarked.
"Sister Katarina is extremely strong." Cassandra said. "I was often told that her will itself manifests as her strength. The stronger her determination, the stronger she becomes. Her combat prowess is not to be scoffed at."
"Can't believe you'd take direct hits from her." Misaki replied to that comment. "How will we even stop her?"
"I just need to make her listen." Cassandra said. "I should be able to calm her down with just a simple conversation."
"Are you sure?" Misaki frowned. "Don't mean to be rude, but she doesn't look like she's in a talking mood. She was pretty hell bent on killing you."
"But she didn't." Cassandra huffed as she pressed onward. "She had that chance and she stopped. I know I can reach her Misaki. I'm sure I can… But first, I need to stop them from fighting." As soon as she took another step, the clash of metal sounded again. Cassandra gritted her teeth as she picked up the pace. I swear… Cassandra thought furiously. I won't let someone I care about die again!
Katarina huffed as she continued her attacks upon Chairman Cross. He was obviously injured, judging by the cuts upon his arms and the recent blow to his chest. If these affected him in any way, it didn't show. He merely fought back with equal vigor, managing to wound Katarina herself a few times. The blade was also a finely crafted Hunter's weapon, for it negated her regeneration.
She raised her sword again, slashing down toward his head. The Chairman once more disappeared from her view, her sword now striking the ground below. Katarina now pried her blade from the earth as she gathered all of her power into the blade. With a vicious roar, she swung her sword in a full circle, cutting down all the trees within a hundred metres of her.
"Don't think you can hide so easily!" She roared as the trees fell, their trunks charred where the burst of energy had cut right through.
"Sister!" Came a voice. Katarina now turned to look as Cassandra arrived on the scene with Misaki in tow.
"Cassandra…" Katarina blinked.
"Please stop this!" Cassandra pleaded. "There is no need for you to fight!"
"Quiet!" Katarina yelled. "Once I am finished with this man, you will be next!"
"Then it seems I must now put an end to this." Katarina turned to see Chairman Cross right behind her. She raised her blade again, gritting her teeth.
"Enough toying around with me!" Katarina glared. "Face me like a warrior, unless you old Hunters' prowess is only matched by your ability to keep running!"
"There is a reason why I did not wish to use my full strength upon you Katarina." Chairman Cross explained. "I was merely hoping you'd tire out after all this fighting. However, if that is the only way I can stop you, then it seems I have no choice."
"Chairman, no!" Cassandra screamed as Katarina charged in again. Chairman Cross merely bent his legs, placing his hands on the katana.
The sound of the Chairman's exhaling breath seemed to reverberate through the air, a sinister premonition of what was to be unleashed to the three who were gathered here this night. Misaki watched on, time itself seeming to have slowed to a crawl. Katarina's blade once more began to pulse with energy, yet the Chairman did not budge. The only movement that she saw was the movement of his hands as he drew the blade from its sheath.
As soon as all saw the glint of the katana's steel, the whole area around erupted. Misaki and Cassandra watched with wide eyes as nothing but the flashes of the Chairman's blade engulfed the entire area, his body nothing but a blur. Almost instantly, the remains of the trees Katarina had cut down were reduced to wood chips as the very air itself appeared to be sliced apart. Misaki had to wonder exactly how fast the Chairman was going within that frenzied storm of slashes that was too fast even for vampire eyes to keep up with. Even the ground itself was not spared, myriad lines appearing as signs of being cut apart, only to be replaced by what seemed like a hundred, perhaps a thousand more almost instantly.
For Katarina, who was trapped within that maelstrom, she could only look on with wide eyes as she was surrounded by a deadly storm of death. She couldn't begin to count how many strikes had hit her; only that the minute it ended, her entire body had frozen up. Her sword now cracked apart before shattering into hundreds of tiny shards while her wings dissipated, ripped apart by the storm of slashes that had occurred. Katarina now fell backwards, her body hitting the ground.
"SISTER!" Cassandra screamed as she ran to her. As she thought the worst, she stopped the instant the Chairman walked up to her. As she looked on, she realized one thing.
Katarina was not bleeding. Despite the storm of attacks within which she was trapped, there was no sign of any more wounds upon her body other than the ones she had previously. It seemed it wasn't injury that had incapacitated Katarina. It appeared that Katarina had experienced something she hadn't experienced in decades; fear and awe. It seemed all that Chairman Cross had done was remove her will to keep fighting, for despite still breathing, she made no effort to move.
"Ms. Kraven." Chairman Cross called. It took Cassandra a second to realize it was her whom he was speaking to. "I believe now would be the best time to speak with your sister. But I would advise you make it quick. Above all others, I am still Chairman of this school. I must see that all who dare to harm my students be dealt with appropriately. Rest assured though, she will be in safe hands."
Cassandra looked at her sister's still form. Katarina was still breathing, but she still looked shocked. She wondered if the Chairman's attack had a side-effect of dazing his targets. She surmised that with something incredible like that, it wasn't unlikely. Cassandra now came forward and knelt beside Katarina, squeezing her hand. The touch seemed to gain Katarina's attention, for her eyes now shifted toward Cassandra. She saw that her older sister's eyes had returned to their usual yellow, meaning that for now Katarina's desire to fight had been extinguished.
"How shameful." Katarina said. "To think that a human reduced me to this. All of my training and sacrifice, all for naught…"
"Sister…" Cassandra called out.
"Cassandra…" Katarina frowned as she turned her head.
"Do you still remember?" Cassandra asked. "The day I went and played a prank on mother by drawing on her face while she slept? When she wanted to reprimand me, you stepped in and tried to make her reconsider. And that time I climbed that tree and fell, you were there to catch me, weren't you?"
"Why remind me of this?" Katarina sighed. "Those days were so long ago that they feel pointless now."
"No." Cassandra disagreed. "They weren't pointless, at least not to me. Because throughout all that has happened since mother died, I saw you as family too."
"And still you turned against us?" Katarina asked. "Where is the sense in that? Why betray grandfather when he had already exalted you so much?"
"Because grandfather no longer has our family's interests at heart." Cassandra explained. "Yuki showed me everything. Ever since he found out I was a Blood Siren, he had been plotting to use my power to make himself the ruler of all."
"And you believe her?" Katarina growled. "Her ideal of coexistence caused us no small amount of pain and grief!"
"Because grandfather allowed it…" Cassandra admitted.
"Why?" Katarina asked.
"Because he knew mother would oppose him. So he allowed her to die..." Cassandra said bitterly. "He knew that she hid my powers from him. I swear, this is the truth mother found as shown through Yuki. And you should have seen it yourself. He forbade you from coming to me, didn't he? Because he knew you of all people would likely hear me out. He merely wants to control us, to satisfy his own desires."
"Ridiculous…" Katarina gasped. "Why? Why would he…"
"I don't know… But I do know this is not right. Sister, I know there is a lot between us both." Cassandra said. "And I know it isn't possible to simply forget everything that has happened. But I just want us to talk again, just like we did when we were little… So please…" Cassandra's eyes teared as she dipped her head. "Please, let's just talk once more… just like we did as kids…"
Katarina stared for a few seconds. Her ears now picked up the sounds of people rushing for them, but she didn't care. Slowly, she recalled all the times she had spent with her, such as being privy to all her pranks, joining her as she played with her toys and reading with her. As much as she was told Cassandra had turned against her, there was no forgetting who she was to her.
"Do what you want little sister." Katarina groaned as she closed her eyes. "I honestly don't care right now…"
Author's Note:
And so concludes our reunion of the Kraven vampire sisters. I will soon be able to start working on the final parts of this entire story. I currently estimate at maybe 12 or so chapters left to the finale (but I have been wrong before, so don't take my work for it). So please bear with me as I finish this story that had been going on for so long in my head.
Anyways, if you all were wondering, Chairman Cross's fighting style is loosely based on Vergil's from Devil May Cry 5. I honestly haven't been a DMC fan, but seeing the gameplay and hearing the music is making me consider buying it for myself, since the gameplay design is also somewhat similar to Bayonetta. Well, I guess I'll think about that more.
Once more, please read and review!
Jdbl00d