Poor Misguided Soul

Chapter 6: Crossfaded

The gardens outside Ramshackle Dorm were eerily quiet, with only the soft chirp of insects around. Vanessa, dressed casually in jeans and a snug t-shirt with just the right level of feminine touches, strolled across the grass keeping her eyes peeled for her dark and dashing Fairy Prince. She spotted the twinkle of green fairy lights, and gently ran her fingers through the air to play with them.

"This was our spot…" he spoke aloud from the shadows, startling her. She whirled around and found herself directly face to face with him. "We'd become accustomed to each other's company, and met here on a nightly basis."

"By we… I take it, you mean my counterpart?" Vanessa tapped her temple. "Do you miss her?"

"Yes, more than I'd care to admit." He strolled past her, his eyes cast out at the Ramshackle building. "I found her a bit of an odd nuisance at first, a strange girl from a strange land, occupying the grounds I used as a kind of tranquil sanctuary. Little by little her kindness, and nativity lured us into a kinship that eventually grew into a love I cherished."

"I had my suspicions that you two were more than just friends from the way I caught you staring at me. Not to mention the whispers and tongue wagging that was going on behind our backs." She tucked her arms behind her back. "Is that why you came to see me? You miss, what was her name again? Yuuki?"

"She preferred to be called Yuu… and I came to see you at the lounge because I was suspicious. I worried that Azul might've been…"

"... Manipulating me?" She raised a brow.

"Was I wrong?" He questioned outright.

"Very… Azul may be my dorm leader but he has little to no control over me. I made it a point to let him know I don't plan on being his slave." She shrugged. "That being said… I quite enjoy the work. It's fast paced, and fulfilling, and I actually enjoy the attention I'm getting."

"That's a surprise, as you didn't like that kind of thing before." He crossed his arms in a disapproving fashion. "Do you stop to think what others might think of your flirtatious behavior?"

"AWWW, does daddy disapprove?" She gave him a teasing pout that had those sharp electric green eyes sizzling with temper.

"You've made it so that Leech is following you like some kind of guard dog."

"I take it that what Floyd said ruffled your feathers?" Her pout turned into a smirk. "He means well, and it's actually kinda cute how he's grown attached to me. He'd follow me around regardless of I wore."

"Is that so? What exactly is going on between the two of you?"

"Jealous?"

"Why would I be?"

"Oh I dunno…" she stepped to him, laying a hand on his chest. "I thought there was something growing between us…" her eyes shifted into dangerous skits when he pulled away. "...but perhaps that's just my imagination."

"Yuu-"

"I'm not Yuu!" She snapped at him, her own temper flaring and she turned her back to him. She gave a little scoff and shook her head. "Never mind. This was a bad idea. I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"I'm sorry."

Those words struck her to the core. She whirled around on him, eyes flashing dangerously sharp.

"For what?! What could you possibly be sorry for? Other than leading me on and making me assume the growing attraction between us was mutual… but I suppose that's just your lingering feelings for the human."

"You're not wrong… but not altogether rright. I am attracted to the current you, but I'm not entirely sure I should be acting on that attraction."

"Why the hell not?" She put her hands on her hips.

"You said it yourself… it's because you're not Yuu."

She didn't have to pretend this time. The hurt was apparent on her face. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.

"I see."

"Do you see? I'm not entirely sure you grasp the meaning. This courtship we're circling around is a serious business to me, and I don't want to waste either of our time playing with each other's emotions."

"You're so full of it." Vanessa wanted to curse but held her tongue. "Do you think I would be here if I wasn't serious about this? I'm attracted to you, I would like to be intimate with you, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the person you want is Yuu not Vanessa." She held her hands up, taking a step back. "I made it very clear from the start that I have no desire to fall down that rabbit hole again. I'm happy with who I am now, and if you can't wrap your pretty little head around that, then I think it's best if we steer clear of each other." She emphasized her words by swirling a finger in the air. "Later."

"Wait a minute…" Malleus took her arm, and Vanessa had to hide the smirk that spread on her lips. She slowly turned back, forcing herself not to smile at him. Instead she kept her face neutral and disinterested.

"You're stronger than I am, so I can only ask you to let go of me." She gave her arm a tug but he pulled her back to face him.

"I'm not rejecting you, but you need to understand that you're not at all like the woman I loved. You're confident, assertive, witty, and feminine. My Yuu was smart, shy, compassionate, and practical. She had a sharp tongue when it mattered, but you on the other hand don't have a filter. You speak plainly, and don't let anyone give you orders unless you want to take them."

"You flatter me, but I fail to see how this isn't rejection." She jerked away from him.

"I feel… guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Yes… I rejected Yuu not because I didn't love her, but because my people wouldn't approve of her. I loved who she was, what she represented, and what she was able to accomplish without so much as a speck of magic inside her. She was a leader, an inspiration and a true friend to me. Now she's gone, I don't know if I'll ever get her back, and it's made me realize what a horrible mistake I made."

Something inside twisted, Vanessa felt her heart both swell and threaten to break at the same time. Yuu was still lingering in her subconscious somewhere, reacting to his words… and she hated it.

Defiantly, she lifted her chin and shrugged her arm away.

"So you're hesitant to form a relationship with me, because you still see her inside me, and you don't want to hurt me by confusing the two? Is that it?"

"Yes." Malleus nodded, relieved that she understood.

"Makes sense… I didn't realize you were a coward, but I can understand-"

"Excuse me? Just who are you insinuating is a coward?"

"You." She kept her chin up, but this time she smiled confidently. "You're afraid of making people dislike you after how long it took for you to open up to others. I don't need my memories to know you've got social interaction issues and a deep seeded need to be liked and included by your peers. You display it in every motion of your body, in every word you speak. You're careful, so careful not to upset anyone… and you don't allow yourself to have what you truly want."

"You seem to know me well for someone who has no memory of me and has only known me for a few weeks." Malleus scowled.

"That's because when I want something, or in this case someone…" she reached out cupping his cheeks. "...I do everything I can to make them mine."

She rose up on her toes, arms circling around his neck. She felt him move in with her, his body pressed firmly as their mouths hover.

"Nessy-chan!" Floyd suddenly appeared hanging upside from the tree. The young couple jumped apart. "Azul wants to see you."

"Damn it, Floyd! I told Azul he doesn't give me orders. Buzz off!" She yanked him down. He gracefully twisted his body, landing in a crouched stance, and rose up slowly to stand opposing Malleus. The two tall men sandwiched the petite mermaid between them, staring each other down.

"Leech," Malleus greeted numbly.

"Sea Bunny…" Floyd returned the greeting with a "I'm gonna squeeze you" smile. "Sorry for interrupting but I'm gonna steal away your girl. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all… I was just leaving."

"Malleus!" Vanessa grabbed his arm. "Ignore him, we can go somewhere else and finish our…"

"It can wait." He took her hand, placing a kiss on it "I'll call upon you again. For now you should see what your yapping dog wants." He vanished in a flash of twinkling lights.

"Wait but-" She held out her hand top stop him, but he had already gone. Irritation tensed all over her face and she turned around. "Floyd…" her voice came out low and threatening, and she cracked her knuckles. "You had better have a good excuse for- HEY! PUT ME DOWN!" She beat her fists on his back as he hauled her up over his shoulder.

"Calm down Nessy. I need to talk to you privately, and the best place to do that is in the water."

"The wat- oh no! Don't you dare! Floyd, Floyd, FLOYD!" She let out a short scream and clung onto him for dear life as he leapt off the cliffs and into the ocean below. She transformed on instinct mid leap and ripped away from Floyd the moment they landed in the water.

"Idiot! You don't just pick someone up and jump off a cliff with them. Are you insane?" She whipped her tail out, and he did a roll in order to dodge it. He had her back in his arms within moments and she wriggled violently. "Let go! I said let go of me! I'm so mad at you I could…"

"Just shut up already…" Floyd bit her neck making her stiffen up. "That's better."

She felt her choker come loose, and quickly made a grab for it. Floyd was faster, yoinking it from her neck and he held it up and away from her reach.

"What the hell are you doing? What's this about, Floyd?" Vanessa rubbed her now bare neck looking irritated and confused.

"I had an interesting talk with Jade and Azul a little while ago. I was gonna wait until you came back to the dorm, but I didn't feel like it."

"So instead you interrupted me just as I was on the precipice of wooing Malleus. Are you an absolute idiot?"

"You won't need to bat those pretty eyes at Sea Bunny if we play it right."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"It's something Jade said that made me think there's something different about your contract… I figured you'd wanna take a look for yourself."

"Different? What do you mean different?"

"Not sure… let's find out, shall we?" His hands glowed with magical power, and the seal on his transfigure spell broke. The spiral shell unravelled and whipped open to reveal the glowing gold contract. "Have a read."

"Good grief…" she took the contract and read it through carefully. For the most part it was pretty straightforward. Party one, the signee, will relinquish all memories of their former life in exchange for becoming a Fae. In addition to relinquishing their memories, the signee must acquire the title "Queen of Briar Valley" by marrying the reigning heir, Malleus Draconia, within one year. The Queen must then welcome the following personnel into the Royal court: Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, and Floyd Leech. If they fail to adhere to these conditions the collateral will be forfeited, and the signee will be forced to serve the contract administrator in absolute perpetuity.

"There doesn't seem to be anything out of… hold on." Vanessa narrowed her eyes on the small print at the bottom. "Additional terms and conditions. Contract administrator must uphold the following conditions: 1) Administrator must assist signee in the courtship of Malleus Draconia, or contract is voided. 2) Administrator must provide signee with salaried employment until marriage is finalized or contract is voided. 3) Administrator must remain in possession of contract or forfeit all rights to whomever possess it… HOLY SHIT! FLOYD!"

Vanessa held the contract to her chest and she tackled him in a hug. He squeezed her back and the two did a spin in the water.

"Told ya so."

"This is amazing! This is… holy shit! Holy shit! This is perfect. No wonder he was so pissed off when I took the contract away from him. He knows he can't touch me now. So long as I have the contract, he can't force me into servitude. It doesn't matter if I marry Malleus now. I can stay like this forever so long as I have this in my possession." She kissed the contract and then him. She meant to just give him a firm peck, but it turned to a full blown make-out session. Hands wandered, cupped and possessed before the two finally broke apart surging with energy and excitement.

"Okay, okay, okay… need to focus." She let out a small giddy laugh and looked back down at the contract in hand. It's super important now that we don't let anyone find out about this contract or its contents."

Floyd took the hint and took the contract from her. After a few moments the contract formed back into the spiral shell necklace. He handed it back to her.

"Thank you… oh!" She gripped his chin, grinning at him. "Also, I forgive you for the interruption. This more than made up for it."

"Does this mean I still get my squeezes?" He teasingly nipped her thumb.

"For as long and as hard as you want, Floyd." She nuzzled her lips on his and Intertwined their tails.

"Yay! My Nessy!" Floyd squeezed her to him and did cartwheel circles in the water. She laughed and the two frolicked in the sea, celebrating her new found freedom.

~Night Raven College: Hallway~

The problem with freedom was knowing what to do with it, and figuring out how to keep it. Azul knew that whomever possessed the contract would have control over her fate, so the best thing to do was to play oblivious, and keep him in the dark about any plans that diverted from the original goal.

As far as he knew, she was still looking to court Malleus Draconia. Floyd wouldn't like it, but he'd deal with it so long as she gave him the attention he wanted.

It wasn't as if she was opposed to the idea of marrying Malleus. The guy was easy on the eyes, powerful, and intelligent. She could see him being a very generous loving partner, and becoming Queen for Briar Valley did have its appeal… but he was still in love with her human self. The man didn't know what he wanted and so long as he had these wishy washy feelings, as far as she was concerned, he could just stay lonely and single.

Besides, Floyd liked her just the way she was… and was more than generous with his affections.

"I know I said you could hold on as long and hard as you want, Floyd… but I really have to go to class now." Vanessa grunted as she waddled down the hall with Floyds arms hugging her close and making it so she had to hunch over with all his weight.

"You should come to class with me instead." He propped his chin atop her head. "It'll be way more fun with you there."

"I'm still a beginner, Floyd, I can't attend a junior class until I master my own." She tilted her head up. "Besides you wouldn't be focused on the class but instead on me. I'm nothing but a distraction."

"Fine, then I'll just skip class today."

"Seriously? AUGH! Let go, you overgrown seahorse!" She jerked away, making him pout.

"Come on, Nessy, skip with me. Class is lame. I wanna do something fun instead."

"Tell ya what," she grabbed his chin. "You attend your classes and club activities like a good boy, and I'll give you a treat afterwards."

"Oooh! What kind?" She practically see his tail wagging.

"It's a secret." She placed a finger to her lips. "You promise to be good?"

"Mmmkay!" He strolled away happily humming. Once he was out of sight, Vanessa let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank the Seven…"

"Nice lapdog you got there, Van. Does he do tricks too?" Ace's voice, normally a cheerful and humor inducing sound, grated against her skin.

"None whatsoever. I can't even get the idiot to sit on command." She brushed loose strands out of her hair. "It was cute at first, but now it's really getting annoying."

"Tell me about it. The bully wouldn't even let me back in the room. I had to go back all the way back to Ramshackle Dorm and sleep by myself." Grim whined.

"So that's why you never came back to the room last night." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I wondered why it was so quiet."

"You gotta do something, Yuu. He's muscling in and taking my spot."

"Va-nes-sa!" She reminded him with a boop on the nose. "I'll handle it and him. Besides, this whole overprotective phase is bound to pass just like everything else he's ever shown interest in."

"I hope so. I hate sleeping alone. I miss you." He looked up at her with big sad blue eyes. Vanessa's lips twitched with sympathy and she crouched down to pick him up.

"Come on, let's go to class."

"Oh hey, this is gonna be your first time performing magic in class isn't it? You must be pretty excited."

"Ecstatic." She confirmed with a grin.

~Classroom: Practical Magics Class~

"Let's go over the safety rules one more time, shall we?" Professor Trein pet his familiar, Lucius, as he strolled around the room eyeing his students. "Be sure to have a firm grip on your magic pens, focus your energy into it before carefully enunciating the spell. Even the slightest fluctuation from the spell could cause it to go awry."

There was a sudden explosion from his right, causing Lucius to yowl and leap from Trein's arms. The older man scowled in the direction of Ace and Deuce.

"I said focus and… ENUNCIATE!"

"Y-yes, sir." They both grumbled, flinching at Trein's tone.

"Honestly, it's a wonder if you ever manage to graduate." He looked to Vanessa who had her eyes closed and had her pen held out at arm's length. Curious, he waited and watched.

"I call upon the elements of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire… mold this clay into what I desire…" Her magestone pen glowed with magical energy as she recited the words three times. Ace, Deuce, and Grim came in close, but Trein held out a hand, holding a finger to his lips. He didn't want them breaking her concentration.

"... Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire, mold this clay into what I desire!" She flicked her pen once, and the mud expanded and swirled as the elements came together. Water kept the clay moist as it moved, allowing the wind to swirl and carve its shape, and once it was complete fire heated the clay and solidified it into a solid statue.

Trein applauded and the class followed suit.

"Excellent job, Miss Coral. That was a perfect execution." He crouched a little to admire what she'd chosen to depict. "I also love your choice of subject. This is a brilliant likeness to the Witch of Thorns. I especially like how you captured her in the midst of casting a spell. It's true to her persona."

"Thank you… I originally thought of depicting the Benevolent Sea Witch since I'm now a part of her world, but for some reason this image just spoke to me." She gently brushed her fingers along the statuette. "The way she commands attention, and ripples with power in every fiber of her being. It's stunning and admirable."

"I wholeheartedly agree, and again well done." Trein praised and then moved onto the other students. Vanessa beamed with pride and turned to Ace, Deuce, and Grim who just gawked.

"So… what are you guys gonna make?"

~Ramshackle Dorm: Yuu's Old Room~

"Welcome, gentlemen, to the first meeting of the Yuu defense force." Ace announced to the small group that he'd gathered in the room. The company consisted of himself, Deuce, Grim, Epel, Jack, Kalim, Jamil, Silver, Sebek, Ortho, and Idia. "We are gathered here because we all have one thing in common… We all want the Old Yuu back."

"Point of order!" Idia raised his hand. "Why am I here? I really don't care one way or another."

"Oh Brother…" Ortho sighed. "Aren't you worried for Yuu-chan? All of her memories are missing, and no one's doing anything about it."

"She seems happy with the way she is now, so why bother?" Idia shrugged.

"I'll tell you why," Grim stood up. "Because that girl isn't Yuu! My Yuu would never ditch me, or bully me, or let me sleep alone all by myself in an empty dorm." Grim's eyes started to tear up. "Now she's even leaving me behind in class. She's way better at magic than I am, and she just got her magic. It doesn't add up! None of this adds up!"

"Grim does have a point…" Epel sighed sadly. "When I ran into Vanessa on the way to potions class today, she didn't even acknowledge me. She just kept walking as if I didn't matter."

"It's only because she doesn't recognize you, Epel." Jack tried to comfort, placing a hand on his back. "Once she gets her memories back we'll all be happier for it. In the meantime we just have to put up with this new girl."

"We should try to make friends with Vanessa, too. She's not necessarily a bad person." Kalim pointed out. "When I greeted her she was really polite and nice to me."

"You really didn't give her much of a choice, Kalim." Jamil reminded him, recalling how Kalim practically leapt at her, and held her tight in a hug while gushing how worried he'd been and how happy he was to see her. "I'm skeptical. There's something… off about Vanessa."

"I agree with Viper." Sebek slapped his palms on his crossed legs. "This Vanessa girl is not to be trusted. She's put Lord Malleus in a very uncomfortable situation and I don't care for it!"

"You didn't care for the original Yuu, either, so that's a moot point." Silver added and turned his attention to Jamil. "What exactly did you mean when you said something felt off about her?"

"As it happens, I saw her and Azul meeting in the hallway after classes had ended…" Jamil closed his eyes, putting the image in his head.

~FLASHBACK~

Jamil started to come around the corner, but heard Azul uncharacteristically raise his voice.

"What do you mean you LOST IT?"

"Exactly what I told you, Azul, and will you stop shouting at me?" Vanessa shoved Azul out of her personal space. "I gave it to Floyd, and now I don't know what the idiot did with it. He refuses to tell me anything because he's mad about the whole Malleus situation. You know how he gets."

"You're lying! You have that idiot wrapped around your little finger. Tell me where it is, right now, or so help me-"

"Or so help you what, Azul?" She shoved him again, this time he stumbled and slipped down the wall so that she towered over him. She grabbed the front of his tie and yanked it tight. "Exactly what kind of power do you hold over me?"

"You know exactly what-" He grit his teeth when she grasped his face and squeezed his cheeks together with her free hand.

"Why do you continue to treat me as if I'm your enemy, Azul?" She squeezed his cheeks tighter. "Just because I'm not doing things EXACTLY the way you want them to doesn't mean I'm not helping you."

"Grrmmmph…" Azul tried to shift his head away but she held him firmly in place.

"Listen, and listen good, Azul. You are my dorm head, and my boss when I'm on shift, but that's it. I'd like us to be friends because you're someone I admire and have come to respect…" she offered him a smile, but that smile suddenly turned cold and devilish. A dark aura seemed to coat her fingers. "... but if you ever threaten me like that again, I promise you that I'll make your life a living hell."

Azul shuddered as he started to feel his magic power slip from him. He looked into the eyes of this girl he'd transformed, and couldn't help but feel like he'd created a monster.

"Do we have an understanding, Azul?"

All he could do was nod.

"Good." She released him, and stepped back holding out her hand with a smile. "Now, friends?"

"Friends." Azul sighed and took her hand. He lifted himself up and adjusted his jacket and glasses. "For someone who hasn't fully grasped her magical capabilities, you're truly frightening."

"I know, right? It's like there's all this aggression and frustration that's been building up and I'm finally able to release it." She let out a long sigh of relief. "Feels great."

"I think, in the interest of self preservation, I shall refrain from getting on your bad side." Azul sighed too, but in frustration. "As per the item in question, if you did in fact lose it, I highly suggest finding it quickly and putting it in a safe spot."

"Oh, believe me, Azul." Vanessa secretly stroked her necklace behind his back as it glowed a brilliant gold. "It's on the top of my list."

~End of Flashback~

"Creepy…" Epel rubbed his arms suddenly feeling a chill. "She really did all that?"

"Yes… and this item that she and Azul were talking about must be important if they want it kept hidden. It's suspicious."

"This is Azul we're talking about. If it's an item…" Jack rubbed the back of his head and his eyes slowly widened. "No way… Yuu wouldn't do that would she?"

"Do what, Jack?" Deuce leaned forward. "What are you thinking?"

"Do you think… is it possible that Yuu might have made a deal with Azul?" Jack questioned and had everyone in the room going stiff with shock.

"You mean a contract? No way!" Ace scoffed at the very notion. "Yuu's not dumb enough to fall for that again."

"What if she had no choice in the matter?" Silver suggested. "Remember when she fell off the cliff? What if it wasn't an accident?"

"You're not seriously suggesting that Floyd and Jade pushed Yuu off a cliff just to get her to sign some dumb contract are you?" Idia shook his head in disbelief.

"It makes sense." Jamil had to agree with the theory. "A contract would explain why the transformation spell has become permanent, and why Yuu's memories are still missing. It was probably used as collateral for the spell."

"That's nuts!" Ace shook his head. "Why would they go that far to turn Yuu into one of them? What could they possibly gain from that?"

"I don't know, but this is all just speculation at this point. We don't have any proof that any of this is real." Jamil held his chin. "We need more information, and some concrete proof."

"What's the plan?"

"If Yuu-san really is being used by Azul and the others…" Silver stood up. "Then Malleus-sama will want to know. If anyone can get Azul to confess to his crimes, it'll be him."

"Agreed. Leave the investigation to us. We'll get to the bottom of this!" Sebek stood up as well and crossed his arms. "Lord Malleus will not allow the likes of Azul Ashengrotto to play games with the people he cares for."

"Is it really right to let Draconia-senpai handle this on his own? We should confront Azul as well." Deuce punched his fist into his palm.

"Yeah! Count me in!" Grim agreed.

"Then it's settled… We tell Malleus, and confront the guys from Octavinelle!" Ace raised his hand. "All in favor?"

"AYE!" Everyone but Idia held their hands up.

"The Ayes have it! Meeting adjourned! Let's go kick some OCTO-BUTT!"