"Every day I crucify myself
Nothing I do is good enough
for you."
Tori Amos, "Crucify"
**
Kirei Ummei
By Eve
**
Chapter One: Setsuna no Sabishii
It was windy tonight, she thought with a frown. She really wouldn't get very much stargazing in tonight; clouds were starting to make an appearance in the east sky. Her frown deepened. Orion was also the only constellation showing from the west. There would be a battle tonight.
A rather large one in fact.
Oh well, she thought. All in a day's work. Rising up from her seat on the windowsill, she maneuvered through the mess she called her room. Paintings of all kinds leaned against the wall since she was always moving because of her jobs. Yet, now it seemed Tokyo had become a permanent residence lately. Papers from work as well as a few books on mythology as well as astrology and astronomy were skewed around the room and onto of her bed.
She made it to her closet, her original destination and began to search for and pulled out a pair of black leather pants with a matching black topcoat and a black halter top. She then dug further into the closet and pulled out her pair of high-heeled boots that Okami told her over and over again that he didn't understand why she wore the damn things since they were so high.
A smirk crossed her features as her hand grazed over the three-inch heels.
He had no idea.
Quickly getting dressed, she went to the door and called for her assistant or more like her companion, Yuki. The fifteen year-old girl was a trainee the council had sent her and now she had come to consider the younger family. But, she thought with a smile. Yuki still called her Mistress for whatever reason though.
"You are going out tonight?"
She nodded, a slender hand reaching up to pull out the clip that held her hair up. Wave after wave, her mass of golden-blond hair fell into a heap around her shoulders.
"I won't be out too late. It's only Orion tonight."
Yuki nodded and looked towards the window silently. She finally spoke. "It'll be a night of Cassiopeia tomorrow. A night of yesterday's sins."
She said nothing, knowing well enough that she was right. But tomorrow was another day and she would handle it when it came. But for now she had other things to attend to. She walked to her dresser and grabbed a small gold chain with a silver star pedant attached. Clasping it around her neck, she turned to Yuki.
"Make sure if any phone calls come take a message, but don't let any visitors in."
"Yes Mistress."
She gave a small smile to Yuki. "You may visit your family tonight, just protect yourself well."
The young girl nodded and left the room, leaving her to finish her routine of getting ready. She grabbed her colt on the drawer, something she always left in the open. The fact that she had a lot of enemies in Tokyo as well as the area they were staying wasn't too safe, it gave her some sort of reassurance. Plus there was also the fact that this gun never had let her down in a battle. The other weapons were easily attainable if she needed, she thought as she headed towards the door.
After all, it was only Orion.
**
The loud obnoxious throbbing of the club music was beginning to quiet down, a softer more intimate song starting to take its course. About damn time, she wanted to yell. The whole atmosphere had been giving her one hell of a migraine.
"Jesus, where is she?"
Her dark green eyes searched the small club, through grinding bodies and laughing people and at the door where a massive crowd waited to enter the club. She was getting impatient and she hated losing her temper above all things.
"You're squirming."
"It's about damn time you got here! You know how much I hate this place."
Her blonde companion chuckled and then slid in next to her, cornflower-blue eyes sparkling in amusement. "I'm in no hurry to do much tonight, so I took my time."
"I can see that," she growled. "It's not my idea of fun watching grinding bodies in an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. So anyway, what's on the agenda tonight?"
But before the other girl could respond, the owner of the club who happened to know the both of them began to approach their table. She groaned.
"This can't get any worse."
She braced herself for the coming greeting from the elder man.
"Daiya, Asagao, you're getting too busy to say hello to me now?"
She gave Asagao a pleading look because if she were talk to the perverted man, she end up blasting him into the next life. Hebi-san was someone that if granted would be on top of her hit list.
"Hebi-san," Asagao began softly, eyes flashing dangerously. She was not the one to cross paths with. "We're only here for business. We'll be leaving shortly if our presence is bothering you that much."
Hebi moved back slowly, causing Daiya to smirk. She could smell the fear radiating off of him. Maybe he knew something then.
"Where are you going? We haven't finished talking just yet, Hebi-kun."
"I don't know anything," he said trembling. "I don't know anything at all."
She started to stand, but Asagao grasped her arm back. She looked at her in despair.
"First," she mummered. "First, you want nothing to do with him and then now you want to talk to him. Let me finish, oneesan."
Asagao stood, Hebi having a huge height advantage but the smaller woman was a force to be reckoned with. Daiya had seen Asagao in action and the ending result for her opponents weren't pretty.
"Hebi-san," Asagao spoke, turning to the cowering man. "What is going on?"
Way to beat around the bush, she thought wryly.
"A vampire hunter is in town," he whispered, eyes searching frantically around the club. There was always someone watching or listening, so one couldn't be too careful.
"D?"
"Iie," he replied shaking his head hastily.
"This one's far more powerful, far more dangerous than any of the hunters including D."
Daiya turned to Asagao with one eyebrow raised. They would know if there were someone new in town, especially since Asagao could sense these things. Asagao shook her head and then turned back to interrogating Hebi.
She was about to start mentally cheering her comrade on her interrogating the old man when she watched as the other girl paused and her expression turned into a mixture of pain and surprise.
"Relena?" She whispered low enough so that her comrade would only hear.
"It is Orion's night," she whispered. "The battle will take place very soon. We must leave now."
Her eyes flashed towards Hebi. "We shall be in contact soon."
This wasn't good.
**
"So how do you like Tokyo so far, Arashi-san?"
The pale blonde looked at her companion with amusement. It was almost as if he were trying to impress her. But no matter, her heart only belonged to one.
"It's not Paris," she admitted quietly. "But the master needs to be here, so therefore I must comply."
Hiei nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer. "The master has a lot of demons in Tokyo," he began softly. "We must help him as much as we can with these demons. Master Quatre will be waiting with us at the house also, I forgot to tell you. He and our master are here to see the new guardian."
Quatre...
She shook her head, forgetting Hiei's presence for a brief moment. He'd never love a sorceress like her. Not after what his family had driven him to become.
"What do you think of the new guardian?"
She chuckled. The new guardian happened to be one of her closest childhood friends. The *new* guardian and her partner in crime were both here.
Relena and Hilde were *quite* the pair.
And Relena was *quite* capable.
"I think that in order to form an opinion as you are craving, you need to meet her for yourself."
Hiei's expression darkened. "I think you know more than you tell the master, Arashi-san."
Her violet eyes sparkled with the challenge. He wanted to play did he? She'd play his game all right.
"Of course I do," she whispered, tracing a finger down an ivory cheek.
"Of course I do."
**
He hated council meetings. The whole room was buzzing with members and their families, almost like those damn gnats that never wanted to die. And on top of all that, it was not only Orion's night but...
*He* was here.
Which was good news for the council and hardcore hunters to an extent, but he was worried. He was worried for Daiya and Asagao, especially Asagao who was like a little sister to him.
He knew they were capable enough.
But he also knew that the man sitting in the room before the council was capable of anything.
"Okami! What's the look on your face? You look like your panties are in a bunch."
He shook his head and growled good naturally. "Schibecker..."
His grin faded when he saw Daiya practically help Asagao in through the door. A worried frown crossed his handsome features.
"I'm fine, Okami-oniisan. Just a minor sensory and premotion, that's all," Asagao's quiet voice responded quietly.
He pulled her towards him, letting her lean into his warmth. "Relena," he whispered for her ears only. "You have to be more careful."
She gave him a small smile. "Oniisan, I'm fine."
"Alright, I hate to ruin this wonderful bonding moment, but can we go inside now? I do want to see what the hell this observation night really going to be about this time."
He reluctantly let Asagao out of his embrace and chuckled when Daiya pouted at him. He moved from his position from the doorway, bringing his body into a mock bow. "Of course, my lady. Anything for you."
She stuck out her tongue at him and disappeared into the conference room. Okami's expression turned serious as he turned back to face Asagao.
"I take it that this hunter is important to a lot of people here," she said softly, searching for an answer in his eyes. He nodded slowly.
"He's a half-breed."
She chuckled. "I know. From the look on Hebi-san's face, I gathered that much. What I don't get is why they fear him more than D."
He sighed. "His family, is all that I can tell you. His family was one of the most feared nobility in all of Tokyo. That much I honestly know."
His voice dropped as he gathered her into his embrace again.
"I just want you to be careful. There's something about him..."
Asagao brought a slender finger to his lips, eyes dark with understanding.
"I know," she whispered.
"I feel it too."
**
He felt no different being in Tokyo.
It was the same in Milan, Paris, Moscow; he carried his demons every place he traveled. His eyes wandered around the room, smirking, as he could practically smell the obvious fear in all the council members.
It wasn't like he came to reclaim his family's position.
Not yet just anyway.
He had some demons to extinguish.
"I wonder what's taking so long," Quatre mummered. His friend was a well-respected member, his key to the inside of this world as well as the outside. He sat on his right side, eyes seemingly searching for someone in particular.
On his left though sat his greatest adversary and yet his greatest ally at the same time, Shigami, or the name he preferred to go under, Duo Maxwell. Everyone with the exception of Quatre had no clue what or whom they were dealing with.
Mortals were completely gullible.
The door opened and a tall raven-haired woman stepped through. Her outfit was unseen due to the closed jacket she wore, but still the same she was gorgeous. She approached the conference table warily, sky-blue eyes searching around the room.
"Damn," he heard Duo mutter.
Could it be?
The door opened once more and in stepped someone he did recognize Okami who was a demon from the Seizon Family. A family full of cowards, he thought eyes darkening.
His eyes widened when he saw who followed.
It was her, the partner that the council had set him up to work with. D had never mentioned that she was this...
Beautiful was one word.
Exquisite could be another word.
But surreal was what his mind settled on.
Tumbles of what he could have sworn was gold instead of hair fell gently against her body, moving softly with each step. She too was watching the table warily, but instead her eyes were the color of a stormy ocean full with emotions that were ready to overwhelm him. She too wore all black, tight black leather and halter-top was really doing numbers to his senses.
And then when her gaze settled onto him, he thought his heart would stop.
Quatre coughed and he couldn't believe what came out of his friend's mouth next.
"Asagao-san, this is your new partner Trowa Barton."
Good.
Very good.
**
I have been alone for most of my life. My parents I cannot seem to remember, my mind refusing to open the doors that it pushed so very far away and out of reach. I cannot help but wonder if it had been that bad.
I guess you could say that I have a bit of amnesia since all I can remember is working for the council every since I could walk. And somehow I really don't seem to mind the fact that I don't remember much, but then again maybe it is the right thing for me.
I have family, a disgruntled family I could say almost fondly. Okami-oniisan has been my mentor and older brother every since I can remember. He's also the reason Yuki-chan, Hilde and I all returned to Tokyo. Yuki is sort of like my little sister and student rolled all into one. She reminds me of me when I was younger, quiet and very anxious to learn but at the same time extremely protective of all those close to her. I remember being like that.
Hilde, Daiya, the names really don't matter between us. Although I sometimes wonder why she picked "diamond" as a codename... She's my best friend, my sister, my comrade, and also something beyond those levels. My sanity is constantly kept in check because of her. Oh come on, you think oniisan's going to keep me in check? I can already sense his discomfort as well as his hidden animosity towards this Barton guy.
My name Asagao seems to strike a chord with him as well. I can't just walk around Tokyo with a typical Irish name Relena, it would look extremely shady. But my name Asagao means "morning glory" and I wonder why he's looking at me like that.
Trowa Barton is obviously not his real name, but I can't help but why me?
His eyes are so strange, sparkling emeralds filled with nothing but curiosity and a hidden sorrow.
Lonely.
He was lonely.
Moment of loneliness.
Setsuna no Sabishii, it was his life.
**
In case you already don't know:
Arashi, "Tempest or Storm": Dorothy
Daiya, "Diamond": Hilde
Asagao, "Morning Glory": Relena
Other characters:
Yuki, Relena's assistant: "snow"
Okami-oniisan: "wolf"
Hebi: "snake"
**
*claps hands in glee*
It's done and you have no idea how excited I am that the first part to this fic is done. Yay! Anyhow, I'm still working on the next part to Wanders: ICD so consider it a consolation gift.
*points down to review box*
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!