Disclaimer: Oh, so you've come back, huh? I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long after Silent Messiah for this. Just a note of warning, though. Things get a little more violent in this fic. Also, Nagi/Tot isn't the only pairing this time, either. I'd also like to point out that this is a sort of continuation of Silent Messiah. Meaning, if you've not done so already, please go and read the first one, so that this one makes sense. Oh, and these characters don't belong to me. ^_^ Almost forgot about that part.
Silent Storm
by Crystal Dawn Phoenix
Chapter One
When acting as a stalker, one must first choose a victim.
That much had been done for him already. Either by whim of fate or someone else's design, there was already someone out there that he needed to track. The demon that now resided in his body demanded that he reunite its disparate parts. His task was to find the other person within whom the demon also rested. And through whatever accident or grand scheme of the Estet, he was sure he already knew who the other carrier of the demon's blood was. Finding the girl was the easy part.
As a matter of fact, the whole thing had been relatively easy. Having her name meant that he could find access to all sorts of information on her; her address, her school, her job, her schedule. He knew where she would be, when she would be there, and how long it would take to get there.
Take now, for instance. At 11:30 pm, she would be at home, either studying or already asleep in bed. Lately, she'd seemed to be getting to sleep earlier, so he figured that would be where she'd be at. A side effect, he reasoned, of her having the weaker part of the demon; it had probably been siphoning off her energy in order to steadily grow stronger.
The scuffling of feet across the cold, star-speckled floor brought Nagi out of his reverie. He turned in his computer chair just in time to see the door to the dim, star-filled room swing shut behind a girl whose cotton candy blue hair was drawn up into twin buns on top of her head. She wore a pair of his old, dingy blue pajamas and an expression that belied slight nausea. To further accentuate her nervousness, she held an old stuffed rabbit in her arms in what could definitely pass for a death grip. He supposed it was due once again to the vertigo the room constantly induced in her.
"What do you need, Tot?" Nagi finally asked, coming back into himself. Every time he was alone for too long, it felt as though the Beast would swallow him alive and cast his soul into the abyss. What it did with his body afterward would be anyone's guess. It was a frightening thought, but a thought that secretly thrilled him nonetheless.
Tot, on the other hand, tended to knock him back down to Earth. Even after having been by himself most of the day, Tot's childish grin could bring him back to his senses. It had occurred to him more than once to just stay around her as much as possible. The only flaw in that plan, however, was the fact that he didn't know if he could trust himself anymore. Because he also knew that the Beast had plans for her as well. Plans Nagi didn't approve of. He wouldn't allow it to hurt Tot, not if he could help it. It was better just to suffer alone.
"It's late," Tot said, her eyes wide, obviously fighting hard against the urge to be sick, "Nagi-kun, are you going to bed now? It's bedtime." Nagi lowered his yellow, cat-like eyes to the floor, watching with detached interest as a star flickered and died. She came into this room every night about this time to inform him that it was getting late and that he should get off the computer and come to bed. And every night, he gave her the same answer.
"Not yet, Tot," he said, perhaps with a bit of sadness in his voice, "But in a little while."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Thank you, and have a nice day!"
The girl with the long black hair hanging over her shoulders in twin braids bobbed forward in a small, polite bow. Her customer picked the potted violet up and took her handbag off the counter, favoring the girl behind the cash register with a bright smile before turning to walk out the door.
Smiling, Fujimiya Aya turned to look toward the only other person in the now-empty flower shop.
The other girl stood in front of a cut flower display case, listlessly rubbing the glass surface with a cleaning rag. For as long as she'd been cleaning it, Aya thought that it should have been sterile enough to perform heart surgery on by now. Even so, the girl with the short, mousy brown hair and the pale purple eyes continued cleaning, her expression blank and perhaps a bit melancholy.
Aya sighed a bit as she stepped out from behind the counter and began walking toward her co-worker. To Aya, she had seemed a little listless and drained lately. At first, she had just dismissed it as pining for someone who was gone. But today, it seemed as if something were really wrong with her, as though she were sick. Drawing closer, Aya noticed that the display the other girl was cleaning was full of bright, red roses. Even though she seemed so intent on it, Aya saw that her eyes were unfocused, just as if she were looking past the display altogether.
"Ne, Sakura-chan?" she finally asked, getting the other girl's attention. Sakura looked up, raising her head to regard Aya in a too-fast, jerky motion that looked wrong somehow. It looked as though she had almost been startled awake. Aya also could have sworn that for just a second, Sakura's eyes had flashed some odd color that she had never seen them before.
"Yes?" Sakura said faintly. Aya stuffed down her worry and gave Sakura a reassuring grin.
"What's the matter?" she asked finally, laying a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "You don't look well. Are you feeling okay?" Sakura blinked dully at her before it looked like the question had finally registered with her.
"I just feel a little weak," Sakura replied softly, "I'll be okay. I think it's just a touch of anemia." Aya smiled at her, but her own eyes still held a worried quality.
"Anemia, huh?" Aya said thoughtfully, "I know of a great health store a couple blocks down the street from here. Maybe you could see about getting some vitamins from there?" Sakura smiled faintly.
"Yeah," she said half-heartedly, "I'll give it a try."
Aya smiled once again, but it was really only a mask for her worry. For as long as she'd known Sakura, she had always been a bit withdrawn. There would be times when it appeared as if she was thinking very hard, or was depressed. Aya had already figured out that most of it was because of Ran, her older brother. While she had been 'sleeping', he had met Sakura. It was obvious to her that the younger girl was crazy about him, but knowing Ran, Aya doubted that he had been very good to her. She had already vowed to make him pay for hurting a girl's feelings whenever she saw him again.
'Whenever' looked like it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, though. The letters that Aya had received from her brother informed her that he was now a member of the Japanese Self Defense Force and that he was stationed somewhere in northern Hokkaido. He always apologized for being so far away and for not being able to come visit, but Aya had no way to tell if anything in the letters was true.
For starters, the letters were never postmarked, nor did they arrive with a return address. They weren't even delivered by a postman; instead, they were always couried by a beautiful red-haired woman in a tight red dress. She had claimed to be Ran's superior, but Aya doubted that anyone in the J.S.S.D.F. would have hair like hers or wear clothes like that.
Even though Aya suspected that her brother was lying to her, there was no way to prove anything yet. And even if she could, she still had no idea why he would even bother. He should have known by now that he would never be able to keep anything hidden from his snoopy little sister forever.
Aya looked back over to Sakura. Once again, she was dully pushing her cleaning cloth along the glass of the flower display, only this time, she had moved a little to the right. Aya figured this was a good thing; if she'd stayed in that one spot any longer, she probably would have rubbed a hole right through it.
"Hey, Sakura-chan," Aya finally said softly, her concern showing in her voice, "If you're not feeling well, you should take the rest of the afternoon off. Go home and rest, okay?" Sakura gave her the same uncomprehending look as before for a second before her eyes focused and it seemed as if she were finally paying attention again.
"I wouldn't feel right," Sakura said, "I don't want to leave you here by yourself." This was something Aya had gotten used to hearing Sakura say. She had no clue why Sakura was so paranoid about leaving her by herself. Aya just chalked it up to the fact that she could be a huge worrywart.
"Ne, ne, it's fine!" Aya protested, "You look like you're going to fall over at any second! Then you might hit your head or something. And I'd have to call an ambulance, and if you bled anywhere, I'd have to mop it up. And that's all just too much trouble!" For the first time that afternoon, Sakura smiled what seemed like a genuine smile.
"Seriously, though," Aya said, showing concern again, "There's not much business right now. It's a Tuesday afternoon, everyone's got better things to do than buy flowers. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off." Sakura looked as though she might protest again, but nothing came of it. She looked resigned as she began to untie her green shop apron with the kitten logo on the front.
"Thank you," she said finally. The tone of her voice reminded Aya of the way people in vampire movies sounded after they'd survived being bitten. It was such a silly analogy that it caused Aya to break a tiny smile as well.
As Sakura lifted the upper part of the apron over her head, the tiny bells above the door of the Koneko began to chime softly. She and Aya looked over to see a shapely woman, no older than her mid-twenties, with bright, sausage-curled red hair enter the shop. Her red high heels complimented her low-cut, red business suit. They even made a 'tick-tock' noise, like a clock, as she walked across the floor. In one hand, she held a small, flat box with an envelope on top. Aya recognized her as the lady from the J.S.S.D.F. that had been delivering Ran's letters. As usual, there was only one letter.
"Good afternoon, Manx-san," Sakura said, obviously trying to sound energetic. Aya thought she had failed miserably at the attempt.
"Good afternoon, ladies," the woman that Aya had only ever heard called 'Manx' purred, "It's nice to see you both doing so well." Aya smiled. She actually liked having the mysterious woman visit. She always brought a letter or a present from Ran. Besides that, she was so flashy and sophisticated that she brightened up the shop every time she visited. It made Aya look forward to being considered an 'adult'.
"Well, I'm fine," Aya said, a note of mischief in her voice, "But Sakura-chan's being stubborn. I can tell she's sick, but she doesn't want to go home." Sakura blushed with embarrassment, a small bit of her color coming back into her cheeks.
"That's so mean, Aya-chan!" Sakura protested, "I was just on my way out, anyway - you don't have to embarrass me into leaving!"
"But you can be so stubborn!" Aya reminded her cheerfully, "I swear you must have been taking lessons from my brother!" Sakura fell silent, the blush on her face growing brighter. Aya delighted in tormenting the younger girl like this occasionally; besides, it was all in good fun.
Manx drew a little closer to Sakura, crooking her knees a bit to get a better look at the girl's face. Lightly, she brushed her free hand against Sakura's forehead.
"Well, it's definitely not a fever," Manx said, looking slightly perplexed, "But I brought something that should cheer you both up." Aya's face lit up; she had always loved receiving presents. Manx took the letter from the top of the box and handed it to Aya.
"This letter is for you," Manx said, her thin, red lips curling into a friendly smile, but her eyes darting sideways observantly. Aya was too busy taking the letter from Manx to notice what she had seen; as she handed the letter over, Sakura's face fell. The younger girl looked away, eyes downcast, and trudged off to hang up her apron. As she did so, Aya stuck the letter into the pocket of her shop apron.
"I'll read this later," she said quietly, perhaps not as unobservant as Manx had believed a second ago, "But is that all?" Aya asked this expectantly, verbally nudging Manx toward the small, white box she held in her hand.
"Ah, this," Manx said, holding the box out to Aya. It was neatly wrapped in plain white paper with red ribbons tying up the sides. Manx saw Sakura walk back towards them out of the corner of her eye as Aya took the box.
"Those are from your brother," Manx said, tossing a sympathetic smile toward Sakura, "He said to make sure you share with Sakura." Sakura's face lit up at Manx's words. Her cheeks colored and her former health seemed to return just a bit. Manx smiled what seemed like a genuine smile for once.
"What are they?" Aya asked, appraising the box. She held it up at eye-level to see if she could get a better idea of what was inside. More hints were not forthcoming, however.
"I believe they're mochi," Manx replied coolly, "I'm not really certain, though." Now it was Aya's turn to grin. She turned to Sakura, smiling happily. Sakura returned the expression honestly, probably for the first time in days, Aya thought.
"We can split these fifty-fifty," Aya said happily, "Before you go home, I'll give you half."
"I really don't need that many," Sakura protested weakly, "Really, I'll only take two or three." Aya looked slightly offended.
"Don't be silly!" she said, waving the box at Sakura, "You'll take half. Unless you don't like mochi..." Sakura looked taken aback.
"No, I love mochi!" she replied, surprised, "I just..." Aya pointed at her, grinning.
"Then it's settled," Aya said mischievously, "You have to take half. Besides, these are from Onii-chan - they'll be better than medicine for you!" Sakura blushed, absolutely scandalized.
"Aya-chan!" she said, half-scolding, half-embarrassed.
Manx stifled a small laugh, but couldn't suppress another smile. These girls never failed to amuse her; they were always so full of life and energy. Even if Sakura was sick, Aya could manage to bring some light back into her eyes. Just as Manx thought this, though, she remembered something she had been meaning to do while she was there. She turned to Sakura, and watched the girl blush at Aya's teasing.
Manx felt a pang of guilt strike her; it really wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't stand to watch this week after week. She had to say something.
"Ne, Sakura?" Manx said, her soft voice causing Sakura to look up, surprised, "Can I speak to you in back for a second?" Sakura blinked with uncertainty for a second before nodding blankly.
"Uhh, sure," she replied hesitantly. It was obvious that the girl was worried about what Manx had to say; as she led the younger woman to the back of the shop, Manx reasoned that she would be worried, too, if it was her. Manx looked back over her shoulder at Aya, who currently had a bemused look on her face.
"This will only take a second," Manx said, trying to be polite, "We'll be right back." Aya smiled, perhaps a bit confused, and nodded at her.
Manx led Sakura to a plain, dark green door nestled against the back wall of the shop. This door led to a room in the back of the shop that was used to hold supplies and flowers until time for them to be displayed. Manx wrapped her hand around the doorknob and turned, swinging the door open. She could almost physically feel Sakura's apprehension. She could understand why; in her line of work, there was no telling what news she might have to bear.
Once inside the room, Sakura walked over to the one, small window situated above one of the workbenches and looked out it blankly. The workbench had at one time been used to create flower arrangements, but now went largely unused for such sophisticated matters. Neither she nor Aya could make flower arrangements.
Manx leaned against the workshop door, snapping it shut. The sound didn't even seem to register with Sakura. Manx hated this, every last bit of it. She knew that what she had to say wouldn't be easy on the girl. In fact, she had begun to worry if Sakura could handle it in the state she appeared to be in. Even so, she didn't want this to go on any longer.
"Sakura," Manx finally said, after clearing her throat. The girl didn't even turn to face her. She simply continued staring out the window.
"It's about Aya-san," Sakura said quietly, "Isn't it, Manx-san?" Manx lowered her eyes to the ground and walked toward Sakura, her heels echoing in the small room.
"Yes," Manx replied, stopping beside the girl and looking out the window with her. A bird lighted in the alleyway behind the flower shop. In contrast to the gloomy, oppressive atmosphere in the cramped little room, the afternoon was bright, sunny, and unseasonably warm outside.
"Is he..." Sakura tried to sound out the words, clearly straining with the effort. She was obviously scared. "Is he... alright?" she finally managed to say.
"He is in good health, if that's what you mean," Manx said coolly, glancing sideways at Sakura. The girl seemed to relax a little, letting a pent-up breath escape as she laid a hand over her chest.
"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed, relieved. Manx returned her gaze to the bird in the alleyway beyond. This would be easier if she didn't have to look at the girl.
"That's not why I called you back here," she pressed on, determined to finish this. Sakura turned to look at her, her eyes wide.
"Then what..." Sakura began, her gaze once again filling with uncertainty and apprehension.
"About Aya," Manx said, her tone business-like, "You should... try to forget about him."
"Has he..." Sakura said haltingly, "...found someone else?" Manx didn't flinch and didn't avert her gaze from the alleyway.
"No," she said simply, "He hasn't found anyone else. He's even been told that he would be allowed to come see both you and his sister if he so chose. He refused." Tears began to gather in the corners of Sakura's eyes.
"But why?" she asked, her voice rising, "He should at least come to see her!"
"After what happened with the Estet earlier this year," Manx said, her face expressionless, "He doesn't want to put her in any more danger." Tears began to trail down Sakura's cheeks as she looked toward the floor.
"I don't care," Sakura finally said, quietly but forcefully, "I'll still wait for him." She sniffed a little and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
"Sakura, listen to me," Manx intoned, hoping she could get through to her, "He's not coming back." Sakura balled her wet hands into fists and lifted her face to look at Manx again.
"Aya-san said he would come back," she said, her voice rising and becoming steadily shriller, "He said he'd be back, and I believe him! He will come back to us!" Manx turned to look at the girl, laying a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her.
"And what if he doesn't?" she asked, "What if he never comes back? What then? Are you just going to throw your life away waiting for him?" Sakura looked Manx in the eye, trying to stand her ground.
"I'll wait as long as it takes," Sakura said stubbornly, "But I know he'll come back." Manx gave her a look full of pity.
"Sakura," Manx said, talking calmly and clearly, "Even if he loves you as much as you love him, he's not coming back. He's only going to break your heart." The tears flowed freely down Sakura's face now. Manx thought that even if she didn't want to admit it, Sakura knew that what she'd been told was true.
"Why do you even care?" Sakura asked, her voice barely a whisper, "It's not any of your business what I do with my life." She looked away, unable to meet Manx's gaze any longer. Manx placed the hand that had been resting on Sakura's shoulder on her cheek and gave the girl a small, sad smile.
"Because," she said softly, "I know what it's like to wait for someone who'll never come around." Sakura looked as though it was sinking in for a second. Then, suddenly, she brought a hand up to her mouth. A second later, she began to cough heavily. Startled, Manx drew back, staring in disbelief and concern at the girl in front of her who was almost in convulsions with a coughing fit.
"Sakura?" Manx asked, hoping the girl could stop coughing long enough to say whether she was alright or not, "Sakura!" The coughing didn't subside; instead, Manx saw a strange, black fluid begin to ooze out between the fingers covering Sakura's mouth as she coughed. It reminded Manx of bile, but it was black and thick. As a few drops dripped onto the floor, they disappeared almost as soon as they hit the linoleum.
Manx stared in horror. She had never seen anything like it.
"Sakura, are you okay!?" she asked, moving forward to get a grip on the girl before she hurt herself. Before she could touch her, however, Sakura brought her free hand up, smacking Manx's hands away.
"Don't touch me!" Sakura screamed, her voice labored from coughing and choked with sobs, "Just leave me alone..." A second later, she bolted for the door of the room, wrenching the knob and pulling it open, still keeping her mouth covered with her hand.
"Wait!" Manx yelled, reaching out for the girl. She was just a second behind, however, and missed the back of Sakura's shirt. She ran from the room, causing Manx to follow her.
Aya had spent the past few minutes rearranging the displays or flowers in the windows and waiting on the two other women to emerge from the back of the store. She turned when she heard the door to the back room open, but she wasn't expecting what she saw.
Sakura, face streaked with tears, bolted from the door. Her eyes were forced shut and Aya could hear her coughing. At least, it sounded something like coughing; there were also sounds of crying and wheezing mingled in with it. Aya watched, frightened and worried as Sakura ran through the shop.
"Sakura, what's wrong?!" Aya cried, rushing over to help her. Sakura didn't stop, though; she shrugged Aya off and reached the front door of the shop, slinging it open and running outside. All that was left in her wake was the soft sound of the tinkling of the bells over the top of the door.
"Don't let her go!" Manx commanded, having emerged from the back room while Aya was preoccupied with Sakura. Both women rushed toward the door, Aya arriving a little sooner than Manx, mostly because the older woman was wearing heels. Neither one of them was expecting what lay ahead of them on the other side of the door.
Aya saw it first. Her hands flew to cover her mouth in a reflexive action as she gasped. Manx stopped short as soon as she reached Aya and looked down. Her eyes narrowed as she saw what Aya had gasped at.
There, on the ground in front of them, lay Sakura, gasping for breath and coughing. She was curled on her side, still holding her mouth, a small puddle of that same black liquid forming underneath her head. A small crowd of concerned onlookers had begun to gather around her, none of them really quite sure what they should do in this situation.
Manx opened the door wide enough for her to step out of it. She kneeled beside Sakura, visually checking for any other injuries. She had done this sort of thing for so many years that it was second nature now. Satisfied, her head snapped up to regard Aya, who was still standing, dumbstruck and horrified in the doorway.
"Aya, go call an ambulance," she ordered. Her tone didn't leave any room for debate or protest. Aya nodded and stepped back, letting the door drift shut.
"Right," she said softly before disappearing into the flower shop entirely.
Manx looked down at the girl on the ground in front of her. The black fluid Sakura had coughed up began to vanish, continually evaporating as more was expelled. Manx had never seen anything like this before. There was definitely something strange wrong with Sakura. She lay a hand on the girl's forehead and another on her shoulder in a comforting, calming gesture.
"It's going to be alright," Manx said, her voice determined and firm, "There are doctors on their way right now. Just stay still."
If Sakura heard what Manx said, she didn't act like it.