Ash shivered as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked once, trying to clear her vision and then sat up.
'Wait…just rest.' Ash lay back down obediently. She felt so cold. She snuggled down under the covers and closed her eyes, allowing the warmth of the sheets to seep into her body. She opened her eyes again and saw that Rayne was by her side.
'You told me that you were Arson.' Ash nodded sleepily. 'I asked you to do me a favour. You passed out.' Ash groaned inwardly. Again? Rayne looked down at her sternly but then tensed. Ash tried to sit up as she felt another taint coming their way.
Arson strode into the room, his brown hair flopping awkwardly in his eyes. He brushed it out but then it only fell back into place again. He smiled at Rayne and then Ash.
'How are you feeling?' Ash looked at him carefully, wondering whether he was being genuine or whether she was going to be put through another test. She cleared her throat.
'Fine,' she said evenly. Arson looked at her calmly, causing her to look away, blushing. All of a sudden, she felt even colder. She wished Arson would stop looking at her like that. If he kept it up much longer, she would be forced to take some drastic action. Like trying to chop him to shreds with her swords. She had never thought that she had been so annoying and creepy. But had she really been like that? It boggled the mind.
'Rayne told me that you were complaining of a head ache before,' said Arson smoothly, his voice sounding calm and almost velvety. It made her shiver as she remembered what Rayne had told her. Arson was in love…with her. It was enough to make her feel sick. Somehow, something ironically funny sprang to mind. Arson was actually in love with himself at the moment. How strange fate was at times.
'I hope you feel a lot better now though.' Ash nodded tightly, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible. Rayne glared at her from behind Arson's shoulder. Ash tried a smile and tried to push some confidence into her voice.
'I'm feeling a lot better. Just tired,' she said. Her voice shook when she spoke. Arson frowned slightly but then his face cleared. He nodded once and turned, walking out of the room. Ash breathed a sigh of relief when he was out of ear shot. She then glared at Rayne.
'A head ache, huh?' Rayne nodded somewhat sheepishly.
'Well…you should have seen his face. He looked as though he had just been slapped over the head with a brick.' Ash sighed and looked down at her hands. She felt a solid weight fall against her chest. She felt her neck and felt the chain that hung around it still.
'My amulet…' she whispered. She drew it out from underneath her clothes and studied it. Strange how it seemed to shine so brightly when the world seemed so dark to her eyes. Rayne looked at it curiously.
'Arson wears that too.' Ash nodded.
'I know.'
'So you really were telling the truth, weren't you?'
'You didn't believe me either?'
'Not at first.'
'I see.' Again the two were silent, each thinking their own thoughts. Ash at last looked up and at Rayne. 'If I have to do this then I might as well do it properly. What was Ash like?'
Rayne scratched his head as he tried to think about this question. At last, his face brightened.
'Ash was very talkative around her friends. But when she was around Arson she seemed to turn cold and shrink away from everyone. She hated violence. She preferred to work on the computers instead and do research on the demons that appeared.'
'How long have I…I mean Arson known her for?'
'Roughly six months.'
'I see.' More silence.
'She was pretty vain actually. And arrogant. She was pretty condescending most of the time when she wanted to be, especially towards Arson.'
'Sounds like this Ash person was a bit of a bitch.' Rayne smiled thinly.
'Sounds like you think the same as the rest of us. But he won't listen.'
'Am I really that dumb?' Rayne looked about to answer but then thought better of it. He turned as he felt someone coming.
'Minako,' he called. Ash blinked and frowned. Suddenly, a girl appeared from the wall. Minako smiled at Rayne.
'So you're awake huh?' Rayne grinned.
'For once.' Minako's eyes switched to Ash.
'How are you feeling, hon?' Ash nodded slowly and tried to smile again.
'A lot better, thank you.' Ash stopped talking quickly. She still hadn't grown used to the sound of her own voice. Minako grinned at her.
'How about you come shopping with me then? We can go to the store you like!' Ash looked at Rayne desperately for help but he had lowered his eyes, refusing to meet her face. Minako saw the look she was giving him and frowned.
'Ash?'
'Um…uh…okay?' Ash's voice was shaking again. Minako looked at her suspiciously.
'Are you sure you're okay?'
'Certain.'
'You seem a little quiet.'
'Uh…'
'She had a heavy hit on the head,' cut in Rayne quickly. 'Frosts attacked her,' he said. Minako's eyes widened.
'Frosts? Are you okay? Are you hurt?' Ash shook her head, trying to look as calm as possible when in fact she wanted to curl up and disappear.
'There's no need to worry,' she whispered, lowering her eyes. Rayne motioned to a chair nearby.
'There's fresh clothes there that you can wear.' Rayne turned and smiled at Minako tenderly and led her out of the room. Minako was bursting with curiosity about what had happened to Ash.
'Like I said,' Rayne explained. 'She got hit on the head and is a little different ever since. Just be patient with her. I think it would be a good idea if you gave her a tour of the village again.' Minako grinned.
'No problem! You know what I like the most about helping out this place?'
'No…what?'
'The discounts!' Rayne chuckled gently, winding his arms around her waist. 'But…I barely get to see you,' she added as an afterthought. Rayne was quiet for a while. 'In the day you sleep…I know it hurts to be around when there's light everywhere…but sometimes I just wish…I wish that…'
'That I wasn't part vampire?' Minako was silenced. Rayne sighed miserably. 'You're not the only one who wishes for the same thing.' They both turned as the door clicked open, revealing a blushing Ash. She kept her eyes lowered as she came towards them in a white sleeveless top and a denim skirt, trying to pull it down as she advanced.
'I feel like an idiot,' she growled. Minako raised her eyebrows and looked at Rayne in surprise. Rayne shrugged, as if he didn't know what Ash meant by that. Minako grinned at Ash.
'Don't be dumb! You look great!' Ash only blinked and lowered her eyes. She took another step forwards before falling on the heels she was wearing.
'I'll never get used to this!' she wailed, momentarily forgetting herself. She turned crimson as she heard someone chuckle softly further up the corridor. She took in the familiar faded brown hood that hung over Dante's face.
'The Hunter must often do the things he wishes not to,' he said. Ash picked herself off the floor and kicked off her heels without thinking. She had no time to waste trying to run in shoes that impeded her speed.
'Dante, wait!' Rayne and Minako turned to see who Ash was calling for. They could see no one. But Ash was running past them, down the corridor. 'Dante!' Ash turned to the left, down a dark passage. Her heart lifted slightly as she saw the hood. But then the spirit raised his head, dark red eyes peering out at her. Ash slid to a halt.
'You still call me Dante…but yet I am not he who you name.' Without another word, the spirit dissolved away into nothingness. Ash frowned and backed out of the corridor and straight into someone's arms.
'Ash?'
'I'm fine!' she squealed. 'Just leave me alone!' She turned and twisted. Arson let her go and looked at her with a strange expression on his face. Pity? Worry? Ash lowered her eyes, blinking furiously. 'I'm sorry.' Arson shook his head and smiled.
'Think nothing of it. Um…' Ash looked up at him and noticed suddenly the slight tinge of red his face had become. He was blushing. 'Are you really feeling okay?'
'I'm fine,' asserted Ash. Arson suddenly looked at her with a new look on his face. Anticipation? Hope? Hope…
'I was wondering…if you didn't mind…uh…would you like to-'
'Hey Ash!' Ash tore her eyes away from the floundering Arson, grinning. 'What happened?'
'I just thought I saw someone I knew.' She glared at Rayne, warning him not to say anymore.
'Oh…' he said simply. Arson looked at Rayne and then at Ash, almost suspiciously. He watched the expression on their face carefully, wonderingly. At last he stopped his careful scrutinizing and walked past them both, slowly, majestically. Ash fidgeted and looked at Rayne. Rayne waited until Arson was out of ear shot and grabbed Ash by the shoulders.
'What was it? What did you see?' Ash lowered her eyes and shook her head. 'Ash, tell us.'
'What good will it do? You won't be able to help me. And it wasn't him anyway.'
'Wasn't who?'
'Dante.'
'…Dante?' Ash nodded.
'The Legendary Dark Knight Dante. Dante Sparda.' Rayne frowned at her, the legendary name well known to him.
'Why would he want to come to you?'
'Because…he's my grandfather.' Rayne looked at her in shock.
'Does Arson know?'
'I tried to tell him…but I don't think he believes me.'
'What was he trying to say to you?'
'I don't know…I didn't find out…but it wasn't him…he told me it's someone else. But who?' Rayne was about to give a reply when alarms went off all around them. Ash flinched and looked around, quickly regaining her calm.
'What's happened?'
'It's an invasion! Demons have broken through! Come on!' Rayne dragged the bare-footed Ash along with him. He dodged to the left and then took another left before taking a right. Ash tried to keep herself from falling. Rayne's strength had taken her by surprise.
'Where are we?'
'In the main control panel. '
'But shouldn't we try and stop the invasion?'
'Just wait and see.' Rayne typed in a password on the small display unit that was installed on the left of the door. The door slid open slowly, revealing a huge room filled with computers. Ash looked around in shock, suddenly feeling incredibly small. Minako was already typing away at the computers. She smiled in triumph quite suddenly.
'There they are!'
'What are they?' asked Ash. Minako looked at her in shock.
'Can't you see from the colour dots?' Ash was about to say something when she suddenly remembered that this was supposed to be her job. Her hands flew to either side of her head, and she hissed as though in pain. Minako looked at her sympathetically.
'Oh yeah…I forgot. Sorry, hon.' Ash screwed her eyes shut but then opened them a tiny fraction so then she was watching through her eyelashes.
'Three Death Scythes. Just located here.' Minako pointed at the screen but then turned pale. 'Oh no…'
'What is it?' said Rayne, his normally calm voice suddenly turning grim and harsh with his seriousness.
'They're in Arson's room.' Ash didn't seem too perturbed.
'So?'
'Arson's in there!'
'He could just bust out of there couldn't he?'
'When the alarms sounded all the dormitories were locked. Arson can't get out and we can't get in!' Ash looked at Rayne and Minako in sudden anger.
'Is that it? You're giving up on him?'
'Well in the cramped space, I don't think he's going to stand much of a chance.' Ash looked to Rayne to see that even he was shaking his head. She frowned.
'Well you can give up but I'm not going to! I'm out of here!' Rayne looked at her in surprise.
'Hey wait!' But he was too late. Ash had already disappeared in a wisp of white smoke.