1All It Takes

By: Yamiko #7

Hello again, and a great big THANK YOU! to those of you who are still reading this fic after the first two chapters. :cries happily: Somebody actually cares! I feel so very loved... :smile:

So, has anybody read the new Harry Potter book yet? No, no, I promise I won't spoil anything...that's just mean, and the people who do that should be shot: execution style, hollow-point bullets. I did enjoy the story in the new book, though. After the fiasco following the fifth book, HBP was exactly what the series needed to get back on track. It's definitely worth a read.

I have worked extensively on the plot of this fic since the end of the last chapter, so hopefully things will move faster and a lot more smoothly now. Thanks again for sticking with me, and enjoy Chapter Three!

Chapter Three: Capture

Azmaria looked up at the black-haired woman sitting across from her. "So you mean this isn't..."

"No, dear." The woman smiled. "I'm afraid the Joshua Christopher you're looking for isn't here."

"Oh." Azmaria looked down at her hands again. Oh dear. What was she to do now? She'd thought for sure she'd find Rosette's brother here. Not only was he not at this house, but she had also left Satella-san's villa without letting anybody know where she was going, or even that she was leaving. Rosette and Chrno would be so worried about her...

Maybe they hadn't found out yet. She should really go back to the villa before anybody noticed and started to worry.

Azmaria stood slowly. "Thank you again for your hospitality and for helping me," she said with a quiet smile. "I really must leave now."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." The woman smiled again, and this time it sent chills down Azmaria's spine. It was like the smile of a vampire: all fang and no warmth whatsoever.

"You see," the woman continued, "now that you're here, it makes everything so very much easier. We really can't allow you to leave just yet." The woman's catlike green eyes glinted, and her smile got wider.

Azmaria took a step back, doing her best not to panic. What was she going to do now? The last time she had been kidnapped, Rosette had had to release the seal - and shorten her own life in the process - in order to sort out the mess. Azmaria really didn't want that to happen again. How could she get out of this without involving her friends? Her eyes searched frantically about the room for a solution.

The window!

She turned and dashed towards the open window, hoping against hope that the woman wouldn't realize what was happening until she had already escaped.

It was no use. Not only did the woman realize what was going on (she seemed to have planned for it), she made it to the window before Azmaria had get halfway there.

Azmaria stopped short, completely shocked. 'Her speed...she's not human!'

The woman mockingly shook her finger at Azmaria. "Naughty, naughty! Didn't I tell you that you would be staying here?" She then reached out with that same inhuman speed and grabbed Azmaria's head in a strong grip, her palm against Azmaria's forehead. "I'll just have to make sure you stay, like a good little girl. After all, we won't have long until your friends arrive..."

Except that Azmaria wasn't quite sure that was what the woman said. She found it difficult to pay proper attention to the woman's words; she was much too busy watching her world spin and fade to black.

0.0 :runs away from the rabid horde of Azmaria fans, all wielding axes, maces, and all manner of scary, pointy objects: AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! I won't hurt her, I swear! C'mon, what kind of authoress do you think I am?

...on second thought, don't answer that.

As you've probably discovered, this is indeed the end of Chapter Three, and the plot has finally thickened. (Yes, there is a plot. No, really. There is.) As often happens when I write fanfiction, it is late and I am tired; therefore, Chapter Four will not be officially started until tomorrow (which is when I figure out what all's going to happen during Chapter Four). Be happy, though: this is the fastest I've ever written a fanfiction with an actual plot. I'm not exactly sure how long it's going to be, though - I seem to be writing very short chapters, which means there will probably be quite a few of them (15 plus). Please stick with me, I really do need the support. Thanks for reading this far, and hopefully you'll all see Chapter Four soon! Until then, eat souls. They are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.