Sapphire Vixen
Chapter 41: Without Equal
Kai tapped his foot impatiently on the floor.
He stopped, and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
'She is going to be okay… we will find her soon, and everything will be back to normal…We will be fine.'
He closed his eyes, glancing at the door every now and then.
'I'm going to need serious therapy after this.'
Kai jumped out of his seat when he heard the urgent knock on the door. He allowed them to enter, and he jumped back when a light grey-blue Firefox with a black mane entered the room, holding Sapphire's lace in his left paw.
He bowed low, and as he straightened, he transformed into his human form. He had jet-black hair, and startling blood-red eyes. He had slightly tanned skin.
"My name is Kiore, and I am Zen's best tracker. Master, I cannot locate Mistress' scent anywhere in our property. However, her scent is strongest here… in this room- permission to search, Master?"
Kai stared up at him before giving a curt nod. Kiore transformed once again, and tilted his head backwards, sniffing the air. A few minutes passed, and Kiore had sniffed Sapphire's bed, then her chair, the floor, then finally the balcony. He gripped the handrail with his black pointed nose in the air, and turned to Kai.
"Her scent stops here," he said. "Her scent is barely clear. It does not reach the garden- it stops at midair. How strange, I don't think Mistress can fly-"
"Aquamarine left that way also…"
"Master...?"
"Aquamarine left too."
"What? No-"
"She told me Sapphire would be fine where she was…she told me she was with Fei-"
A low growl escaped his throat. Kai held out his hand, and Kiore dropped Sapphire's lace in Kai's open hand.
"Master, if I had something more recent of hers, maybe her scent could become stronger…"
Kai's eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought for a moment. "I don't think I have anything…"
Suddenly, an idea popped into Kai's mind. He looked up at Kiore. "Can you track someone other than Sapphire?"
"Of course, Master."
Kai smiled slyly.
---
Aquamarine stared at the huge mansion of Sapphire's, then at the S.E.A. robots.
They all had blank, expressionless faces. Their eyes were silver, and two tear lines ran down their faces, from the middle of the eyes, down against their noses, and then disappeared beneath their faces, like a cheetah. A silver crescent moon mark was visible on all of their foreheads, and they all had metallic silver hair.
They all had black suits like the one Emerald use to wear. They had red scarves similar to the one she wore wrapped loosely around their necks.
Emerald turned to look at Aquamarine. "I wonder why Fei didn't want Sapphire to come…"
Aquamarine shrugged. "I though he wanted her to tell Kai… you know."
Emerald nodded. Then, birds burst out of the trees, screeching. They ran away from the sound that emitted from somewhere in Sapphire's mansion.
It was a screeching howl or high pitched yelp… a sound that normally came from a fox.
The entrance doors burst open, and out came out a figure running on all fours, sniffing the ground.
"What the hell is that-?"
"It's caught our scent- MOVE!" Emerald yelled, and the S.E.A. robots sprang up.
Kai and many servants came running out the mansion, following Kiore, who had howled to catch everyone's attention all over the house.
They all looked up as the S.E.A. robots landed on the floor in front of them. The two clones walked out of the bushes, and Kai glared at Emerald.
The robots zoomed past Kiore, and grabbed a servant, so they were unable to move their arms.
"What are you doing- Where is Sapphire?" Kai asked, glowering at the clones.
"Master Fei has decided to use Sapphire's servants for his own… and Sapphire is with him-" she smirked, her dark green eyes twinkling with malice.
A deep growl escaped from him as he felt his possessive side of him grow furious. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the robots entering Sapphire's home and exiting with the servants, cooks, gardeners, and even some of the bodyguards he saw that morning… they put up no effort to escape.
Kiore was the only one who put up a fight, but the robots piled up on him and managed to control him.
When they finished raiding the house from people, two robots cornered Kai, and to his surprise, they looked like Sapphire. He spotted the tear lines and crescent moon on their faces.
When two of the robots held him back, he found that they were strong, unlike the real Sapphire.
"We hope you liked the surprise, Hiwatari…because there is more in store for you," Aquamarine said with a smirk. The servants stared confusedly at their Mistress's clones.
"Mistress Aquamarine, why are you doing this?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"We'll try to fix it, Mistress Emerald…"
They stared with expectant faces, but the clones ignored them.
Emerald lifted a hand; her fingers were poised to snap. She smirked at Kai, but he would only glower.
"Don't worry… we'll take good care of you," Emerald said.
Kiore let out a roar that got everyone's attention. Panting heavily, he turned his glance to Kai. "Master…" he panted. "Now you shall speculate our strength…because not only is the Firefox a curse…but also a gift-!"
He was startled when white light from everywhere around him emitted. When he turned back to a servant, a tall, muscular Firefox took their places. Maids had much more feminine bodies.
A fight began between the Firefoxes and S.E.A. robots. The robots that held him tightened their hold- it seemed they wanted him the most because they would not let him move.
He stared as a Firefox with familiar light-blue eyes slammed a robot on the floor. He had an ivory mane, dark grey fur and black blotches on his stomach.
The robot smashed onto the floor, and its head rolled off somewhere. He turned to Kai-
Now he recognized the male's eyes- Steven.
He grabbed one of the robots holding Kai and swiped at its chest. The body landed on the ground and shook strangely for a moment, then went dead. Then he grabbed the other one and hurled it high into the air it came down with a loud crash. The body was sprawled on the ground and pieces fell from the sky onto the ground with a clatter sound.
Steven made no action that proved him tired. "Master Kai, we need to hurry and go back inside-"
"What about the others?" Kai stared at the fight between the robots and Firefoxes, but it did not seem the Firefoxes were the underdog.
A small smirk appeared on his fox face. "They can take care of themselves- let's go, we need to find Mistress Sapphire."
Kai gave a nod, and they both ran back to Sapphire's home.
---
"I expect you will give Hiwatari a nice surprise…"
"I'm sure it'll be enough to frighten him, Sir."
A light chuckle was heard, then footsteps, and a creaking of a chair.
"When will they arrive?"
"In about… ten minutes, Sir-"
"Good…Tell me, how is my laboratory useful to your company…?"
"For security reasons, I cannot discuss it here, Sir."
"Right, right…"
---
Sapphire sat in a chair next the occupied one, her mouth in a firm, straight line. Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor, and her fierce glare almost burned a hole through the door.
Around her, tall bookcases crammed with books in different languages sat quietly. A chubby book sat open on one of the coffee tables in the library.
'Introduction to Russian Culture and Language' lay wide open.
She knew they were speaking Russian; the book gave an obvious hint. She had heard Kai curse in Russian a couple of times anyways.
It took probably a month to learn Japanese... How did Fei accomplish learning a new language in less than 2 hours?
She pushed a scarlet strand of her hair back, and removed her scarf. It was warm and the peaceful sunlight that glided through the tall windows blinded her eyesight. She placed the back of her hand on her forehead and covered her eyes.
I wonder what Emerald and Aquamarine are doing now, she thought, closing her eyes. I wonder how he is doing…
She opened her eyes as she let out a small sigh. Give him up… you won't you be with him anymore, she reminded herself.
The door opened, and Fei calmly walked out, an average-sized man in a dark-colored uniform right behind him. Sapphire quickly stood up.
Fei walked right past her, as is she was not there. The uniformed man opened the door for the teenager, and Sapphire followed them as they exited.
What now…? She wondered, and switched her gaze to the uniformed man. She stared at the large B patch on his jacket's back.
A logo? She thought, and pondered for a while about it, when Fei suddenly started to speak.
"Sapphire, fetch Hiwatari's blade, then joins us at the library once again. And hurry…" A small smirk appeared on his face.
She glared at him "Would you like me to roll over too? Or maybe even play dead?"
"It'd be entertaining-"
"Idiot!" she yelled at him as she stomped off to find Dranzer.
His smirk grew as he turned and headed towards the backyard.
---
"In here."
Kai opened the door slightly, and then opened it more when he spotted various maids, including Nikki. Takato was there too- next to Riza.
Steven started to close the door, when someone stopped it. They turned, and stared at maroon Firefox. Its mane a dark scarlet, and its whole face vanilla white, she resembled a fox-version of a Siamese cat.
She transformed into her human form, and Kai stared at the maid who had dressed Sapphire with her new clothes.
Her dark teal eyes lowered, avoiding all their gazes as she silently walked towards the back of the room.
Riza cleared her throat, and they all turned. "There is a back exit behind me- where is Kiore?"
"He's holding them back, along with the others like we planned, Mistress," a maid with pale blond hair piped up. Riza gave a nod, the turned to Takato.
He nodded, and withdrew a small key from his back pocket. They all crowded around the door as he started opening it.
They all pushed their way out, and when Kai finally exited, he stared at the location they were.
The garden…?
The tree-made tunnel covered the sky, sun, and everything else.
The people ahead walked in a line, walking fast.
Kai turned around, and Steven smiled at him. He returned a small, weak smile.
"We'll arrive near the front gate, behind their backs. The rest will be leaving one by one, in order from weak to strongest." His smile grew.
Kai gave a nod, and continued walking, following a small, plump maid in font of him. She shook slightly, and fumbled with her fingers.
Kai stared ahead, and glimpsed at the light at the end of the tunnel.
---
"They have arrived…excellent."
Silver orbs stared at the descending helicopter. His silver hair blew at the wind the blades created, and a tall man with dark purple hair stared back through the window.
"Night...?" asked the purple haired man's mouth right after his shiny black shoes made contact with the pavement. Fei's mouth curved into a smile.
"Correct…Boris?
He complied with a curt nod.
"We have a lot to discuss…"
---
Sapphire pressed various buttons, and the glass container slowly opened, as warm steam escaped. Her fingers curled around the small royal blue and red object.
She stared down at Dranzer's shiny surface. "I'm sorry, Dranzer. I swear I will return you to Kai, no matter what. You are worth much more than I will ever be. You're the last one he's got now."
She pressed her lips against Dranzer's image. "Coo…"
Tears clouded her eyes. "He's your master now…not me- remember that. Okay?"
"Cooooo…"
She nodded. "The first thing I'll do is get you away from his filthy hands and back to Kai, alright?"
At the sound of Dranzer's small cluck, she smiled and left the room, gripping the blade tightly.
---
"Amazing… It is incredibly sturdy... What type of metal is this? I have never seen it before." Fei's silver eyes lit up at the silver collar he held as if it was a new toy.
"Ah, that- according to my scientists, is actually a rare mineral found in only Russia-"
The doors opened, and Sapphire entered the room, oblivious to the purple haired man sitting across Fei.
"Here. Anything else I can get for the king?" she spat, her voice filled with venom as she glared at Fei. Boris immediately sat up, and Sapphire turned to face him.
Her eyes automatically filled with terror, and Boris let a smirk appear.
"Is this the one you offered? She is beautiful-"
"Exactly the reason why I am keeping her to myself," Fei said darkly, as he quickly stood and curled his arm around Sapphire's waist and pulled her towards him before he could caress one of her fox ears.
Sapphire was too terrified to notice what was happening, and stood still, her wide eyes fixed upon the man.
A scream… a loud, piercing scream was heard, and then a gunfire. The scream died, and a small 'thomp' echoed through the air.
Then a small chuckle. It increased to a loud laughter, and the man held up the animal in one hand.
"Isn't it beautiful, Xander? The scarlet fur… the ears… it's incomparable to any other animal…" a man said, another small chuckle emerging.
"Sure is, Boris. It was pretty fun chasing it…"
"Damn right. We assure you that we shall be coming back… You hear that, you mangy Firefoxes?"
Fei glared at Boris, and he bowed in apology.
"I apologize… but it has been long…too long…since I last hunted this species… They are extremely rare…"
"There is a whole pack waiting, you can have the whole lot, for all I care… as long as you don't touch this one, understood?"
"A…pack…? How generous, Mr. Night…" Boris bowed low once again. "Of course I agree- understood perfectly…"
"Good…because she is mine and mine only…" Fei caressed Sapphire's neck tenderly.
She stood still, her eyes blank as she trembled slightly, resting against Fei, his arms holding her around her small waist possessively.
"Now… about that collar?"
"Ah, yes…" Boris lifted the collar that Fei was examining just moments ago and pointed at the silver buckle. Engraved upon it was a dark silver crescent moon.
"I ordered them to have your logo, Mr. Night…"
"Very good…I like your thinking, Boris." Fei opened the collar, and placed it around Sapphire's small neck. It hung loose, but it was secure.
She was still as he secured the collar, leaning against him, her eyes still fixed on Boris.
"Now, the control-"
"It's back in the helicopter, sir- shall we go?"
"Yes… I think Hiwatari has lived long enough."
They laughed as they made their way to the helicopter, Sapphire still in Fei's arms.
---
"We made it- the front gate is only meters away-!"
Many relieved sighs and whispers echoed through the tree made tunnel. Takato turned Riza's wheelchair around, and they stopped, causing some people to bump into each other.
"We will leave in groups of four, to avoid attention. Takato and I will leave first-"
"Wait…"
They all turned to Takato.
"I…hear something…"
Kai raised an eyebrow, but the others stared at him expectantly.
"Like wind…"
"Tornado-?"
"No… more like…gust," he said, closing his eyes, and cupping one of his ears.
"Enough…we need get out of here-"
"Riza- It's coming closer-!" Takato exclaimed his eyes widening as he turned to her.
They all stampeded out, and they spotted the fight between the Firefox and the robots. In the distance, a huge helicopter carrying a giant metal box flew towards them.
It lowered itself in the middle of the driveway, and the metal box made a thunderous sound as it dropped to the ground. The helicopter landed next to it, and they all stopped to see.
The light tap of Fei's black shoe on the ground made the robots run over and line up in front of him.
They all stared with wide, dilated eyes as Sapphire stepped out, her short hair blowing in the soft breeze.
She stood next to Fei as he smiled at the robots. Her eyes stared straight at the floor, oddly dark and gloomy. The collar shined bright silver in the sun as it hung loose around her neck.
Fei spotted Kai, and he sneered. Fei raised his hand, and pointed at Kai.
"You… You took away everything I had. How does it feel to have everything yanked away from you now?"
Emerald and Aquamarine hurried over and stood quietly next to Sapphire.
Kai continued to glare at Fei, his amethyst eyes filled with only hatred for the smirking teen smirking back at him.
Fei turned his head back to the helicopter. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself? I'm sure Kai will be glad to see you once again- and probably the Firefoxes will too…"
"I hope they will," a deep voice inside said, and stepped out. "I've missed them both dearly."