AUTHORESS NOTE: Yeahhh twenty two! I had never ever imagined "Impy" getting this far…! Actually, I had no idea how big "Impy" was ever going to become in GENERAL… And I only started this on a whim! (Well, Ametriney persuaded me to do it)
Anyway, I have fast forwarded time by three months in this chapter, not that you really need me to tell you here, but I'm telling you, anyway. I have been having a hard time trying to describe Nema's "battle dress" (Yes, she battles in a dress. That's what makes her so awesome. She can kick ass… in a DRESS).
Now, is being cruel about the images thing... So I'm gonna try to make a loophole... Type in "i m g . p h o t o b u c k e t . c o m /" (get rid of the spaces between each letter and symbol) & "albums/" & "v66/"& "brenli/"and then follow it up with ninjaloli.jpg. (Yes, I am desperate)
This is what I call the infamous Ninja Loli dress. Nema's battle dress is styled in this manner, however the skirt is longer, falling to mid-calf, and she does not wear those fishnets or those shoes, just her trademark boots. And, of course, a black mini-crown. Why does she cover her face? Read and find out.
Improper Guardian
Chapter Twenty Two
By: Brenli
"Oh, lookie, lookie! She kept that one alive!"
"I wonder why…?"
"That's enough now. The Queen will properly deal with this one… Run along. You shouldn't be here."
"'Kay Nyssa…"
The prisoner swallowed the lump in his throat as he strained in his binds. The blindfold over his eyes prevented him from seeing anything, though he smelt the scent of death nearby, and heard the pitter-patter of children's feet fading off into the distance.
"Your name?"
The Angel prisoner shuddered in blind panic. He hadn't heard a new person enter the room, much less come so close to him.
"Save your fear for a little later." The voice said again, and he felt the blindfold loosen and fall away from him. He stared into a pair of ruby red eyes, though the rest of her face was covered by the black cloth of a most peculiar dress. Her eyes crinkled, and it might have been in friendliness. It might have.
"You are… the Queen…"
"I might be." The Queen replied, her pale hand brushing over her black mini-crown. "Your name?" She asked again.
The Angel only let out a shocked and disgusted yell as his gaze quickly shifted to the source of the death smell. It was a fellow Hunter, the one that had the misfortune of being captured with him… several parts of him… simply missing. Massive holes that looked like the result of internal explosion covered his body, but the most gruesome was the head, from which suspicious gray matter could be seen.
"… Oh, yeah. That one." The Queen said boredly, and she tore a black blanket off a simple chair and draped it over the body. "Now, then." She turned and folded her hands together. "Your name?"
The Angel prisoner still refused to speak, as he absorbed the surroundings of this one room. The lighting was dim, though it seemed that this was by choice, and the point was… there was lighting. And the floors and walls were smooth. And they had furniture! And real, strong chains to bind him with! He was merely in a torture room, but the point was that this was a torture room that could rival some of Cheriour's… All in a few months time. It took one voice, the voice of a Rabbit girl that the I-Children referred to only as their Queen, to put enough spirits into this ghostly pale group to turn what must have been dirty, ugly, shitty rooms into… THIS. Granted it took former Anima Mundi members and White Wing allies… and clever thievery… to get the finances to make this possible… but it was done. In a few months time. Thanks to the voice of this woman.
She was an incredibly short woman, for a Rabbit OR an Angel. But she seemed appropriately dressed, as a Queen. Even with her face mostly hidden behind the peculiarly cut black cloth. It was said, through snippets of information overheard, that she was incredibly kind to her allies… and a complete death threat to her foes. It was said that anyone who made it to her particular hideout could not possibly make it back out without losing their eyes, tongue, and hands… if they got out, at all. Even worse, it was said that it was guaranteed death if one ever actually saw her face.
It hadn't always been this way. Before, it was a game, Rabbit Hunting. It literally was hunting. Now… it was a full blown war. They were no longer hidden; everyone knew where they were, but it was Hell to try to get very far into their territory… Oh God… they could FIGHT.
The Angel endured a sharp slap. "I am a busy girl. Give me your name."
"Why should I give my name to a monster like you?" The Angel spat. This time, he did not receive a slap.
"That's easy. I like to get acquainted with my victims before they're unable to talk." She spoke casually as she sat in a chair.
"… So it's true. You really will take out my tongue."
"If I feel like it."
"You… are a fucking monster!"
"And whose fault is that?" The Queen suddenly snapped. "We weren't always this way. We were kind people. We are the REAL Angels…! It was your kind that took it so far. NOW we are fucking monsters! NOW we are something for you to fear! Just like you wanted." She stood now, and looked over at another I-Child, this one with green eyes. "Camera?"
"Ready." The green-eyed girl said.
"Perfect."
Suddenly there was a sharp pressure in his chest, around his heart and lungs. It wasn't a pressing or a pulling… it was distinctly different… Like he had something inside, and it was pushing out.
"You look like you are in so much pain…!" The Queen said cruelly from behind him, and she bent over, took her fingers, and forced his lips back in a grimace. "Smile big!" The flash blinded him, and he had to blink rapidly to clear his vision. He looked up at the Queen, arching his brows in confusion.
"What was that f… God, no!" He suddenly begged.
Her fingers were curled over the edge of her raised neckline, slowly pulling down, revealing the Queen's face, Nema's face. "God?" She said with a smile, and blew a kiss as his chest cavity ruptured, and blood sprayed from his body.
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"… My daughter has gone insane." Setsuna said miserably.
"Yeah, well, it figures, if ya look at her lineage." Katou shrugged as he lit a cigarette. He looked up to see Setsuna glaring quite crossly at him. "What? Look, ya wanna know my take on it?"
"… Sure, while we're here." Setsuna mumbled. He was sitting in Hades, having come back from yet another unsuccessful attempt at wiping away some of Nema's anger. Three months. For three months now, Nema had waged a war that was proving very successful. But she did all this angrily, when the goal was peace…
"Look, Nema's fucking pissed and ya know, she's got every right to be, and in war, people die, right? So let Nema kill off the Rabbit Hunting jerks. They aren't the type that oughta be walking around, anyway, you know?"
"Well I'm not saying that people don't die in war, Katou. But she's letting her anger get the best of her. If she doesn't stop, one day she's gonna look back and regret how cruel she was."
"That I doubt." Katou snorted. "Like I said. They aren't the type that oughta be walking around, anyway. Now, when the Hell are you gonna take me up there to visit her, huh? So far it's just you and Sara, you and Sara… You gotta take me, man! The last time she saw me was forever ago!"
"If Nema's got any good sense, she wouldn't want to see you, anyway!" Doll said crossly as she made an entrance with a tray of tea and cookies. "And it's not like it's YOUR business…" Doll made a face at Katou, "But Uriel-sama told me that Setsuna ought to know… Lucifer is thinking about joining the Revolution!"
Both men's mouths dropped open. "Didn't Mr. Gloomy Pants say he wasn't getting involved?" Katou blew smoke in Doll's face.
"If you don't stop that I WILL hit you…!" Doll threatened. "Apparently he's thinking about changing his mind. I guess he… I don't know… likes Nema's 'style'… whatever that means."
Setsuna sighed again as Katou laughed. "What'd I tell ya, huh, Setsuna?"
They watched Setsuna leave, shaking his troubled head. "… Now look what you've done! You've spoiled his appetite!"
"Excuse me? 'Spoiled his appetite'? Who says that anymore, 'cept stuffy old women?" Katou shrugged. "Look, Setsuna's just being a dad. But he needs to know that sometimes dads have to let their kids do what they wanna do. They've gotta learn on their own. Meanwhile… more cookies for me." Katou ground his cigarette into the tray and picked up a cookie. "This'll make up for the cereal I lost."
"You pig!" Doll snapped, disgusted…especially when she noticed the pictures that Katou had placed in a pile on the table. The very top picture was an image of a girl wearing nothing but baby blue high heels and a white, super-sheer robe, left open and flying behind her as she smiled gleefully, the dark curls of her hair shining away… her hair was curiously like Doll's own hair, though considerably shorter, as hers stopped at her shoulders and Doll's continued to fall to her waist. "… Why are you looking at PORN here? I should take those to Uriel-sama at once!"
Katou simply laughed. "If Uri Uri has good taste he'll like these! And this isn't PORN! These are classy, I'll have ya know! Look at 'em!" And against Doll's wishes, he spread them out on the table.
He seemed right… in a way. Only a few of these pictures portrayed nudity. In the rest, she was fully clothed, whether she looked playfully innocent or strangely devilish. "… Hmph! Who is that?"
"My wife in another life, kid. My wife in another life." Katou munched on his cookie happily. "Tellin' ya, they made her too early, man… That right there? That's a real woman."
Doll arched curious brows at him. "Made her too early?"
"Oh she's too old by now. Probably married and stuff." Katou shrugged. "Her name is Bettie Page… Betcha you'd kill to look like her, huh?"
"What? You think I'm some kind of easy girl? I don't WANT to look like this weird Bettie person!" Doll cried, her dark eyes blinking rapidly.
Katou smiled at her. It was… a creepy smile. Not in any potentially hazardous way, but it made Doll feel like he knew something she didn't. "… Eh. Suit yourself." Katou shrugged and picked up the whole plate of cookies. "Thanks for the food." Then he was gone.
"… Thanks for letting the tea go cold! You perverted, rude… PIG!" Doll said acidly. Hmph! 'Betcha you'd kill to look like her'? Goodness, no! This Bettie Page person, she was cute and all, but it wasn't like DOLL was gonna try to run away all… IN THE NUDE, just a pair of… high heels! Goodness, goodness no! "Hmph! And he even just left these here! What a messy person!" The little maid began to tidy up the pictures of Bettie. You know… just to make it look at least a LITTLE neater.
PURELY out of idleness Doll looked at the image placed on top. Bettie was wearing a tiny, red gingham crop top, tied into a tight knot between her breasts, and a pair of dark blue denim capris. She was running down the shoreline of a beach, the water splashing at her toes as she carried her white high heels in one hand. She had a big old grin on her face… she seemed positively happy with her life.
Doll looked left. Then she looked right. Then she took the picture and quickly shuffled off, leaving the tea behind.
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"Shit, run!"
Oh, yes. That was exactly what Michael needed to hear. If they were running, there would be less struggle for when he took them down. It would be quick, and simple an hour or so he would finally end the day and get some blood drawn, and he would sleep. Oh God, he would sleep.
Three months. Three months, and suddenly, they were at war. Normally Michael would have loved this. He loved war. It provided the kind of rush he'd needed to be happy, but this… this was different. Each face he got rid of reminded him of the woman who made peace… an okay thing. They were all too pale. There were as pale… as HER. For a while, this fact had made it DAMN hard for the Fire Angel to kill these people. With the proper mental tweakings, he decided that maybe it WAS better that way. If he got rid of them right away, he wouldn't need to look at them… and think of her. It was twisted and cruel, he knew, but this was the life that, at least for now, he had been sucked into. He had to recall earlier days… when he was this heartless and he didn't care. He had to pour his heart into that… and pretend that Nema never happened.
And sure. Maybe at the end of the day, when Cheriour stuck a needle in his arm and drew blood, maybe then it hurt. Maybe when he passed up and fell asleep, he had… dreams and nightmares. And maybe, he woke up in a cold sweat because of it. But these were things that no one else needed to know, just like no one needed to know that Cheriour was stealing bits of Michael's blood. Why? This was a bit of a mystery to Michael, as well. In his three months as a Rabbit Hunter, and in particular one of Cheriour's very favorites, he had noticed that Cheriour was more than a little superstitious. He took such terms as 'it's in his blood,' literally, and he seemed to think that Michael's power was in his blood. And maybe it was, or maybe it wasn't. Michael didn't know and didn't care. If it was, Cheriour was going to have a merry old time using it like fuel for some kind of… pit, apparently? Michael couldn't remember, but he tried to as he stepped on and crushed one of the runaway Rabbits' ankles. Yes, it as some kind of pit. Cheriour had this strange idea to try and devise a wild chase… turning the Rabbits into buffalo… and chasing them right into a pit. Why was his blood needed for this? He didn't know. He didn't really care. If it happened, he hoped the bodies would count and get him much MUCH closer to 777. Already, several bodies had been excused as 'mercy killings,' and not 'an act in favor of the views supported by Rabbit Hunters.' He should have been at 200 or so. Cheriour knocked him down to… what was the number? 112, as of the moment?
No. He took off the fallen Rabbit's head. So that was 113, then.
"No, stop, please!" The second Rabbit begged. "Look… look, what do you want? I'll get you whatever you want! Please spare me!"
Well if that wasn't the most pathetic thing Michael had ever heard…! It didn't matter if he was a Rabbit or not. In GENERAL, that was the most pathetic thing Michael could have expected to hear from a fighter. It was enough to make this death somewhat excusable!
But, fine, whatever. What did Michael want? Not anything that this Rabbit could give. Well, maybe there was something he could do that would at least benefit Cheriour. And he might as well. Michael did NOTHING for himself, anymore.
"… Tell me who this… Queen of yours is."
The Rabbit's eyes widened. "I can't do that. She has made each of us swear not to tell!"
"Then say goodnight."
"WAIT!" The Rabbit held up an arm, as if this would shield him from the blow of Michael's sword. "If you want… I can take you to her…! And she can show you her face if she that's what she honestly wants to do!"
Show her face…? Oh yes, other Hunters that had seen her once said that she kept her face hidden. This was all Michael had ever heard of this… Queen of theirs. That she was faceless. Also… that she was uniquely deadly.
If Michael took him up on this offer, he would be late for Cheriour's blood-drawing. He also couldn't be sure if he was walking right into a trap. This Rabbit was going to take him into the heart of Rabbit territory. It would be Hell to get back out, if they decided to kill him off. But the Fire Angel would take that chance.
"All right. But don't you fucking pull some stunt…!"
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"You know, you don't have to wear that dress, anymore, Nema!" Rujiel commented as he watched her push her needle through dark red fabric.
"I'm a bit too lazy to change back out. Why? Does this dress scare you?"
"I can't see your face…"
Nema only shrugged. "… So?"
"So, I don't know…" Rujiel responded with a shrug of his own and sat down in front of her, watching her creation come to life. It was a lovely little lolita dress, dark red with pink around the neck and sleeves. The front of the skirt opened up to reveal ruffles layered over ruffles of even more pink. It was in Lilliel's measurements… and it became obvious that Nema was planning on letting Lilliel keep her dark red mini-crown, and was making a dress that would match it and compliment Lilliel's eyes at the same time.
"… Do you think I should have used different material? This cotton is heavy. It will be too warm to wear at times." Nema said idly, cheerfully. It was hard to believe that only a moment ago she had literally broken the heart of a White Wing prisoner.
It was a morbid joke, in Rujiel's eyes. Nema, a heartbreaker. He wasn't sure if Nema had meant for it to look like such a joke, but it looked like that to him. For the past three months they had maintained a friendship… now and then Rujiel got away with some mild flirtations. In spite of that, Nema was still fairly distant… her mind on other things.
Psh. Her mind was still on HIM. And Rujiel swore it damn near torn him up inside. Nema, having feelings for a Rabbit Hunter! "… If you make that dress for her, she's never going to stop trying to put us together."
"She never stops to begin with. And it's not like it's REALLY something you dislike, anyway." Nema said the words plainly, honestly. She knew where Rujiel stood. Rujiel wanted her so bad she had the poor man wrapped around her little white finger. Not that Nema wanted him there. He more or less took up that position on his own.
Now that three months had passed, Nema had finally gotten used to the idea of herself being desirable. It was hard to not get that impression when girls and women wore fancier clothing when they were not fighting, or when all the little boys regarded her as the example of a perfect wife. Hah! Perfect. She was hardly perfect. She would accept attractive, now. But never 'perfect.' "… As it is, Lilliel will never let my mini-crown go. I've seen the way she clings to that thing… So she should at least have a dress that matches it."
"Nema."
"Rujiel." Her childish grin was concealed behind black cloth.
Rujiel sighed dramatically. "What are you, five?"
"And a half."
Rujiel shook his head, spurring laughs from Nema. "Nema, it's been three months…"
Nema knew what was coming next, and the cheer in her ruby eyes quickly left.
"I know you've told me not to impose…!" Rujiel quickly stated. "But… please hear me out. Three months… that's enough time to know if you really want to be with someone, or if it's just…"
"A tiny crush."
"Yeah. And… it's been three months, and…"
"… I can't."
"Why?" Rujiel took Nema's sewing away from her. "Nema… he's not coming back to you."
He watched her eyes narrow considerably. "What makes you think this is even ABOUT him?"
Rujiel reached out and pulled down the fabric that covered her face, letting it rest under her chin. Her bottom lip was quivering, and he pointed at her face. "That's how I know."
Nema quickly covered her face again. "Rujiel –"
"Please. Don't make me get on my knees and beg." Rujiel said quietly. "I know he hurt you… I'm not… I'm not asking you to forget him, 'cause I know you can't…! Can you at least… let me take care of you? I want to take care of you, Nema. I want to make you feel better."
A cough from the doorway interrupted this highly uncomfortable decision. "I am sorry for interrupting."
Rujiel turned wide eyes up at Nyssa, and then quickly looked away.
"That's fine, Nyssa. The discussion was going to end, anyway." Nema said quietly. She knew that was a definite dagger in Rujiel's heart. She had to do it. Rujiel was picking up on and playing off of her loneliness, and if she ever gave in… it would not be because she cared about him. It would be because she missed someone else.
Nema's ears could hear murmurs of praise and awe beginning to make its way to her room. "You have… a most interesting visitor." Nyssa moved aside and let the visitor in.
Nema stood up with wide red eyes. "… Ki…"
Lucifer gave her a crooked, but wide smirk, and held open his arms, the darkness of his hoodless cloak slipping back. "Give your uncle a hug. It's been years…!"
Nyssa and Rujiel stared on as Nema visibly HOPPED and SKIPPED to, of all people, LUCIFER, and gave him an embrace most boa constrictors would be proud of.
"… Her uncle is Lucifer?" Rujiel said through the corner of his mouth.
"I am fairly certain this is figurative." Nyssa responded in the same manner, and they left, letting Alexiel slip in.
"What is this thing you're wearing? Ninja wear?" Lucifer said. "This won't do. Let me see your face." He tugged down on the cloth covering her, and his smirk returned. "You're still a child! A baby running a war. I like it." The Dark King pinched her pale cheek.
"… This is… disturbing. Lucifer, since when have you babied anyone?"
Nema looked over to see Alexiel, standing in her white dress. "… Alexiel, too…!" Nema made ready to curtsy.
"Oh, don't do that. If you can get away with suffocating Lucifer, you can get away with not giving me those respects."
Nema gave the Dark Queen a crooked smile. "Okay, then. Um, well… please, sit! Anywhere. I'm not busy. Just sewing something for a friend of mine." Nema quickly picked up her sewing and folded it neatly, setting it on her dresser for the time being.
"It is good that you are not busy. We have a lot to catch up on, Nema." Lucifer said, quickly assuming his usual, colder and much more formal appearance. "Look at you… all grown up and… going to war. I've never been so proud."
Nema let the black cloth of her dress cover her face again, concealing a blush. "… Thank you. It's been trouble, Ki – um…"
"Either name is fine." Alexiel gave a graceful little smile and observed Nema's sewing. "… Firm stitching. So you fight and then sew in your spare time… It's good to be well-rounded."
Nema couldn't help but laugh. "It used to be the other way around. Events changed that."
"Well, it had to happen."
"Yes, yes it did." Lucifer nodded slowly. "If you were unsure how to go about it, you should have come to me. How could you forget your uncle?"
"You weren't Lucifer to me, until I was stuck in Hades and unable to do much. How was I supposed to contact you?"
"You send a letter to Jinho's address in Korea."
Silence.
"… Yes… we have kept a vast amount of things away from you. Your friend Jinho is more than your Korean friend in a top hat. He is… one of my top servants. An excellent vampire who has lived for 500 years, though he can manipulate his age to his liking. I had heard that he had a big talent for persuasion and I enlisted his aid immediately… What I hadn't known was that at the time I had asked for him to move to Sheol, he had been looking out for my niece."
Nema blinked. "… Jinho is a Demon."
"And a marvelous one. Though I admit that lately he has been looking up to Belial for her fashion sense."
Alexiel couldn't help but laugh. "It annoys him that now there are two different Demons that both love top hats. Whenever a top hat begins to push through a wall he hopes it is Jinho, and not the Mad Hatter."
Again, Nema blinked.
"… I know, it's a lot to absorb. I didn't know about his connection to you until I had begun to hear rumors about my little brother picking on you. When I found out, I sent him to your home at once to investigate at once. I heard that my little brother Michael might be taking a liking to you." Lucifer arched one dark brow.
"Fucking lies!" Nema spat darkly.
"… I hardly consider it a lie if all the other rumors have appeared to be true. And all the other rumors are true. Michael must have at least had interest in you at one point."
"Well he DOESN'T anymore." Nema said quickly.
Lucifer looked down at her with coal-black, calculating eyes. "… And you?"
"… It doesn't matter. What matters is this war. That's more important than him. And he is a traitor, anyway. I hope he dies." Nema said flatly. She stiffed as Lucifer tsked her and decided, against several odds, to hug her.
"My poor, heartbroken niece."
"I am NOT heartbroken."
"My poor, heartbroken, lying niece…" Lucifer said in his even tone. "There is something you need to understand about my little brother. He is an idiot. There's too much pride inside him… and you know, that is saying something if the Devil says so. His timing is off. He's too slow when coming to important conclusions. And if something ever seems too emotionally hard, he backs away. Go ahead and cry. Tears don't stain fabric."
"I'm not going to cry."
"Again, you lie…" Lucifer tsked her again. "Look at what that little Michael has done to my niece. Turned her into a heartbroken liar."
"You really will have to join up with this war, then." Alexiel said with a crooked, amused grin.
"Oh, of course. I should, at least, give Michael a sound beating."
Nema fought back tears and frowned up at her surrogate uncle. "… What?"
"Well, then, that is one of the reasons we came all the way up here." Lucifer said with a slight smile. "I was interested in adding to your war efforts. For a first time war leader… with next to no experience… you've mastered the art beautifully. You make me proud."
"My parents will hate you for it…"
"Hmm. Setsuna and Jibril are being a bit too protective. They have blood on their hands, as well."
Nema stepped back and continued to frown. "… The extra support is always appreciated. If you want to help, I will make sure everyone knows that."
"Perfect." Lucifer said, and ruffled Nema's white hair, letting her mini-crown fall off her head. "A pleasure striking up business with my niece."
The Dark King and his Queen made to leave after that, but Alexiel had made sure to take Nema by the hand and whisper in her ear, "It is a pity that Michael let you go so easily. I had liked that idea of upgrading from my niece to my sister-in-law."
That was all she said, and Nema gave her a half smile, even though it was concealed behind black cloth. And just like that they were gone, and Nema was glad. Now she could let her tears run and not have her surrogate uncle pat her on the head. She didn't need that kind of pity, even if she was a pitiful creature. Missing a man she had grown to hate by now. What would she do if she ever saw him face to face? Would she cry or kill him? She thought that she might do both.
"Nema." Oh God, it was Rujiel.
She quickly picked up her mini-crown and turned around, smoothing down her hair and tying it back on… making sure to wipe away the drops of liquid sadness before she turned back around.
Rujiel looked a little peeved, and fidgety, which was weird for a man like him. "They brought you another visitor coming in from the other side of the area… You're not going to enjoy this…"
"… Who is it?"
"It is Michael."