Nala couldn't help but stare. Had she really heard the other girl right? And if she was asking Nala out, had this meant that dinner had been a date!?
Dear mother of pearl please don't tell me I somehow led her on by being nice…
"Uh," She stared at the other girl in shock, "I, um, well…" She scratched the back of her head, not entirely sure what to say. "I'm flattered really, believe me," Nala glanced helplessly around the street as a horrible feeling of guilt overcame her.
I don't know how to tell her no without hurting her feelings, and no one is here to help me, and i can't be like 'hold up while I call Haruhi for some advice on what to say…' UGH WHAT DO I DO!?
Nala sighed, and putting her eyes back on the girl in front of her who was staring at her with big, hopeful eyes, she mentally straightened her spine, and began to speak.
"Let me talk for a second okay, and explain myself please before you get upset ok?" A look of defeat overcame the other girl's eyes as she stared at Nala as if she knew it wasn't going to happen, but she nodded her head for Nala to keep talking. She began,
"I respect you so much for coming out and asking me, that takes courage and I know how nervous you must have been, but my answer is no." The other girl looked down, crestfallen, but Nala continued. "It's not because you are a girl, or a matter of me being uncomfortable with that, the simple truth is that I'm not attracted to you like that. I'm straight personally, and even if I wasn't...well, in a relationship with Kyoya, I wouldn't be able to say yes to you because I am not attracted to other women like that. That is my personal choice, but please don't be mad at me about it or take it as me hating the fact you aren't straight. That's your choice, but it isn't for me because I'm just not biologically wired like that."
The other girl stared at her, tears in her eyes.
"You don't hate me for asking you out? Even though you're with Ootori? Or for the fact that I'm lesbian now?"
Nala shook her head.
"Not at all, like I said, it's your choice to like girls, who am I to say that's wrong? I respect that, and I just ask that you would respect me for not saying yes. I could never hate you for being lesbian, you're human just like me. Me hating you for that would be like saying I hate you for not liking the same food I do. Everyone has different tastes, I have no right to hate you for that, I may not agree, but again that would be like me finding out you didn't like chocolate. I can disagree and think chocolate is awesome even if you don't but I'm not gonna be mad at you over that! It would be ridiculous!"
The girl was still looking at the ground, but didn't appear quite as devastated.
"I guess you're right… Please don't tell anyone about this though, it can't get out at school, I'll be disowned, or worse my family would come for you, try to bribe you for your silence and I know you don't like lying…" The girl looked away with a blush, "I'm sorry, I should go...um, this is awfully rude of me, but can you get back by yourself?"
Of course she's going to feel super awkward, she just asked me out and I said no...I'll take the subway or something, worst comes to worst I have to walk.
With that thought in mind, Nala smiled at her, and nodded, attempting to diminish the sudden awkwardness that had filled the air between them.
"Sure, it shouldn't be a problem."
Smiling, more of a grimacing wince than a smile, the other girl began backing away, throwing another apology over her shoulder as she did so before hurrying off to her car.
"Well," Nala spoke out loud to herself, "This week has definitely been eventful."
With a sigh, she went to pull out her phone, but paused as a clock bell chimed in the distance.
Six...Seven...Eight…
Nala counted out the chimes in her head, and her eyebrows rose. Since it was spring, the sun had been setting later, but to have it setting this late surprised her. She shook her head at herself in annoyance, it had been a bad move to not check what time the sun set because every time the sun set bad things started happening. And, if that creeping sense of foreboding slid up her spine again meant anything, tonight was definitely not going to be an exception. However, even as she thought that, her phone started to buzz, and on glancing down at it Nala was pleasantly surprised to see it was an incoming call from Kyoya. So, without hesitation she answered the phone.
He spoke before she could.
"Nala where are you?"
"Well hello there Ootori, can I just say this is a bit of a surprise? We're definitely breaking norms right and left today, also nice greeting."
She could just imagine his eyebrow rising at her words, but his tone was serious when he responded to her.
"I have a bad feeling, and it's centered around you. Wherever you are you need to get here, or to one of the hosts houses right now."
Nala's brow furrowed.
"Why?"
His voice was full of cold annoyance as he responded.
"I don't know. That's the problem, my gift of...clairvoyance is not always... perfect. I just know that you're in trouble."
Nala looked around herself briefly, taking in the swanky district, and the quiet air around it even if it was a busy area.
"Er, that might be a little hard to do at the moment…"
There was silence for a moment,
"Why?"
She winced.
"Um, I'm by the Akasaka Kikunoi branch restaurant, you know the really fancy one? And I'm kind of stranded here. I don't think any train stations are super near here now that I think about it, and it's too far to walk…"
He cursed, but she could've sworn she heard a smile in his voice when he spoke next.
"What exactly am I supposed to do with you when you keep getting yourself into these situations Nala?"
Before she could respond though, she heard something. Something high pitched, angry, evil. It was an eerie shriek of a woman, and a bird of prey, fury, death, a hunter. Very s lowly, Nala turned around, and what she saw almost made her drop the phone she was clutching to her ear.
The street she was on was practically empty, the people all inside eating at restaurants, or in the various other shops on the street. She was one of the only peoples standing out in the open, but that was not what made fear crawl up her spine. Oh no, it was the sight of what was above the buildings. Creatures,two of them almost birdlike in form with their large bat-like wings, and arms that tapered off into clawed hands, but that was where the similarity ended. The body and head were those of women, but the legs were...gone, as if they had been torn off and the tops of the monsters had flown free without them. The creature on the left, let loose another keening cry, and Nala felt those eyes land on her.
"Ootori," She swallowed hard, "please don't tell me you were calling to ask me if I have my affairs in order because the answer is no. What the hell are those things!?"
Hysteria was creeping into Nala's voice.
I should've known that something would go wrong if I was out after sunset. I'm gonna die dammit and I only had a week left to see Maddy. And-
Kyoya broke her out of her morbid thoughts.
"Nala you need to get out of the open, keep me on the phone. I didn't get the vision in time to keep you out of the area, another one just came, but Tokiya sent those. They're just minions. Honey and Mori are on their way, as well as myself, they're calling the twins and Tamaki too. You need to hide, and stay there for five minutes."
"Five minutes!?" Nala hissed into her phone as she tried to scan the area around her and watch the creatures at the same time. "Do you have any idea how long that is? And they look fast! What are they!?"
Kyoya's voice was calm, soothing, tranquil when he spoke, but Nala knew he was worried, could picture him sitting in his fancy car making calls and tapping his foot on the ground in frustration.
"They're called Manananggal, they hunt women for their hearts and crave unborn fetus'. They look like women during the day but at night their wings become unveiled and they separate from their lower bodies to go hunt prey They're often called 'tik-tik's' because that is their hunting noise when chasing their prey, but you don't want them to start hunting you. Walk, unhurried towards the closest business. The Manananggal's are pack animals, and cowards so if you can get into a crowded area they won't chase you. Whatever you do do not get caught alone understand?"
Nala mentally cursed everything in her life that had let her to this moment before she responded.
"Ok, I'll do my best. Please hurry I'm…" She paused, swallowed. "I'm scared, I've faced quite a few things since this started, but this? This time I'm...scared. And maybe it's cause I know how much I have to lose if this goes wrong, I dunno but please get here soon Kyoya."
The use of his first name made the boy on the other end of the line pause. It always got to him, maybe because she didn't use it all that much, but it had a way of getting to him that he wasn't sure was a good thing.
"I will Nala, just keep me on the phone and I'll be there. Now, walk casually towards a building."
She did that, slow, steady steps even though on the inside she wanted nothing more than to break and run for the hills screaming at the top of her lungs.
Maybe all this supernatural stuff is too much for me, what if I can't do it? However, Nala barely had that thought before she shook it away. Who am I kidding, all my friends are elbow deep in it, and my boyfriend can see the future, so yeah I'd say I can handle it pretty well.
"Would it be bad for me to watch them Ootori?"
"No don't watch them, they'll take it as a challenge. Rule number one, never stare something down unless you know you can beat it."
Right
Nala ket moving, throwing the occasional glance to her side to watch them covertly.
"How much longer?"
Her voice trembled slightly on the last word.
"Four minutes, at this rate we should be there before they attack as long as nothing goes wrong."
As if on cue, a man stumbled out of a restaurant, drunk, weaving, looked up, and began to scream. The creatures heads swiveled towards him, and with haunting cries of their own, they dove. Nala hit the ground, and one flew right over her to her shock but it turned to horror when she realized what they were actually going to do. They were gonna kill the man to shut him up.
"Nala! Run! Do not look back just go!"
And now Kyoya sounded furious.
"I can't! I can't let them hurt someone innocent! Which direction are you driving from!?"
"Yes you can Nala, sometimes you have to to survive."
"Damn it Ootori, WHICH DIRECTION!?" She was shouting into the phone now, eyes casting about for some sort of weapon, and when he finally gave it after the barest of hesitations, Nala proceeded to give him a mini heart attack. "Awesome see you soon, and keep the doors open if I need to dive in." And with that, she hung up on him. Leaping to her feet, a rock in hand, Nala drew her arm back and with all her strength threw it as hard as possible at the Manananggal. It hit one, and with a shriek of anger, it spun in the air, its' companion doing the same until they were both watching her with their beady, black, bird-like eyes.
"Hey birdbrains! You want me right? Then you better be willing to chase me for it if you want Tokiya to give you any more bird food or whatever it is he's bribing you with!"
So saying, Nala didn't stick around to hear what they had to say, or even if they could speak at all; she ran. She last time she had run like this she realized was also when she had been running for her life and if she hadn't been in said predicament she would've laughed. No, Nala was a little more focused on staying alive. Sprinting down the street, she could hear the creature's wings as they flew after her, but she refused to make the mistake that all the girls in horror movies did by turning around and tripping. However, what Nala didn't count on, was exactly how fast the creatures would be with their wings.
They hit her hard and fast, one swooping in from the side, another from above forcing her to abandon her plan for straight running and instead turning her escape into some odd looking dance of weaving and ducking. Nala for a split second wondered how no one could see them outside, but a glance inside a nearby store reminded her that the sun was set and it was steadily growing dimmer and as the street lights hadn't turned on yet anyone inside a building would be unable to see much on the dim sidewalk outside. Since it was a walking district, cars were allowed down the road except for certain parking areas for people who were rich enough to pay for them so no one was really out and about. No cars, no people, so no one was or could be watching the brunette duck and cover as she ran for her life from creatures that weren't supposed to exist.
The creature on her left gave a low keening cry and swooped at her, causing her to hit the pavement to get away from it. Heart hammering in her chest, hands and knees stinging as she scrambled up and kept running, Nala wasn't sure how much longer she could hold the sprint she was going at. Already she had a stitch in her side, and her lungs were beginning to hurt.
If I survive this I swear I will take up running on a daily basis.
Another cry from her right this time, and a heavy, clawed hand batted at her knocking her down and sending her tumbling several feet farther. Sides heaving for air, Nala struggled to her feet, but realized she was trapped.
The creatures had begun circling her, closing the circle in, and she couldn't duck between them to get out of the tight circle they were creating. She twisted her head from side to side, heart beating in her chest hummingbird fast, and every one of her senses on high alert. She was aware of the world around her in a way she never had been. The distance swish of cars, chatter of people safe inside the buildings around her, the wind brushing her skin light as a feather, the stench of death from the creatures circling her. It was all there, all glaringly, brilliantly, overwhelmingly there.
Funny how it looks like me being about to die makes this happen.
Finally, the creatures began to slow. They had caused Nala to be forced into backing up against a building, and now they landed in front of her. Up close they were even worse than she had imagined they would. Dark hair hung around their pale faces, and their sunken eyes gleamed beadily like a bird's eyes as they stared at her. Their figures were beautiful though, and it was easy to see that before they had become these...Manananggal, that they had been beautiful women. Now however, they made hissing noises, and snapped their teeth together wetly like rabid animals, their arms were what held them up on the ground, long delicate looking arms that tapered off into razor sharp claws, claws that could easily shred her to pieces. It was their lower bodies though, that made Nala's stomach turn in horror and she struggled to hold down the meal she had eaten barely half an hour before. They had indeed separated from their lower bodies, but it was not a clean separation. Oh no, it looked like they had ripped themselves from their lower bodies, it was all dangling flesh and entrails, loose, jagged, bloody, and completely gag-worthy.
One of the creatures dragged itself forward, baring its fang like teeth at her with a hiss.
"The massster wantssss you alive human."
It spoke like a snake, hissing and spitting out its words, which made sense to Nala since it had to talk around those fangs like that, but still. The other one followed its sister monster.
"Can't touch he sssaid." It licked its lips. "But we can sssmell you. Ssso Sssweet." It bared its teeth in a gruesome smile at Nala, a long, snake like black tongue sliding out and licking down its' chin before disappearing back into its mouth. Nala shuddered, fear pounding a steady rhythm through her body, her eyes darting around for an escape route that didn't seem to be there. A glance at her phone showed she'd been running for barely two minutes.
Well shit. Three minutes left to go.
The Manananggal' dragged themselves forwards, the muscles in their upper arms flexing with the movement and Nala swallowed hard. If they got their hands on her she was a gonner and they all knew it, but with her back to the wall, and no escape in sight there wasn't much she could do. Unless…
"Wait!" So maybe her voice was a little frantic, whose wouldn't be? "What is Tokiya paying you to do this? I'm sure I can pay you more!"
Of course she couldn't but they didn't need to know that. The one on the left, closer to her cocked its head.
"Sssilly little human. You could not raissse uss you cannot feed usss." It slid forward an inch, voice hissing out. It laughed, an evil, ugly sound as it repeated some sort of ritualistic words. "Blood for blood, death for death, sssacrifice for ssssacrifice."
The other one cut in.
"You think that ssstupid human called usss? Only the ssorcerer could. He wantsss you, he will find you, come with usss now."
"But, uh, what sorcerer? He can't be that powerful can he?"
Stalling stalling stalling, why is every evil villain prone to fall for it?
The creatures stared at her, frozen for a moment, before glancing at each other as if silently surprised.
"If you do not know, then it isss time for you to become acquainted." The monsters cackled. "Don't worry sssilly girl, soon you will be like one of ussss."
I'm gonna puke.
"Now, enough sssstalling. We are going to bring you with usss for the massster to play with. You owe a debt of blood." It's long, black tongue slithered out and in again as if it was licking its lips in glee at the thought of this blood debt. "Come with usss or the othersss will pay."
Nala shot one last desperate glance at her phone screen for the time.
Less than a minute… wait… what was that...
She glanced around again, another desperate look, and a small smirk slid over her lips before she sagged against the wall. Dramatically, she threw her hands out - making sure they still couldn't quite reach her - and slid a little farther down the wall.
"Fine! Take me! I see how it is," She shot them a low look, "But, before you do, can I ask a question?"
The Manananggal paused in their advance, and tilted their heads, their hair sliding off their shoulders with the movement.
"What?"
Nala pulled her hand away from her eyes so they could see the almost triumphant look she'd been attempting to hide.
"How do you feel about tigers?"
The creatures paused, froze, and then began to move.
"Ssstupid human, you can't sstall any-"
Whatever the monster was about to say was cut off as two massive tigers lunged from the darkness of the alley next to them, and slammed into it with muted roars. It was a mess of teeth, and flashing fangs as the creatures fought, but for the life of her Nala couldn't figure out which twin was which as they fought.
Whichever one is which, please be careful!
She sent a silent prayer upwards before spinning and dashing down the same alley the tiger had come from, drawing the other Manananggal after her in hopes to help the tigers by it not being able to join in the fight. As Nala ran, she scooped up a large rock in some freakily smooth motion, and whirled chucking it at the monster scrambling after her. Since the alleyway was too narrow, the Manananggal couldn't fly and was forced to chase her by dragging itself quickly on its arms. Because of this, it wasn't able to avoid the rock, and it slammed into it. Letting loose a shrill cry, it stopped and grabbing at the alley walls, yanked itself up and up until it had wing space before taking off into the night.
At the entrance to the alley, the tigers appeared, and behind them a limo pulled up. Nala had a brief moment to hope that it wasn't some freaky coincidence that her enemies would have tigers, and a limo just like the host club had, before she fainted from shock.
*** Authors Note ***
DUN DUN DUN PLOT TWIST! I know I'm evil mwahahaha! Well, maybe not, but in all seriousness this chapter was my moment to spice things up since we haven't had much exciting stuff happen in Nala's life recently. What did you guys think? I knew I was taking a risk by having another girl ask Nala out, but I feel like that's not a topic that is broached enough, and I hope that Nala handled it in a way that can keep you all happy. There will probably only be two or three more chapters left of Nala's tale, so be prepared for what's coming next
Shout out to…
Rarity123 + MickeyLOLgirl + Anariel Phoenix Blade + PaigeNightingale + crazy1person2you3been4warned + The Vitruvian Woman (Thanks for the follows and favs guys!)
killjarkidranger (Hahah you can ship anything you want man! Thanks though!)
animeloverbird (hi there! First of all thank you SO MUCH for your sweet review! It made my day! Also, I would love to help you out, could you PM me so we can chat about the school thing?)
Barracuda57 (THANK YOU!)
swimmer1102 (awesome! Thank you so much! I would love it if you recommended my story to your friend :D also yes, I will most likely add as a bonus to the end of this story, the first part of the first chapter I write of Maddy's story. That way all my readers will know about it)