Opening Song: "Until The World Goes Cold" by: Trivium

My eyes slowly crack open. Grey light overlays the dark room. The joints in my body crackle and pop as I yawn and stretch. Despite being a small bed and it being kind of cold, it actually wasn't that bad. In fact, it was really comfortable. I get out of bed and rearrange the pillows and blanket back to their normal position.

The last thing to do is leave some kind of compensation. Murasame may have more money than he knows what to do with, but he did give me a place to stay. Not only that, but Murasame probably saved me a world of headache when I head back. I pull out two gold coins from my side satchel and lay them on the nightstand.

"Hey Alan! I got the stuff you requested! It's waiting for you back at Hanzo Academy!" Murasame says as he pounds on the bedroom door with a flat hand.

"Thank you Murasame!"

I make sure I have everything and exit the room. Murasame is standing at the base of the stairs and staring down. It appears he's arguing with someone, and it doesn't sound like his mother. Fucking great.

"I don't care what the shinobi council says!" Murasame spits.

"Don't get smart with me boy!" His dad yells back.

"First off, you got no proof that I stole anything! Second, if I did steal, which I didn't, how would a idiot like me get away with it!?"

Oh boy. Just what I need. A family argument. I'd like to leave, but for some reason, I can't find it in my heart to just leave Murasame hanging. I'm not the one that stole the alcohol from a council party, but I am the one that taught him how to do it, so I'm responsible for this. The exchange of heated comments between Murasame and his father escalate to a point Murasame places his hands on his head and shouts in frustration.

"Why do you treat me like this!? I got a degree in business and political science, but you refuse to let me use it! You won't help me get a job, you won't let me leave the house, and you're constantly stifling me by saying Ikaruga is the child you should have had!"

"Boy, you said it Murasame." I say as I walk up alongside Murasame and look down.

Standing at the bottom is Murasame's father. His black hair is almost as sleek as Murasame's and his blue eyes burn with anger, and the flames only get bigger as I place my hands on the railing. Even my temper is flaring up as the both of us stare at each other. He's dressed in his armor right now so he's either going out on a mission or coming back.

Unlike a lot of shinobi, this man's armor is built entirely of fractured ivory. An extremely hard metal that only comes from killing G rank yoma. I'll give the man credit though. He's certainly got to be a badass if he was able to get that.

"Well no wonder you've been so rebellious. Showing out for this degenerate." Murasame's father points at me. His gauntlet shines in the over head light and reveals numerous scars and scratches. Despite being polished and almost unbreakable, it's definitely showing some wear.

"Well I'm glad you decided to finally notice me. This good shinobi was starting to think you'd forgotten about your favorite solider."

"Just because you're a good shinobi doesn't change the fact that you're a reprobate."

"Easy there King of the World. Statements like that put us morally superior shinobi underneath those savages call hunters."

"Murderers calling murderers killers." Murasame jokes under his breath.

The both of us softly chuckle as Murasame's father growls under his breath. I hop over the railing of the stairs and land a couple feet away from him. Murasame runs down the stairs but stops directly at the base. His mom is nowhere to be found. I reckon she went shopping when dad arrived and wasn't around to keep the peace. Not that she could do anything now that I'm involved.

"Come on you two… Let's take it down a couple notches." Murasame pleas.

"I agree Murasame. It would be a shame if me and daddy O here violated any codes prohibiting good shinobi from fighting with one another." I tease.

Murasame's dad reaches for his sword but I tilt my holster and fire without drawing. The bullet hits his gauntlet and turns into a small coin. A small spark flashes off his hand and he flinches. The flattened bullet skids across the floor over to Murasame. The booming noise causes him to squeal and drop to the ground. He covers his eyes and tucks his head underneath his stomach.

Murasame's father looks at his gauntlet and inhales a heavy breath of hatred and anger. A fresh scratch mars the polished finish of the fractured ivory.

"Well, well, well. Not bad for a coward that uses a gun."

"That will teach you to bring a knife to a gun fight, and don't worry captain. You can just buff out that scratch." I smirk as I pull the gun out of the holster and twirl it around my fingers by the lever. It chambers a new round as I spin it back into the holster.

"You win this round Alan. Now get out of my house."

"Yes sir."

This time, my statement is sincere. I've caused enough trouble today as it is. It certainly wasn't on the agenda for my third day back, but with what's been happening the last couple days, nothing has been normal.

I pick up the bullet that's nothing more than a flat piece of metal and leave. I'm just glad I defused that situation. Personally, we would have loved to fight, but the house would end up in ruin. He was probably anticipating me to dodge like our last engagement in front of the army.

Which he called me a coward for, so I politely asked him if he wanted me to stand still next time so he could hit me. Murasame's father wasn't too pleased with my gratitude. Nor was he happy that my grave concern made the army laugh. This time, he wasn't expecting me to stand still and shoot the sword out of his hand. If only Daigon were here to see me piss Murasame's father off.

"Alan! Wait!" Murasame yells as I step outside the gates of the house.

"Yeah man?"

The both of us walk down the street and weave in between oncoming groups of people. I gently push some out of my way and sidestep whenever I can while Murasame tries to cut through. There is a break in the group and I stop. Murasame inches his way closer while I throw some snow off a nearby bench and sit down.

Murasame pulls out a pack of cigarettes and sits, "Thanks for the save back there Alan."

"Don't mention it."

He fishes a cigarette out and hands the pack to me. Murasame flips the cap off a black windproof lighter and rolls the flint. A spark ignites the wick and a small cone shaped flame burns the white paper and tobacco. Murasame hands me the lighter as I put a cigarette in my mouth.

The wind tries to pick up so I cover the flame with my free hand and puff a couple times. The fresh smell of butane mixes with the rolling paper, and tobacco fills my nose as I take a long drag. The smoke rolls over my tonsils and slightly irritates the back of my throat in a way that brings some relief to the stress. The taste of freshly rolled tobacco fills my lungs and mouth as I exhale a cloud of smoke.

One good thing about being a half blood is stuff like smoking and alcohol doesn't have a negative effect on us. We can't get diseases such as cancer or anything alcohol related. Nor can we get physically addicted to a substance.

Before getting involved with Asuka and her family, I was a heavy drinker because I knew I could get drunk and not have to face any health-related consequences. However, I still felt the effects and if I hit the bottle way too hard, I'd suffer a hangover.

Murasame and I aren't huge smokers, but whenever he gets stressed and needs someone to talk to, we usually sit down somewhere in the city, smoke a cigarette and discuss the issue he's having. Personally, I hate smoking, but given the circumstance, I understand why Murasame lights up occasionally. The guy doesn't really have anyone in his life.

(Disclaimer: Sledgehammer963 does not endorse smoking of any kind or irresponsible alcohol use)

"I have to admit. That scared the hell out of me, but that was awesome. Still the fastest gunslinger in the country." Murasame states as he flicks the ash off the tip and takes another puff.

"I know he's your father, but he needs to focus on raising his son into a responsible man rather than pleasing the council." I reply as I take a drag and think. Murasame's dad actually cared about him at one time.

Up until he got a spot on the council. Then when he got mixed up with all the other shinobi assholes who insulted him because Murasame failed his test, that's when he started to look down on him because Murasame's failure brought shame upon the family.

"I mean, I love him, but it just seems like he doesn't want me to succeed. I got school out of the way, but I can't get a job without him signing off because I've never worked anywhere before. No credentials, no experience, and no one wants to interview me unless my father says otherwise." Murasame sighs. "Sometimes I wish I was cut out to be a shinobi. Maybe then he'd actually respect me."

"I'll tell you first hand, hunters and shinobi are overrated. People think it's this fairy tale of fame and fortune. I've been at this for nearly three years. I've played both sides and lived long enough to watch myself become a villain to both." I say as I stick my spent cigarette into the ash tray.

"Don't say that Alan. You're not a villain."

"I'm not a hero either." I reply as I sit forward and fold my hands together.

"Ikaruaga and Yumi think otherwise."

"And neither understand how life truly works."

"I guess you're right about that. Anyway, what do you think I should do?" Murasame asks.

"Have you talked to Murakumo's father?"

"He won't schedule an appointment unless my dad vouches for me."

"Damn. I won't lecture you about keeping your head up because you know the rhetoric already."

I flip open the pocket watch Jonathan gave me and check the time. It's a little past 1 p.m right now, and I'm sitting on about ten thousand units of power according to the meters within the ticking clock. Damn, I nearly generated four times the power since yesterday. Then again, I gorged myself on that razorback the night before. My armor absorbed all the blood for me, and then I ate the heart.

"I know Alan. Something will happen though, and when it does, I'll show everyone I'm not stupid." Murasame finishes smoking and flicks the spent cigarette into the ash tray. "Anyway, I'm going to see if I can actually find a place with decent pay."

He stands up walks off, "Oh and Alan… Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can feel someone watching me. In fact, she's been watching me ever since I left the house. It's that Alice woman again, and she's standing directly behind me. Red drips from her teeth, and a psychotic smile rips across her face as she sticks her tongue out and licks her lips vigorously. Some kind of kekai comes up and traps us both in a barrier.

The people around can't see her. Which is probably a good thing. I wish I didn't have to look at this beautiful disaster-piece. Alice holds up an hourglass, "Milady wanted me to tell you that you have seventy hours, forty-seven minutes and seven seconds remaining Alan! I can already taste little Asuka-chan!"

"Oh you won't be tasting anything."

I can feel something wet dragging up the side of my face. Shock grabs hold of me and I grab the tingling area. Alice smacks her lips a couple times and smiles, "I like your taste!"

Chills run all the way down my spine as she grins at me with lustful eyes and suddenly disappears. The barrier falls down, and I can't feel her presence. Jesus Christ that woman is a freak. I thought Oliviera was crazy, but that Alice woman is in a league on her own. How the hell does Oliviera keep something like that in line? I guess I shouldn't be concerned, but grateful Oliviera can control her.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. The next step to locating that stone is infiltrating Gessen itself. When I get back to Hanzo Academy, I'm going to get the teacher's uniform, the badge and board the next train on the way to Gessen.

From there, I'll pose as a staff member and see what I can find out about Senko, Gekko and Fubuki as well as trying to locate that stone. The extra uniform was just in case Mr. K wants to send someone along with me. Dearest Yumi-chan, I know I promised you I'd never do anything behind your back, but this is for your safety as well as Hanzo Academy's, and I hope you can inadvertently forgive me.

I check behind my back to make sure no one followed me. The coast is clear luckily. I head to the room with the secret passage, activate the switch and hop down the slide. My right knee bites the padded floor.

Octavian and Hibari are conversing back and forth in hunter's tongue while Yagyu nibbles on a lollipop. Ikaruga is helping Astoreth and Daigon prepare lunch while Katsu is listening to Octavian and Hibari talk. I walk over and sit down beside Asuka as she scrolls through the television guide.

"Morning Sweetie." I say.

"Where were you last night?" Asuka asks as she slouches over and lays her head on my shoulder.

"The doors were locked last night so I stayed with Murasame."

I put my arm around Asuka and she scooches closer, "They didn't leave it open for you?"

"I guess they propped it open, but it got dislodged somehow."

Asuka doesn't look like she's hurting or got any injuries. Good. Otherwise Alice and I are going to fight right now. Now that I think about it, my assumption about the person moving the door stop was more than likely correct. Her name starts with an A, and ends with a vowel, but it wasn't Asuka or Ayame.

Hey Katsu!" I hold up her copy of Yuuna and The Haunted Hot Springs.

"Sure!"

Katsu comes over and sits by me, and the both of us begin reading the book together. Before I left, Katsu and I were reading manga together. Especially lewd ones because I was the only one that would laugh with her.

Hibari would occasionally join us until Mr. K would charge me with thought crime and make the three of us clean the dojo. He even made us clean his office several times. Until I found his collection of Hustler magazines in his desk.

"What a skrub." I sneer as we focus on the panel of Sagiri getting annihilated by some girl named Oroboro.

"Alan, can I see you for a second?" I hear Mr. K ask from down the hall.

"Sure thing."

I guess it's time to report my findings and inform him on the next step of my investigation. Ayame is sitting down in front of Mr. K's desk while Daidouji stands off to the side with her arms crossed.

"Why is Ayame here?" I ask as I sit down beside her.

"Well Alan, that's what I want to discuss. Ayame here knows about the talilbasha, and she was wondering if she could help you on the next assignment. Whatever it maybe." Mr. K replies.

"Yes. I know about the talilbasha. Before I decided to attend Hanzo Academy, I lived on the border of Ursania. There was a series of catacombs that sprawled all over the city and its surrounding area."

"My aunt works for Oliviera and about a year ago, they found this bizarre looking rock in a dead god tomb. Since she was a shinobi, she started to feel very weak but Oliviera was so powerful when she picked it up, the sight made her collapse. Scared that it would fall into the wrong hands, Oliviera desperately tried to destroy the stone, but nothing worked. So she cast it into a bottomless well and prayed no one would ever find it."

"Well her nightmare just came true then." I say.

"But if we get the talilbasha back… Oliviera will go back to Urasania?" Ayame asks.

"Yes." I reply.

"Alan, what is your plan right now?"
"Infiltrate Gessen and see what I can find. That's what the uniforms are for." I answer Mr. K.

"Do you mind if Ayame goes along with you? It would be good experience for her."

"I have no issue. As long as she listens to me." I state.

"Ayame? Will you accept?" Mr. K asks.

Ayame sits back and thinks about what she's really getting into. This won't be a very difficult mission if we keep it cool and use our disguises to the fullest. The only thing that will be a real threat is Fubuki. The both of us can sense one another, but I have a counter to that.

"Is there a payout?" Ayame asks.

I reach into my side satchel and pull out a stack of bills, "two million yen if the mission is a success."

"Sold." Ayame says.

I put the money back in my side satchel. Mr. K hands us a pen, and Ayame and I sign an expulsion stating all the potential hazards, and that Hanzo Academy is not responsible if either of us get captured or killed. That we were acting as renegades and can't be protected from the law.

It's more or less, us renouncing Mr. K, the Hanzo girls, and getting kicked out temporarily. If it's a success, then Mr. K will destroy it. If it's a failure, then he's got paperwork covering him. Ayame finishes signing the paper and Mr. K puts it in a secured lock box if something happens.

"Ayame, go out there and make us proud." Mr. K says.

"You can count on me. I won't let you down." Ayame replies.

"Contact Jonathan and let him know I need some suppression pills, and a hollow tooth of yoma extract."

Mr. K gives me a thumbs up and picks up the phone. Ayame and I leave and head back to the living room. Even with the possibility of death, she actually looks like she's excited to go on a mission.

"My first mission! And with you of all people!" Ayame states.

"Ah, I'm just a person like everyone else here."

"No, you don't understand! I'm going on a mission with the only guy here!"

"It should just be looked upon as a mission. By the way, why do you need money? Don't you know most assignments given by the academies are just for experience and prestige?"

Ayame clears her throat and tries to get her excitement under control, "Well Alan, my step brother was in a real serious accident, and he needs surgery. It's not that my family can't afford it, but his mom and dad wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas if they paid for it, so I need money to help pay for it."

"And you'd risk your life for him?"

"Absolutely. He's my best friend."

I put my hand on her shoulder and smile, "You're a courageous one, and I admire that. Now get yourself ready. We have a mission to prepare for."

"Yes Alan."

Ayame heads into her room while I head to the bathroom. The side of my face still feels nasty regardless of me wiping Alice's sticky, yoma blood saliva off. I coat my hands with some soap and scrub the area. Some relief comes to the tingly area, but it still feels like there's still some on.

The tabby cat I was talking to last night is sitting on top of the towel rack. His striped tail sways back and forth in a rhythmic manner as his mouth forms that unsettling grin unnatural for a cat.

"Have you met Alice?" He asks.

"Unfortunately."

The fat cat jumps down from his perch and walks over to where I am standing. All of the stuff is off my face, but no matter how hard I scrub, it still feels disgusting. Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me. I press my fingertips into my cheek to the point it's starting to feel raw.

I reach over to lather my hand up again, but the bar slips into the sink. "Son of a bitch." I fumble around in sudsy water and try to locate the soap. The bubbles within the standing water start pop all at once and a small ring of clarity becomes visible.

"There it is!"

I grab the soap and look back up in the mirror. A pair of golden eyes are staring back at me. My heart starts to race and my mind slowly processes what I am seeing. Within the mirror is the reflection of a woman with silver, bluish hair. Similar to Yumi's except this girl's hair is slightly more blue. Her figure is similar to Katsu's. Height and body size.

For some reason, I am enraptured and cannot break the gaze I am casting upon her. She's wearing nothing more than an old black raggedy cloak with the hood folded back. A tarnished silver tiara from the Victorian era rests on the top of her head. Judging by the damage, the tiara she is wearing looks like something she pulled out of a burning house because the silver is scarred with a layer of smoke and ash.

The centerpiece has a very shiny and unique looking red stone. Unlike anything I've ever seen. It is not a ruby by no means, nor a regular gemstone for that matter. She raises her hand and slowly moves it towards the mirror. Her hand bursts through the glass and physically grabs hold of my armor.

The shock is enough to cause me to gasp aloud. I pull back and try to get away, but my body goes nowhere. Her fingers have penetrated through my armor and I can barely even struggle.

"Let go of me!" I shout as I try to break free.

She gives a small yank and nearly half of my arm morphs through the glass without shattering it.

"Are you okay Alan?" I hear Hibari ask.

Her eyes grow huge and she screams in horror at what is happening. Hibari runs over and grabs hold of my other arm and tries to pull me back out of the mirror.

"YAGYU! MR. K! HELP!" Hibari yells as loud as she can.

"What's wrong? Did Alan fall in the toilet again?" Asuka teases as she walks in with Yagyu and everyone else.

Their short-lived laughter suddenly turns into scared gasps as the take hold of my legs and pull with all they have. Asuka grabs hold of my left ankle while Katsu grabs the right. Everyone else grabs where ever they can.

"Let go of him you smurf haired bitch!" Astoreth screeches as she summons her spear and tries to jab at the woman. Astoreth's weapon does nothing but strike the glass and ricochet off. It isn't even punching through the portal.

"You see Alan? I told you were going to meet the mirror queen! And you didn't believe me!" The fat cat teases as he jumps on a nearby medicine cabinet.

"You said you didn't have the slightest idea!" I yell back as I push myself slightly out of the mirror.

"You maybe right about that. I wasn't myself yesterday, and I've changed several times since then!" The cat hysterically laughs.

The top part of my face pushes through the glass. Nothing but an infinite void of black covers the background. I can't even see the woman's hand, but I can still feel her grasping hold of my armor with a death grip. A ghastly looking great sword glowing an indescribable blue and green color floats out of nowhere and slowly hovers out the mirror.

The sheer sight of the weapon terrifies everyone, and they let me go. My weight falls forward and I spiral out of control. Because there is no light, it's hard to tell what direction I am falling, or if I'm falling at all.

The fact I don't know what is happening is driving me mad. It's infuriating to the point I've even forgot what's going on. Maybe I'll close my eyes and when I wake up, this will all be gone.

Oliviera never gave me an assignment or threatened to hurt Asuka, Alice is nothing more than a figment of my imagination and everything was nothing more than a dream. Senko, Gekko and Fubuki are made up, and I was never going to Gessen other than to visit Minori for Christmas.

I'll feel the gentle morning light from the sunrise on my face, and Asuka will be laying right next to me. My arms wrapped around her while her head rests upon the beating heart of my chest. She'll wake up like always and ask if we can watch the sunrise together. There's a problem though. How can I tell if my eyes are closed? It's darker than a sack full of black cats that I can't tell.

A thick layer of blur obscures both of my eyes before I realize whether I closed them or not. Hovering above me is a smoky looking sky filled with black ash and bright orange cinder. My eyes finally clear up after a couple blinks.

Velvety petals of white cushion my body as I turn my head to the side. Green stalks that support the weight of the white flowers stand nearly three feet (1 meter) tall and completely surround me. I rub my eyes and sit up. A massive tree with many tombstones embedded within the bark is the first thing I notice.

Gothic era skeleton decorations stand on top of a specific tombstone separate from the tree. Numerous cairns formed out of stone are spread across the field of tall flowers, but several have been destroyed by some kind of impact. Like something toppled it over.

I stand up and try to make out where I am. Right now, it looks like some kind of cemetery that hasn't been taken care of and maintained for a long time. Throughout the area, there are massive barren patches of dying flowers. Some have been trampled and others cut by a sharp object as they are laying on the ground and have withered away.

Huge gashes from some kind of bladed weapon mar the ground, and craters carve shallow ravines into the dirt. A battle has taken place here. Two for certain. Looking at this makes me think of Roger. I don't know why, but there is a certain feeling of sorrow here. Like someone was forced to do something traitorous. The gashes upset me while the craters anger me.

Up on a nearby hill lies an old building that looks like a ruined church. Smoke bellows out of what's left of the rafters and all the windows are either busted out or coated in a thick layer of black. Other than that, there is nothing else around that appears to be shelter of any kind. Whoever brought me here, maybe that's where they are…

Meanwhile at Hanzo Academy…

Hibari is intently searching all the books she's ever read about the hunters while the others try and figure out what is going on and what they should do. Mr. K hasn't gotten off the phone since Alan requested the stuff for the mission.

"Alan is gone!"

"What do you mean Alan is gone?"

"He just disappeared through a mirror! Something grabbed ahold and pulled him through to the other side!"

"So it begins…" Jonathan says with a heavy heart filled with dread.

Hibari finally finds the book explaining the return of the one called the mirror queen, "Here it is!" Hibari says as she puts her fingers on the words. The picture depicts a woman with blue hair waiting patiently for a seal to vanish.

Everyone gathers around and she translates it, "When the two-hundred-year seal has expired…"

Hibari flips the page. The next picture shows the woman fighting both a black-haired woman with diamond like eyes, and an evil looking demon at the same time. The three of them are battling for a fiery throne that sits in the middle of what appears to be Hell.

Her sword in the book matches the color it was glowing from earlier, "The Queen of Yharnam shall rise and reclaim her place as the eternal ruler of the Fracture."

"But what does this have to do with Alan!?" Asuka states.

"Every participating member in this battle needs a champion. Now don't they?" Mojo states.

"What do you mean champion!? Alan is Kagura's champion!" Daidouji replies.

"Heavenly Empress Kagura has many champions to choose from! Besides, what makes Alan so special since Kagura has some to spare?" Mojo asks before letting out a small unintentional burst of psychotic laughter.

The girls begin to think about the cat's cryptic question. They think about it to the point they hit a dead end. Yet, they try to think onward. Hibari pulls out a book regarding the legend of a hunter defeating her mentor in a duel within what is called The Hunter's Dream.

The story goes that the hunter nearly purged Yharnam, and the ancient dungeons called Chalice of all the monsters and yoma residing there. She gained so much power that she was on the verge of turning into a beast herself. Her mentor offered to grant her release.

An offer she almost took until she learned that there was a greater threat, and if she could kill it, then she could break the curse looming over Yharnam. She could save herself and what was left of the hunters.

After an intense battle with her mentor, she successfully overcame him and killed the nightmare that oppressed Yharnam. The woman gained the god's power, infinite knowledge and the cure to her beast hood. Although she still possesses the ability to use her powers to the fullest extent without any consequence.

"I know why she chose Alan now…" Hibari says as she looks up from the book. She doesn't dare say why though because Octavian is in the room…

Ending Song: "Stillborn" by: Black Label Society