DISCLAIMER: nope.
St. Peter's Academic Quad; Thursday April 13, 2000
Mai let out a dramatic sigh as she and Natsuki exited the building where the science labs were held. "Ugh, I thought that chem lab would never end!"
Natsuki turned to her roommate with a look of mild surprise, "You don't like chemistry?"
Mai stopped walking to look at Natsuki, "Um... no. I wouldn't have expected you to be a science nerd either."
"What, just because I'm athletic I can't like some of my classes?" Natsuki teased.
Mai blushed guiltily, "Well I wasn't going to put it that way... And anyway science is generally a more demanding subject than other classes is all."
"Heh, tell that to my Japanese Literature grade." They both laughed, "You're not wrong though, I can tell that we have a lot of reading and homework in chemistry, I just like it." She paused, walking over to smile at a chubby squirrel that was standing next to the walkway under a large oak tree holding a potato crisp in his tiny hands. "It's just that... one of the only details I remember about my mom is that she was always telling me how it was her dream to someday save up enough money to go to university. She really wanted to major in science. She didn't ever say what field, or maybe she did and I didn't understand what she was talking about since I was too young... But I guess it's just something I can do that lets me feel closer to her you know?"
"Oh. If I had known I wouldn't have made fun of you..."
Natsuki smiled, "I know Mai, it's fine. If I had suddenly learned that Haruka had a deep love of calculus I would have been surprised too."
Mai snorted with amusement, having met Haruka a couple days ago at lunch. "I'll admit if I heard that I might be on the phone with Midori-san to have her double check that it wasn't a sign of the apocalypse."
"Hah! Oh wow, that's a good one Mai." Natsuki grinned at her roommate, "Look at you, already so flippant about the end of the world."
Mai shrugged but grinned too, "What can I say, I am quick to adjust. Anyway... I was supposed to meet up with Tate-kun this afternoon once classes were over to get coffee..."
"Oh really? The 'it's a date that isn't a date' beverage of choice?" Natsuki teased.
"What's wrong with that? Besides, weren't you getting coffee with Shizuru-san earlier this week?" Mai laughed as Natsuki blushed.
"Maybe... but it's not like that with us."
"See above: Oh really?"
Natsuki sighed, looking up at the white fluffy clouds in the mid-afternoon sky, "Well my life isn't exactly compatible with dating you know? I wouldn't want to risk allowing someone to get that attached to me. And plus anyone who was involved with me would almost certainly be in danger from any smarter baddies trying to get the upper hand with me."
Mai gazed at her friend sympathetically, "That has to be hard."
Natsuki just shrugged, "I'm used to it by now. But yeah... it does get difficult sometimes. Anyway, have fun with your 'coffee' and Tate. Tell me if he manages to look at anything besides your boobs the whole time."
"Mou, Natsuki-chan you're so mean! I'll see you tonight."
Natsuki waved to her friend, and then turned to head in the direction of her dorm. She was hoping to be able to finally get in touch with RedWiccan this afternoon. Her online friend had been pretty busy this year, apparently she had just started university and that was taking more of her time than high school did. Natsuki was somewhat sceptical that it was really classes that were taking up all of her friend's time, but she had no way to check.
When the Slayer reached the door of her dorm room she suddenly stopped, her enhanced hearing picking up the sound of something, or more than one something moving inside the room. Even without being able to see, she could tell by the sound of the movement that whatever was in there wasn't human. Something tells me I'm really not going to like what I see when I open this door. The Slayer thought glumly as she slid her key into the lock. At the sound of the door being unlocked, the movement from inside the room suddenly stopped. Natsuki charged inside, quickly closing the door behind her, assuming that anything that was coming to visit her was not something she would want roaming around the halls of her dormitory unsupervised.
Even though Natsuki had spent the better part of her life slaying all manner of evil creatures, she couldn't help but be slightly horrified at the sight of the dozen or so huge centipedes, each nearly as long as she was tall, that were crawling around on the floor of her room and the few that had climbed up onto her bed and computer desk. And this is why I prefer vampires. At least they need a freaking invitation. And also they don't tend to be bugs. Sorry mom, I think you can rule out me being an entomologist. Natsuki let out a soft sound of disgust as her claws came out and she tried to think of how to dispose of the creatures quickly, and with as little destruction of her room as possible. The centipedes were ready for the Slayer's attack, raising up on their back legs and displaying angrily with their huge mandibles that dripped with viscous black venom.
She charged at the nearest insect, lashing out at it with a heavy booted foot, glad once again that she chose not to wear the correct uniform dress shoes. Ten minutes later Natsuki was bleeding lightly from several inflamed bite marks on her legs and arms, but the floor was littered with the mostly unmoving bodies of the unnaturally large centipedes, though the occasional leg or antenna continued to twitch. There were also several new stains on the beige carpet that Natsuki wasn't certain how to remove, for now she settled on stuffing the bodies of the large bugs into the big trash bags she and Mai had bought for the kitchen. She growled to herself as she carried the bags outside to the dumpster, wondering exactly what the centipedes had been doing in her room in the first place.
Forty-five minutes after she had originally intended, Natsuki was finally logging into her instant messaging program. She grinned when she saw that RedWiccan was online, finally something was going right this afternoon.
OokamiDuran: Hey, you're on late?
RedWiccan: Late? ::checks clock:: 12:30am could hardly be considered late for a university student such as myself. How are you doin' wolfie?
Natsuki grinned to herself; she had allowed RedWiccan to keep the assumption that she was some rare kind of werewolf. After Natsuki had discussed concerns about the changes happening to her last year with RedWiccan, the witch had suggested that it might be something similar. Natsuki figured that was safer than revealing to anyone on the internet that she was a Slayer. Being a werewolf also apparently made her strong enough that RedWiccan wasn't suspicious that Natsuki would go out patrolling to take out vampires or other demons to keep her neighbourhood safe.
OokamiDuran: Pretty good. I had chemistry lab today. ^^
RedWiccan: Oh fun times! I had wanted to take chemistry this semester but it was full. :-( I ended up taking physics instead. What lab did you all do?
OokamiDuran: We were using copper anodes and electrolysis to calculate Avogaro's number. ^^
RedWiccan: Yay moles. :-) Anyway what's up? Or did you just want to geek out about science with me, cause hey that's cool too. If I tried to talk to my roommate about this stuff she'd just spaceout at me. :-P
OokamiDuran: No, there was something else. Or at least to me it's a something else, since I don't really understand the overlap area between magic and science.
RedWiccan: Well, in fairness it is a moving target, that overlap area. And most of it is located in the land of theoretical physics somewhere that no one really understands... there's just math that they can do to make other people think that they understand...
OokamiDuran: Hehe... yeah well. Anyway, have you ever heard of a demon that poofs like a vampire when you kill it? The other night I was fighting what looked like a fish demon or something. (Yeah this really is Japan, heh... I actually fought a demon with tentacles the other day too. Fortunately there was no inappropriate touching.) Anyway, when I killed it instead of leaving a body like a normal demon, it just exploded into golden light. It didn't even leave behind a pile of ashes like a vampire would.
RedWiccan: Hehe... well you know Hellmouths have tentacles too actually. But gosh that is interesting about that demon. The fact that it didn't leave a trace at all might be a hint, along with the bursting into light like it did... You know it's possible you might have been dealing with a really advanced hologram.
OokamiDuran: ...a hologram? But it definitely touched me. And I touched it, I felt it. Wouldn't a hologram be um... incorporeal?
RedWiccan: Well usually that would be the case. Theoretically though, if you pack the photons densely enough the light would feel solid. It's also possible that it was a form of summoning magic that was in some ways highly similar to a hologram... summoning that only partially brings the demon into this dimension. Like a solid astral projection that would immediately return to its original dimension if destroyed here.
OokamiDuran: But either way what we're looking at here is there being someone controlling these demons or whatever they are.
RedWiccan: Yeah, probably a powerful sorcerer of some kind, but I guess it could be a demon with magical ability as well. Either way, whether this is holographic or summoning what we're talking about here would take a lot of energy. Especially for a human spellcaster, I couldn't see them being able to perform something so energy intensive very often without serious consequences. Even a demon casting them couldn't do it for free. Even if they would be less worried about potential dangerous side effects, you can't just constantly be calling that much power because there just wouldn't be enough. It has to recharge if you will. At least that's what I've learned this year... I mean... it's possible that there are methods that I don't know about...
OokamiDuran: Well even if there might be something else, you still gave me way more ideas than I had before. So I guess the most efficient way to deal with this would be to find the person casting them... any idea how I would do that?
RedWiccan: Not off the top of my head. You're not really into the spellcasting yourself are you?
OokamiDuran: No, but I know someone who dabbles in it. She's not so powerful that she would call herself a witch or anything, but she's good at following a ritual that has pretty set end results if you follow all the instructions?
RedWiccan: Alright, I can work with that. I'll be on the lookout for anything that might help. And if she's someone who you can let know about the details, you should tell her too. She might have access to rituals that I don't, especially if she knows more languages than just English and some basic Latin, which I imagine she would... what with you guys living in Japan and all. ;-)
OokamiDuran: Thanks so much for the help. Is everything alright with you lately? You've been so busy we haven't been keeping up.
RedWiccan: Well mostly. You know how my boyfriend and I broke up last fall...? Well... I kindof met someone else. A very different someone else... compared to him. I guess I've just been trying to figure out how I could love two people who are so different.
OokamiDuran: Hmm... Well as someone who has never been in a relationship I'm hardly qualified to give advice... but maybe it isn't something that you need to analyze too strongly. I mean you know what it feels like if you're happy right? As long as this new person makes you happy, I don't think it should really matter if they're not your normal "type".
RedWiccan: Well I dunno... I mean I'd never really given a lot of thought to what my "type" is before. Maybe if I really took the time to figure it out though... maybe she is my type.
OokamiDuran: *raises eyebrow inquisitively* She? Hmm... Now that is interesting. ^^ Still though, regardless I think the really important thing is whether or not she makes you happy. If she's superhot that's just a bonus. ...Is she?
RedWiccan: Superhot? Yeah. She totally is. She's got amazingly sexy curves that are just like wow. And this kindof crooked playful smile that she teases me with that just makes me feel all melty instantly. And the most amazingly gentle blue eyes I've ever seen...
OokamiDuran: ^^ Well I guess it's safe to say that you are quite happy when you are with her. (She does sound really pretty btw.) Anyway, you said your ex left you right? So he's not even in the picture anymore. There's really not any point in worrying about comparing the two of them when it's not even an issue right?
RedWiccan: You're right. I should just let myself move on and be happy! No more being weighed down by the past for me. Someone did once tell me that I need to do more living in the moment. Tehe...
OokamiDuran: Good to hear. ^^ Anyway, I should probably logoff so that I can get started on my homework. _ Professors never buy the "I was busy killing demons" excuse for turning stuff in late. Thanks for your help!
RedWiccan: Something I have often lamented, even with my above average time-management skills. Thanks for your help too, and it's always fun to chat with you. :-) Have fun in school this year! (It's so weird how you guys start the school year in April... I can't even imagine how that would change my outlook on life...) Anyway, good luck with your homework and your demon problem. Ttyl.
OokamiDuran: Ttyl! ^^
OokamiDuran has signed off.
Thirty minutes later Natsuki was laying on her bed feeling bored as she tried to concentrate on her Japanese Literature reading assignment when Mai walked in the door. "Hey! How was coffee?" She asked more enthusiastically than she normally would have, eager for any distraction.
Mai smiled shyly, a light blush on her cheeks, "It went fine. You know, Tate-kun comes off as being a tough guy, but he can be surprisingly sweet when he wants to be."
"Really?" Natsuki asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice, "...though I guess me and Tate mostly just talk about kendo and stuff so maybe I just wouldn't know."
Mai laughed, "He might be surprised to know how sensitive you can be about certain things too." Mai grinned at the light blush on her friend's face, "But yeah... we had a nice talk about my brother and this younger girl that he thinks of as a little sister and how you just can't help worrying about them-" Mai broke off her words and let out a sudden ear-piercing, bloodcurdling scream.
"Gaah Mai what...?" Natsuki jumped up startled... and then noticed what Mai was looking at. The orange haired girl had pulled back the blanket on her bed to reveal the lightly twitching antenna of one of the giant, nearly two metre-long centipedes. Apparently that one had hidden, somehow managing to go unnoticed by Natsuki while she had disposed of the others. The Slayer immediately charged across the room, swiftly grabbing the giant arthropod just behind the head to avoid being bitten by the wicked looking mandibles. "Stay back Mai!" Natsuki warned her roommate who was cowering in the corner of the room, showing absolutely no signs of wanting to be any closer to the many-legged creature than she already was. Rather she seemed instead to be seriously contemplating fleeing the room entirely, hands shaking and her breath coming in loud ragged gasps.
Natsuki lifted the huge chilopod from her roommate's bed, wincing as the beast managed to curl its long body so that it could desperately scratch at her arms with the sharp tips of some of its many legs. She carried the bug over to the kitchen area, Mai frantically moving to the far side of the room to avoid being closer to it. When the Slayer finally had the centipede over the kitchen floor she bashed it onto the hard white tile, quickly extending her claws so that she could sever its jawed head from its long body.
"There, it's dead. You're safe now." Natsuki reassured her roommate with a grin as she grabbed a trash bag so she could dispose of the body.
It took Mai several minutes to respond, "N-Natsuki... you told me that there were vampires and demons. You never said anything about giant bugs."
Natsuki shot her roommate a concerned look as she tied the plastic bag shut. "Is that different in some way?"
"IT WAS A GIANT BUG!" Mai exclaimed, flailing her arms to emphasise her point.
"And that is more frightening than a demon...?"
"Of course it is Natsuki!" Mai backed over and sat down on Natsuki's computer chair, still shaking.
"Um... I'm sorry..." Natsuki offered, moving to offer her friend a comforting hug.
"NO!" Mai shied away from her roommate, "Ugh... I'm sorry... but don't touch me until you get rid of that!" She jabbed a trembling finger in the direction of the black bag, "And also wash your hands first! They have... bug goop all over them still Natsuki!" Mai made an incoherent sound of disgust as she retreated down the hallway to the bathroom, muttering something about insufferable Vampire Slayers not understanding normal people.
Natsuki watched her roommate go with a mixture of amusement and concern. I guess I should have known that Mai doesn't like bugs. I think she might like them even less than I do. Looking down at her hands, Natsuki felt her own nose wrinkle with disgust. They were indeed still covered in viscous black blood from the centipede, and some of her own more normal red blood. She quickly went over to the kitchen sink to wash it off with liberal use of dish soap. After taking the trash out and changing the sheets on Mai's bed for her, Natsuki decided to continue with her Japanese Literature reading. Twenty minutes later she looked up when she heard Mai finally venturing out of the bathroom.
"Hey Mai," Natsuki spoke quietly, "I'm sorry if I seemed insensitive earlier..."
Mai shook her head smiling slightly, "It's alright Natsuki. I know you didn't mean to. Thank you for killing it; I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't been here to deal with it."
Natsuki shrugged, "If I wasn't here I doubt it would have been here in the first place."
"Well you can't know for certain I guess. I know how hard you work to keep everyone safe. Sorry if I sounded ungrateful or something... it's just... I kindof hate bugs."
"Well... I don't think that hating bugs is particularly uncommon anyway. What I want to know though is how they even got in here?"
"...They?"
"Um yeah. There were a bunch of them in here when I got back from class." At Mai's disbelieving look she hastily explained, "Well, I mean... I thought I got them all and I didn't want to worry you..."
"Well in the future could you please warn me if you see any giant mutant bugs in our room? Or anything at all like that?"
Natsuki smiled sheepishly, "Yeah... I'm sorry Mai." Glancing over at the window, she suddenly noticed it was open. "Hey did you leave the window open?" When her roommate shook her head Natsuki frowned, concerned. "Well I can't remember if we had them locked or not...I guess it's possible they weren't locked since we're on the fifth floor."
Mai's eyes widened, "But what you're saying is that there is a possibility that those things can unlock and open our windows?"
"...Yes."
"Um... Natsuki, do you think you could call Midori-san and see if maybe we could stay at her place? You know, just until we can be sure that I won't be waking up in the middle of the night with a giant centipede on my chest?" Mai asked calmly.
"Um..." Natsuki glanced at her roommate and noticed the expression on her face, "Yeah sure. I'll call Midori right now and ask her."
Fortunately for Natsuki's continued friendship and Mai's continued sanity, Midori was pretty understanding about their situation. Since she hadn't left campus yet, she offered to give them a ride home with her when she left in another thirty minutes. Natsuki told Midori about the bugs' unexpected resourcefulness, as well as RedWiccan's theory about the demon disintegrating upon death. It didn't explain why the demon at the temple left a body like any other demon would, but Midori was just happy to have some extra information to go on while researching.
-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-BtVS-MH-
"Ojou-sama, were you able to learn anything?" Miyu asked quietly as the golden haired girl emerged from her trance.
Alyssa let out a soft sigh, "No not really. The Champion was alone in the room on the computer most of the time and didn't speak about anything. I was able to get a good look at her roommate. Both of them seem to be just normal high school-aged girls Miyu."
Miyu looked at her charge quizzically, "I don't understand how this information is relevant to our mission?"
Alyssa shrugged, "I don't know Miyu... it just makes it so much more difficult to think about hurting them. If things had been different, that could have been me when I got older."
"The Champion's existence threatens Ojou-sama. That is all that matters to me. I will protect Ojou-sama from her however I can." Miyu stated firmly.
"Thank you Miyu." Alyssa said softly, having a difficult time keeping her blue eyes open. "Miyu... I'm so tired."
"Rest then Ojou-sama, I will take care of you." The protector reassured her charge, grabbing the dark blue blanket from the end of the bed and gently tucking the small girl in.
Alyssa yawned widely, her eyes sliding closed, "Thank you...Miyu..." Miyu smiled softly at the sight of her sleeping angel for a few moments before getting up from the bed and walking over to look out the small dusty window of the church. Her sensors were barely able to make out the dark shapes of the other buildings in the last of the red light from the setting sun. They still needed the Champion to reveal the glow's location, or Miyu would have eliminated her already. The Champion certainly wouldn't hesitate to eliminate Alyssa if she knew the girl was responsible for trying to kill her. She had to hurry up and get that information, but how? Miyu searched her programming but found no answers.