Chapter I
The rumour spread around school rapidly, she was back. Cordelia Chase was back. Some obscure student of Sunnydale high popped in the library and informed Xander that the cheerleader was back and she was walking like she owned the place and nothing has changed in her statue.
Since her admission at the hospital and later the public announce of her parent escape leaving their only child alone to deal with the IRS, the guilt was eating Xander.
Frankly he didn't know why he kissed Willow that night. When he visited Cordelia he told her, he didn't know and it was true, an impulsive gesture.
He was a dork as Cordelia always called him, not nastily but affectionately not blind, he has his inkling concerning Willow feelings toward him but he didn't want to jeopardize their friendship, even if during the latest weeks they kissed a lot, Angelus reappearance and the failure of all attempt to restore Angel soul failed.
Two months of living hell, taunts and morbid presents lying at Buffy's porch and a very aloof girlfriend. But Willow was there backing him as he backed her while dealing with the monthly transformation of her boyfriend.
When Xander finally ended up in the hall, the young boy stood frozen as everybody. In the midst of the hall Cordelia was facing her former followers, the Cordette.
She looked stunning, her clothes were labelled and her bag wore the logo of the famous L. Vuitton. Cordelia Chase always looked untouchable but this time it was more blatant, her sight full of sarcasm was now so cold and void of life it reminded Xander of Angelus and his childers. Absorbed in his thoughts he failed at hearing the discussion between Cordelia and Harmony the new leader of the Cordettes. But the deathly hush that suddenly prevailed in the hall brought him out of his thoughts.
"Move Cordelia, you're disturbing our little meeting."
"Don't think I'm moving right now. I need some books from my locker."
"You'll take it later, right now move."
Harmony splits from her court and headed for Cordelia to make her move, but the former queen of Sunnydale didn't budge despite the violence Harmony used in her push but Cordelia's reaction amazed everybody she reacted with an alertness nobody knew her able to demonstrate considering her status as a freshly released from the hospital and Harmony literally flied before crushing against the opposite locker and Cordelia coming and standing over the falling form of the new queen of Sunnydale High.
"Oh Harm I hope you didn't hurt yourself."
"You'll pay what you did Cordelia, I was willing to keep you even after you fall but you just dropped you last chance."
"Oh I'm frightened someone's help me."
While speaking Cordelia let her sight roamed around the hall at first she didn't see him, he was hiding behind a line up of locker. She ignored him right now 'cause she was busy with Harmony but she will deal with him and the remaining Scooby gang later.
"No one, okay I'll help myself."
Cordelia was speaking but all the students believed she was acting; she never lost patience or her cold smile even when Aura called her common whore. The whole teenagers gasped shocked, sure everybody considered Cordelia Chase as a slut but never one dared to voice this thought.
"Oh but I don't come cheap. At least I never slept with my best friend boyfriend. What do you think Aura, Harm?.... Oups, you didn't know, okay as a once good friend Aura let me tell you, Harm loves the way Brad make her scream his name when she comes. Brit, I always told you Burberry doesn't suit you."
Cordelia stepped over Harmony always lying and mimicked cleansing her shoes by using the girl skirt.
"I think Angelus would've loved the gipsy look. Maybe I should look for him and introduce him to Harm and her crew."
While thinking about the sadist vampire a cold smile adorned her face, making her look scarier than she had ever been. Even that far Xander couldn't stop the shiver that runs through his spine. This Cordelia was terrific, colder, merciless and violent. Nobody ventured to stop her advance, and she didn't stop to speak to anyone. All in her stance cried for great anger and hatred.
"I settled my first opponent, this little slut will learn that been the queen isn't about money but about how to force people to fold and do what said. But shit the painkiller effect has started to wear off. I'll show them who is the queen of Sunnydale High."
No one spoke a word while Cordelia walked through the hall heading to her class, but as soon as the class door closed, the hall seemed to relive.
Hisoka nearly broke when the emotions run that high; his entire workout seemed inexpedient at this moment. He kept walking and stopped where the girl disappeared few minutes ago, as every student in the school he saw the new comer reduce the self proclaimed queen to a mess. He was empathic, and while Harmony and her follower were ruled by their emotion the other girl kept her emotion in check and never lost her composure, she adapted and used each word used against her to make a point.
And when Brit poked fun at Cordelia's inaptitude to feel what was going just under her noise, Cordelia answer and tone made him sick, it reminded him of Muraki. The same sweetness and the same coolness.
"Who said, I never saw it coming, a common whore and a worthless gigolo. But at least he was useful and very entertaining. Furthermore I'm the queen who are you to try to dictate me whom I date?"
Muraki speaking about Tsubaki, his gun still smoking. Hisoka inhaled few time to regain the control over his flowing emotions after the reminder of those past events and then opened the door and walked in the class.
Piercing hazel eyes stopped him, she carefully studied him before transferring her gaze to the books on her desk. Carefully, Hisoka took his place near her.
"Good morning… I'm Kurosaki Hisoka; I just transferred to Sunnydale High."
"Good morning. I'm Cordelia Chase. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine."
"You don't look well. In fact you look like someone who saw a ghost."
"Something like that. I just remembered some events I rather prefer to forget."
"Stupid, if you forget your ordeal how can you learn and not make the same mistakes. Only the subdued, act as nothing happened. Personally I never forget anything and each ordeal makes me stronger."
Cordelia couldn't explain herself more the rest of the classroom entered and the teacher started with the first lesson.
The duo didn't speak during the lesson; Hisoka even if he spoke English fluently had some difficulty understanding the American way to speak and Cordelia was having too much catching to do to waste time speaking.
Since her admission at the hospital all her senses became more accurate, in her room the bip of the machine kept her awake, and when they removed them it was the echo of the nurses' voices speaking during the long night veil.
Before Muraki arrival the lack of sleep nearly drove her insane, the only time she gained some rest was when they sedated her.
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Giles was angry, but he could to nothing but deal with it, this morning while trying to decipher the events of last night a young man came at his office and presented himself as his new assistant.
The young man was very polite and he didn't bother him after he gave him his assignement. Itemize the latest section of books, the one at the opposite direction of his small office.
Hours later, Giles thanked the power for sending an assistant because few minutes before lunch, the post delivered the council newest parchment in addition to the previous one speaking about the ascension.
**********************
People always considered Cordelia as a normal rich teenage girl meaning neither too brilliant to afford a famous university nor too stupid.
Lying in her bed, Cordelia was thinking about how she will be able to pay the motel after her release. She could use the truth to serve her but she never lied to herself, the manager hired her cause she was underage which mean he wasn't held by paying her as a syndicate employee and she possessed an exquisite taste at picking outfit for the customers who walk in the shop. The salary wasn't enough but the tips given helped her.
When she was awake enough to know who and where she was, she called the owner, he was comprehensive by keeping her but during her absence she won't be paid.
She tried to negotiate an advance but he refused. Bitterly she thanked the fates for the freeness of the care.
The lack of sleep and the worries about how to support herself after her release rendered her cranky and her state of mind less receptive of the advices the nurses gave her.
"Kombawa (good evening) Cordelia san, I'm your caregiver Dr Kazutaka Muraki."
"Cordelia Chase. You're the new doctor."
"How did you know?"
"They bring me to this hospital few days ago. And no regular doctor volunteered to be my caregiver. Since I lost all my resources I not interesting enough. They check on me when they got some spare time but if I'm not mistaken the board of the hospital will meet the donator in few days and all the do gooder will come to visit the penniless and ask them if the received a good medication and since all of them ignored me since my admission they send you."
Muraki didn't answer immediately; he was impressed by the girl. She was lying on her bed down-and-out and resource less but she held her dignity. But what impressed him the much was her aptitude to decipher what going on but also her coldness.
"I didn't know, sorry. I was recruited as teacher at Sunnydale University and surgeon in this hospital, in fact, I must start my work tomorrow I 'm just visiting the hospital and its facility."
"I suppose, I was precipitous in my thought."
"Somehow."
The fallen cheerleader didn't respond. The silence fell on the small room, Muraki was observing her; she was the source of the strange feeling who was overcoming him since he settled in Sunnydale.
At first he accepted the post in this small town because he needed to distance himself from Japan and its occupant for some time. Ju Oh Cho stopped looking for him when bouya announced his release from the curse but he couldn't afford to someone to recognise him before he fully recover from his extended injuries.
Few days ago, Oriya called him. He came looking for him and he wasn't alone, the boy was with him and another one who could be mistaken for Kurosaki twin if it wasn't for his stature, taller and few years older maybe early twenty but as dead as the young teenager.
Cordelia was overcome it was a sensation; she was sensing a power taming her own new fond power, during long sleepless night she discovered some changing coming to life.
She tested them, she could control the air around her, and she wasted long hours trying to master this strange gift.
They never visited excepted Xander but it was guided by guilt not by love, it hurted her to never receive any visitor but at the same time the penniless girl thanked any deity that made the slayer never come. Cordelia was too weak at this time to escape if Buffy sensed the change and told Giles about it. The watcher could have considered her as a threat and launch his slayer to hunt her down as she hunts the vampires in the night.
During her stay at the hospital and for the whole time before returning to school she really discovered how powerless she was and resource less. She was alone with no one to help her to understand what's going on; she should have to do it by herself, researching what she became and what's lurking thanks to this transformation.
Controlling air was just one of many powers she gained. The previous night Kazutaka, as the doctor asked her to call him, gave her permission to leave her bed so she did it. She showered and checked on the scar. But while brushing her hair she thought her eyes changed, they weren't amber like vampire but a glint of amethyst and silver shown so briefly that she considered just a hollow.
"Concerning the scar, I must inform you, she won't disappear you'll need surgery if you would like a flawless body."
"I'll keep the scar as a reminder of my own foolishness."
"You are hard with yourself."
"I never asked someone something I couldn't do or support."
"I do the same, I keep a reminder too."
"I don't care, I'm not looking to carry the same scars as you doctor because I'll try to not redo the same mistakes. I'll pick up my next consort in the same league."
Cordelia closed her eyes and let her hair cover her face while bowing. The small walk through the room tired her.
The doctor didn't say anything but something resembling a smile crossed his face but didn't reach his silver eyes. The doctor helped his patient to get back to her bed again, she immediately falls asleep, and with a kindness neither of the doctor acquaintance could believe him able to give a human being he watched her sleep, his new broken doll, the one who will help him winning Asato's love.