"Is everyone here?" Mizuki's voice was a whisper. It was still early and most of the hotels residences were sleeping.
"There's six of us, so that means we're all here." Seraphina pointed out.
Mizuki rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's go." The girls tip toed to the receptionist who took their key with a smile and quickly exited from the hotel. They had to run to the train station which was about three blocks from the hotel. They reached the station just as their train was taking off. The girls pushed through the crowd of people exiting the station and quickly leaped onto the train.
"Damnit!" Seraphina scowled as the train hurried farther away from her. Mizuki along with Sarra, the twins, and Eas who was resting on Mizuki's back since she wasn't able to catch a train yet, where all already standing on the back platform of the train. Seraphina pulled out her whip, untangling it from its bound state, and used it as a lasso, swinging it above her head to get speed. When she let go of it, the train was already far in the distance. Instead of ending where the length was appropriate, the whip stretched out, chasing the train until it was able to tie itself securely to the trains back railing. Seraphina amended a small smirk as her feet left the stations platform and quickly caught up to the train by reigning in her whip.
"You're a real cowboy now!" Mizuki teased as Seraphina pulled herself over the railing.
"Shut up, my stamina's not as good as yours, its better than having to take the next train."
"Yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't carry you, but my back was already taken by Eas." Seraphina glared at her. "Oh yeah! I guess you're a little big for piggy back rides!" Mizuki continued.
"You're dead!" Seraphina had untied her whip and was now preparing to throw Mizuki off the train.
"Oh, I guess this is my time to run, your stamina sucks, right? So it should be so very easy to out run you!" Mizuki ducked as Seraphina swung her left fist for her head and proceeded to run through the last corridor of the train. Seraphina's whip tangled around her ankle and Mizuki's face followed by the rest of her body smashed into the floor.
"Oh boy! Looks like I rallied up a big one!" Seraphina whistled. "Now's all that's left is too hog tie this sucker!"
Mizuki screamed for help as Seraphina bound her limbs behind her back. Unlucky for her, the freight was completely empty. No help was found until the twins journeyed back to see what was taking them. What they found made their mouths gape. Mizuki was lying on the floor, tears streaming down her face and a pained grin plastered on her mouth. Her arms and legs where bound tightly against her back. Seraphina was sitting a few seats down from Mizuki, her feet comfortably propped up onto the back of another seat, a newspaper in her hands. "Oh, so you've come to collect the load of useless meat over there?" Seraphina called back to the twins. Their gaping mouths twisted into a grin. They loved playing these games. It helped satisfy their boredom, and ease tense situations.
"Why yes we have!" Alexandreina started, stepping towards Mizuki.
"But we insist on getting paid for our labour!" Vasilisa added, holding out her hand.
"For this, I will gladly pay." Seraphina chuckled as she tossed a few coins in Vasilisa's direction.
"Thanks, this will get me another book at the next station." Vasilisa smiled as she grabbed the coins from the air and shoved them in her pocket. Alexandreina was already planning the best way to transport Mizuki. She decided on carrying her by her bound limbs. She took one side as Vasilisa grabbed the other. Seraphina tucked her newspaper under her left arm and proceeded to watch Vasilisa and Alexandreina heave Mizuki's bundled body through the corridor and into the next freight.
"Hey! Ok! Ok! That's enough guys! My back is cramping! I can walk on my own!" Mizuki protested through the second freight.
The twins laughed. "This bundle sure is loud!" Vasilisa shook her head.
"Yeah! Where'd you get this sucker?" Alexandreina continued.
"I rallied it up myself! It was a tough one, but I managed!" Seraphina chuckled evilly.
"It? You've reduced me to an it now?" Mizuki bellowed as they entered the third freight where Eas and Sarra sat. They peered over to see what all the commotion was about. Sarra gasped as the twins set Mizuki down and continued over to a bench where they watched the squirming Mizuki with semi-fascination.
"Get your innocence off of her!" Sarra ordered as Mizuki let out an exhausted plea of help.
Seraphina smiled warmly and held out her hand. "It'll cost ya!"
Sarra gave her a stern look but took out her change purse. "How much?"
"I lost some money to Vasilisa getting her here, so the same amount should be good, just a couple of coins."
Sarra tossed her a few coins and Seraphina happily untied her whip from around Mizuki. Her limbs stretched out along the narrow corridor as she popped her joints. "I hate you." Mizuki grumbled to Seraphina as she slowly rose to her feet.
"You asked for it." Seraphina shrugged as she sat down on the edge of a nearby bench.
Sarra held out her hand to Mizuki. "What?" Mizuki asked, looking at it.
"I want what I paid for you back, and some extra for my efforts!" Sarra glared up at her.
Mizuki sighed. "What ever, just don't blow your top, how's this?" She dumped a small amount of coins in Sarra's hand.
"Fine!" Sarra huffed, sliding the change into her purse and shoving it in her pocket again.
"You guys sure have an interesting relationship." Eas mumbled as she watched the exchange.
Sarra slid back beside Eas. "Yeah, we've known each other for a long time, so we're all practically sisters, well, except the twins, they really are sisters."
Eas smiled. "It seems like fun, to have so many friends that are girls. It's been a while since I've gotten to play with girls."
Sarra smiled. "I had sisters, so I've always been used to girls."
Eas nodded.
"Speaking of people," Alexandreina piped up. "I guess it just isn't a busy train, but isn't it weird that it's so empty?"
Vasilisa nodded. "When we where carrying Mizuki through the last couple of freights, they where completely empty.
Seraphina flipped through the paper she had picked up in the first freight, flipping through the pages. "Look here! It says there was a mass murder near here! Seems like a village nearby got completely demolished! I wonder if that has anything to do with the Togaochi Allen tried to save!"
"Your right!" Mizuki exclaimed. "The towns most definitely would have been affected. Komui said that the Togaochi wreaked havoc on the area, so that was most likely the case. People aren't coming because their all running away. Though the hotel seemed peaceful enough."
Alexandreina pulled Vasilisa up. "We'll go check the rest of the freights! Maybe there's someone here! I mean, there's got to be at least a conductor, and someone manning the engines!"
Seraphina nodded. "Just be careful, and use your golem if you have any problems."
Alexandreina nodded as she pulled Vasilisa through the doors to the next compartment leading to the front.
As they entered this compartment, they where yet again greeted with empty seats. They continued onwards until they had reached the fourth empty freight. The next freight was where the conductor would be. The twin's nodded to each other as they both took hold of the door, their innocence activated. They thrust open the door, ready to attack if necessary. A bearded man wearing overalls and a conductor's hat turned around from the dash board, his eyes steely. "Kids aren't aloud in here." He growled his face stern.
"Sorry! We were just wondering why the train was so empty!" Alexandreina apologized.
"It's probably because it's so early! Did ya ever think of that?" The conductor turned back to the front, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that seems right, sorry for intruding!" Vasilisa grabbed Alexandreina's arm and turned for the door.
"Since you're here though, you might as well stay." He turned around, an unsettling smile across his face.
"Nope! We'd better get back to our friends, their waiting for us." Vasilisa rushed as she tugged on Alexandreina to go.
"No really, I think you should stay!" The door to the empty freight slammed shut just as Vasilisa took a step towards it. She grabbed hold of the knob and tugged on it. Though the door trembled slightly, it did not open.
"Master Earl told me to wait until a certain point, but it's so hard to keep control of myself." On the conductor's forehead, a large black star formed. His eyes rolled and his body trembled, preparing to take its true form. "He shouldn't mind if a few die before then! You really shouldn't have opened that door, cuz you'll never come out again!"
Vasilisa dropped her hand from Alexandreina, who was already straining to attack. She cleared her voice in case she needed to back her sister up.
"You really chose the wrong girls to do this with!" Alexandreina smiled sweetly.
The conductor chuckled, his skin seeping off the level two Akuma. He had a large pointed hat on his head and a sharp pointed stick in one hand. He was slim with large baggy pants. His feet danced in anticipation as his nose became intoxicated by the smell of the exorcists. "Lets cast a hair raising spell on you, it's my favourite!" He danced around the cramped compartment, his hand twirling the stick around. "Hocus pokus, diddly doo, I'm going to slice and dice and chop up you!" He lunged at the twins, the blade aimed at Alexandreina. As he landed, he swung his stick in the direction of Alexandreina's heart with all his might. The blade smashed into something mettle as it rebounded out of the Akuma's hand. Alexandreina was holding up her right arm in a protective jester, four of the six bracelets she wore on both arms where now covering her hand in a metallic shield, a long, thick dagger protruded from her knuckles.
"This is my innocence!" She chimed. "And your death!" A dark smile crept over her mouth as her innocence lit up in a green glow. The Akuma backed away, startled momentarily by the transformation. Alexandreina took advantage of that moment and swung her dagger at it. The Akuma jumped back when he noticed her attack, gaining only a minor scratch on its exterior.
"Exorcist bitch, I'm gonna kill you for that!" It screamed. "Let's see how you like being sliced up!" Thin daggers appeared throughout the entire cabin, all pointed at the twins.
"You really aren't being a challenge." Alexandreina frowned. Her other hand invocated to look like the first. She leapt into the air as the daggers rained down on them. Easily, she sent them flying in small fragments to the train floor. "Is that all?"
"Nope!" The Akuma smiled. "Hokuz Pokus diddly dee train goes boom and all will be free!" The twins glanced at the ground as the fragments erupted in a sequence of explosions, sending everything flying. The girls landed, slightly burnt in the next compartment, the both walls separating the two were gone. All the windows where completely shattered and the wind howled from the space between the two freights.
"Owww!" Vasilisa slowly propped herself up, rubbing her head.
"Wow, didn't see that coming." Alexandreina was already on her feet, looking around for the missing Akuma. "You think it killed itself in the explosion?"
"Doubt it." Vasilisa shook her head. "Regardless, we'd better return to the others and warn them about the Akuma, where's the communications golem?"
Alexandreina shrugged. "It disappeared after the explosion. Maybe it got destroyed?"
"I don't think so, but we'll look for it later, right now we really need to get to the others."
Alexandreina nodded and helped Vasilisa up. They pushed open the door of the first compartment leading back but what they found was not the empty compartment they expected, but three level two Akuma's.
"What the, where on earth did they come from?" Alexandreina asked, shocked.
"Ha ha! It's time! It's time to kill you guys!" One of the Akuma's chimed.
"Wait, the one we were fighting before isn't here, where is he?" Vasilisa asked, assessing the Akuma.
"Ooohh! He's having fun with the others! Once we're done with you, we'll help him too!" A bulky Akuma drooled.
"As if!" Alexandreina lunged at the closest Akuma, the bulky one. Her blade dug into the Akuma and before a seconds thought, she ripped the blade through it, jumping on to the next Akuma. This one was prepared. It used its long tree like limbs as a shield when Alexandreina launched herself at him. The blade cut deep into the Akuma's limb, lodging itself tightly into it. The Akuma screaming and lashed out, knocking Alexandreina into a wall. Her blade stuck firm to its arm as it swung around in pain and deeply angered.
"Get off me you damn Exorcist!" It screamed as it smashed her into a window, smashing the glass around her body.
"Shit!" Alexandreina cussed, struggling to keep her smile. With a last effort the Akuma swung her into the third Akuma, who had been watching the incident with enjoyment. The three smashed through the wall leading to the next cabin, falling onto the small platform. Alexandreina squirmed from between the two slightly stunned Akuma. Her blade had loosened from the Akuma's struggle and she was able to pry it off of the Akuma's arm. She jumped back to the half demolished compartment, back to her sister.
"Are you ok?" Vasilisa asked, running over to her sister.
"Were where you when that Akuma was swinging me like a rag doll?" Alexandreina demanded, catching her breath.
"You never want me to help, so I just assumed you'd be fine, and it looks like you are!" Vasilisa retorted.
Alexandreina huffed. "It's not over. Mind helping me out now?" She smiled her award winning smile and Vasilisa knew she'd have to.
"Fine, but don't yell at me if it takes you're fun away."
Alexandreina nodded. Vasilisa walked towards the Akuma, who where struggling to stand, their limbs entwined in a reckless heap. She cleared her throat, activating her Innocence. Her lips parted slightly, then wider as she felt the rush of her innocence filling her lungs and rising through her throat. The sonic wave's echoing through her mouth was enough to shatter all the remaining glass in the compartment. The blast was targeted towards the two Akuma whose body's shook violently from the waves, their eyes spinning.
"What the hell was that?" One of the Akuma cried, holding it's head as it shook.
"My Innocence is my voice. I use a super sonic frequency to alter my pitch and use the sonic waves from my voice as a weapon against Akuma. It may not be enough to kill a level 2 Akuma yet, but you shouldn't be able to do much at the moment." She turned to a bench and sat back on it. "Ok, sis, it's all yours."
Alexandreina didn't hesitate too even thank her sister. She lunged at the half paralyzed Akuma, her blades raised.
As she landed lightly on her feet, the two Akuma fell in a heap. Their body's still trembling.
"We've got to find the others now!" Alexandreina called back to Vasilisa as she opened the next compartment.
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Vasilisa sighed as she followed her sister.