Chapter 7: A Game of Equivalent Exchange

Queen: noun
the most powerful chess piece, able to move in any direction over any number of empty squares in a straight line.
A playing card bearing the figure of a queen, ranking above the jack and below the king.


"What a quaint place," Airi commented as she jumped down onto Kanda's front doorstep, unnoticed by passersby.

Kanda silently separated himself from her, his long black hair trailing over his shoulder as he strode quickly to the door, fumbling with the key to open it. Airi stood behind him, as still and quiet as ever, just watching him.

Damn it. During the quick trip to his house, Kanda could not help but notice exactly how well…endowed she was. It wasn't like he had gone out of his way to notice it—he had to hold on to her in order to not fall as she practically flew like a madwoman through the trees. And as he had wrapped his hands around her thin waist, it was hard not to notice her figure…or her pulchritude for that matter. Then again, she was a vampire. They were perfect in every aesthetic way. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really heard of an ugly vampire.

"Well?" said Airi, tapping her foot in an extremely impatient manner. "Aren't you going to invite me inside?"

"Definitely not," snarled Kanda, finally managing to unlock his door and opening it.

He attempted to slip in his house and close the door firmly behind him, but he should've known that a two-inch hunk of wood between him and a vampire was just about as effective of a barrier as a sheet of paper. Airi caught the door before it managed to close completely and walked in effortlessly, her silky ebony hair flowing in some unseen wind. At his disgusted look, she smiled sweetly and beckoned for him to continue his walk into the depths of his house. Kanda gave a deep scowl and proceeded into his kitchen, knowing that attempting to force Airi out of his house would simply lead to epic failure.

"You're so…Japanese," Airi said, following him and kneeling down in front of his traditional wooden table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Kanda, annoyed.

"Nothing," said Airi easily, her onyx eyes looking around his kitchen. She seemed to simply absorb everything that she saw, committing it to memory. "Hm. Pretty orderly around here. Aren't you going to serve me tea?"

"Get it yourself, vampire."

"Tsk, not the best host, are you?" she sighed, playing with a tendril of her hair. "Are you angry with me?"

"That should be obvious."

"Hm? Why?"

Was she an idiot? He turned to her to retort, but the self-satisfied smirk on her face reassured him that she indeed wasn't an idiot, and that she was simply goading him.

"You're trying to make me angry?" he scowled, turning away from her and opening the refrigerator for something to eat. "So you can feed?"

"Feeding is such a crass term," said Airi with a dramatic sigh. "I prefer to say…drink delicately."

Kanda snorted, knowing that Airi was one of the least delicate things he'd ever seen. He chose not to answer her and instead withdrew a container of leftover soba noodles from the night before. He brought it over to the microwave and popped it in, warming it for two minutes.

"Is that all you eat?" said Airi, stretching her arms over the table. "Soba?"

"Got a problem?"

"You could expand your horizons a bit," she said lazily. "European cuisine is amazing, you know."

"As if I would eat that shit."

The microwave dinged and Kanda brought the steaming bowl over to the table, setting it down and sitting across from Airi. He began to eat, deliberately ignoring Airi's probing eyes.

"You're such a sensual eater," she remarked.

"Would you stop it?!" he snapped, feeling the heat crawl up to his cheeks. "Go home already!"

"I'm surprised," she murmured. "I thought you would be bombarding me with questions…aren't you naturally curious?"

"About what?" he said. "You said you wouldn't tell me anything about your past anyway."

"Hm," she mused. "Well I can't say that I don't feel bad about keeping you in the dark completely. How about I answer…two questions of yours."

Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he said loftily. "I thought you were so secretive that you couldn't tell anyone anything."

"That doesn't come without conditions though. In return, you'll answer two questions of mine."

"No."

"You really don't want to know anything about me?" she asked, leaning forward with a seductive smirk. "Nothing, Kanda-san?"

"That's not going to work on me," he said shortly.

"I've always wondered about that," she said, exhaling a bit. "Are you gay, maybe? I've always thought it strange that my beauty didn't affect you at all. Or maybe you're just so self-absorbed with your own beauty that no one else's really works on you."

She began unbuttoning her blazer, causing Kanda to nearly spit out a mouthful of soba.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he exclaimed.

Airi arched an eyebrow. "I'm tired of being in a dirty outfit. The blood's starting to cling to my shoulder, and it's uncomfortable. Don't worry, I have a camisole under this."

She removed her white blazer, revealing a laced and somewhat revealing black camisole, held up by thin strings around her shoulders. He noticed that the wound from Cross's gun on her shoulder was still in the process of healing. While her scanty tank-top couldn't be classified as lingerie, it was definitely "sexy," and Kanda, who had never had a girlfriend despite the countless offers, involuntarily felt embarrassed. Airi seemed to sense this, for her smirk broadened, and she leaned forward on the table once more.

"So about my offer…" she said slowly, licking her lips and smiling.

"No," said Kanda, resolutely staring at his almost empty bowl of soba in order to avoid looking at her eyes, which seemed to be the key in her seductive nature.

Airi reached over and plucked the bowl out of Kanda's line of vision, placing it on the side of the table. Before he even had a chance to protest, Airi shot out over the table and landed on his lap, pushing him down on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he snapped, struggling to push her off. She caught his hands lazily and pinned them down.

"I want to know a little bit about my Donor," she breathed, her mouth lingering unbearably close to his. "I'll even tell you the two questions I want you to answer before you ask yours."

"We can talk perfectly fine once you get off," snarled Kanda.

"You don't like this position?"

"Clearly not."

"I do," she said suggestively, her voice so low and husky that it sent shivers down Kanda's spine. "So…first question."

"I never said I would answer anything!"

She ignored his outburst. "I want to know how your parents died."

Kanda blinked, clearing his head at this startling question.

"…How did you know they're dead?" he questioned, stunned.

"Intuition. Tell me."

"Car crash," he replied reflexively, as if compelled to answer by some unknown force. "When I was eight."

Airi stared at him thoughtfully, her obsidian eyes boring into his.

"Okay," she said simply. "Second question. What's your connection to Tiedoll?"

Kanda blinked again, confused.

"Who?" he said.

Airi's eyes flickered to the cabinet at the corner of the kitchen. Kanda followed her gaze, eyes landing on a picture frame tucked away behind a few books.

"That man in that picture with you," she said, returning her attention to him, "he's Froi Tiedoll. A vampire hunter."

It took a few seconds to sink in.

"He's WHAT?!"

"You know, I was always under the impression that you were somewhat intelligent," she said exasperatedly. "But these last few days have proved otherwise—were you not listening at all in my conversation with Cross?"

"He's a vampire hunter?!"

"Will you make me repeat everything I say twice?" she said dryly. "Yes, he is. I want to know your connection with him, especially since you didn't seem to know that he is a Hunter."

"What did you say his name was?" said Kanda, completely thrown.

Airi let out an extremely annoyed sigh. "Froi Tiedoll."

"What the hell is wrong with my life?!" he demanded.

"I don't know, but if you told me his connection with you, I might know."

"…My parents died, and he took me in. All I knew him by was Froi, some weird freaky guy who seemed to like helping orphans," he said in a rush as he continued to look up in Airi's eyes. She had this effect on him that just compelled him to spit out all the information she needed. "But I needed the help. He's…he's just some rich philanthropist who helps out people—I looked it up—"

"And according to the web, Cross Marian is a rich connoisseur who takes helpless children under his wing and trains them to be wine-tasters," she said coolly. "We're more prominent in your world than you'd think, Kanda. Where do you think he got all that money?"

"But…that's not true," said Kanda faintly. "Why would he…I was just a random kid…"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I have a hunch though."

"Spill it."

"No."

Airi leaned back, letting Kanda sit up, his ice blue eyes combing her features searchingly. She seemed to be in deep thought, but he knew that she had realized more than she let on—her onyx eyes glittered in a strange way.

"Well…" she said, looking around the house. "I suppose I should fill out my part of the deal. What are your two questions?"

"Why do you think Froi Tiedoll took me in?" he inquired fiercely.

"Questions about myself, not about my thoughts," she said with a hint of a smirk. She clearly enjoyed toying with him. "About my past."

"I wouldn't give a crap about that."

She shrugged, standing up and tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Suit yourself then," she said, flouncing away.

Kanda let out an audible groan of frustration.

"Fine!" he said angrily.

Airi stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"I'll ask the damn questions."

"No one's forcing you to," she said pointedly.

"I might as well get the most out of this shitty deal," he said coldly. "First question. How many humans have you killed in your life?"

Airi simply stared.

"You wasted a question for something that stupid?" she said, blanching.

"How is that stupid?"

"Because it doesn't concern you!" she said, genuinely shocked. "You could've asked about something that you are associated with! What does the dead have to do with you?"

"Just answer," he said through gritted teeth.

"I have no idea," she said truthfully. "Couple hundred, maybe? Not terrible."

"How the hell is that not terrible?!" said Kanda, scandalized.

Airi shrugged indifferently.

"Because I've lived for a about three centuries, so killing, say, three hundred humans isn't bad at all."

"That's one a day," he said in an icy tone.

"…I suppose it sounds worse if you put it that way," she confessed. "We were involved in wars and all though, so most of the bloodshed happened on the battlefield. If it makes you feel any better, I've killed many more vampires."

"Really," he said in a thoroughly disgusted tone.

"Yeah," said Airi thoughtfully. "Back when I was…royalty, my parents let me be the executioner for some of the prisoners who had offended me personally. Clean decapitation…I wasn't so sadistic as to torture them to death."

Her gaze seemed to retract to the back of her mind; she sat in deep thought, immersed in her memories. Kanda could not help notice that though she looked beautiful, she looked almost…melancholy. Was she wistful, wishing that she could still play the days of the executioner? Or was she regretful that she had killed so many?

The latter didn't seem quite like Airi.

Kanda cleared his throat, and Airi seemed to snap out of her reverie.

"Oh, pardon my rudeness," she said with a gentle smile. "Your second question."

"…How many people have you actually cared about in your damned life, and who were they?" he asked after a pause. For some reason, the question just seemed so appropriate, so…necessary that he knew that was what he had wanted to ask the moment she had proposed the deal.

"…Again, you seem to have emphasized the fact that you're not logically intelligent," said Airi, throwing up her hands. "What does this have to do with you?!"

"Just answer the question."

"That's two questions, which one do you want me to answer?"

"Well the latter, obviously, because I think I can count by myself," he said sarcastically.

Airi shot him a glare, evidently upset that his questions weren't what she had expected.

"My parents," she said icily. "My butler. I cared for Lavi's grandfather…and Lavi, at some point…"

"And Mikk," guessed Kanda.

"What makes you think that?" she questioned coldly.

"If you really hated him, there were plenty of chances where you, with supernatural powers, could've killed him," said Kanda. "Like while he was—"

"Torturing me?" offered Airi, and her black eyes were so furious that Kanda almost recoiled. "Yeah, like anyone could be thinking straight when Tyki's sexually assaulting her—"

"You make it sound like you enjoy it—"

The dirty bowl of noodles exploded, causing the glass the shatter and rebound against the walls and floor. Kanda caught his breath. Shit, he'd forgotten that he was dealing with a vampire, and one who could make things explode at that. He held his tongue, watching Airi warily as she simply stared at him. It didn't look like she was breathing—the air in the room abruptly grew stale as neither of them spoke. Kanda hardly dared to breathe easily; it felt like his breaths would be so loud that Airi would explode something else in rage.

He realized that like before, even though Airi's flawless face remained impassive, save for the locked jaw, her eyes spoke all her inner feelings. They flashed with intensity, rage beyond words, and it was as if she caused things to explode simply by looking at them. He was a bit surprised that he wasn't…melted or something by now, with the way that she was looking at him.

Finally, after an entire agonizing minute, Airi's body relaxed, and her eyes stopped speaking, returning to their normal calm state.

"I'll let that comment slide this one time," she said, her voice unnaturally layered. "I'll answer your question. Yes, I did care for Tyki at some point. It was a long time ago, and it was the most foolish mistake of my life. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yeah," he said in one long breath, and he realized that he had actually been holding it.

Airi nodded curtly. "I'd like to do one more exchange. Another two questions. Will you take it?"

Kanda started to shake his head—there was nothing he really wanted to know—and then he realized he was lying.

Airi…captivated him.

It was a sick, guilty sort of captivation. Perhaps it was because she was a vampire. An ethereal being. She radiated a mysterious aura, a history of secrets that he realized he desperately wanted to uncover. Why else had he so halfheartedly resisted being her Donor? She was so strange, so different that he could not help but want to be part of the excitement she represented. There was an impenetrable mask that she wore that he wanted to tear off, but that mask had no cracks, no crevices, no weakness—no, one weakness.

Whenever someone made a jibe about her relationship with Mikk, she automatically grew angry to the point of insanity. There was an incredible story behind their relationship, one that Kanda wanted to know but wouldn't dare ask…but if he did, wouldn't that strip a bit of Airi's armor off, make her more accessible?

He had nearly stopped breathing again. Would he take that risk?

"Well?" she said, her smooth voice cutting into his thoughts.

He nodded jerkily, as if on impulse. He would not let this opportunity slide.

"Very well. My first question. Did you used to live in Hokkaido?"

"…How the hell did you know?" he said, positively startled.

"That's not a valid question. I got your answer though. Second question, did Tiedoll leave you with anything? A weapon of any kind?"

Kanda was starting to grow seriously alarmed. When he didn't answer and simply gawked at her, Airi deduced his answer.

"So he did. Is it a sword? It probably is…I can just feel it emanating from under your floorboards, and a disgusting aura it is…" Airi's dark eyes closed briefly as her brows screwed up in concentration. "Mugen. That's the name of the sword. I remember its aura."

"You are one scary piece of—"

"Have you ever used it?" she queried.

"That's more than two questions," he said frostily.

"Fine, ask me three. Now answer."

"No. I've been unable to ever draw the sword out."

"Like a 'Sword in the Stone' kind of setting, eh?" she said with a wry smile. "Fine, that's all the information I need. God, you're much more involved than I thought. What're your questions?"

"…Is there a limit to how long your answers will be?"

"If you want the complete story of Tyki and my first meeting, that'll take up all three of your questions," she said. "I assure you though, it'll be in full and rich detail, completely unedited."

"Can you read minds?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," she said with a hollow laugh. "It's just what I've been wanting you to ask the entire time."

"Why?"

"That's a question and I'm not obliged to answer. You'll use up all three of your questions on my history then? I can say that it's really worth all your questions—it's quite the scandalous history, and I can show you my memories like you were there."

"How?" he said, now reduced to one-word inquiries as he struggled to comprehend all the information thrown at him.

"A little trick I learned from Road," she said simply.

"Who?"

"You might want to go lie down on your bed, like you're sleeping," said Airi softly.

"I'm good, just do it here."

She appeared in front of him, and, like always, before he could register what was going on, his back hit the floor, and Airi was on top of him again.

"You're so…feisty," she said with slight giggle, her mood taking a complete turn as she fingered a strand of his hair. "It's so attractive." She leaned closer. "…You know, you are really abnormally beautiful."

Kanda didn't answer.

"You know what Tyki said before he left?" she said sexily by his ear. "He told me I couldn't sleep with you. Strange request, isn't it? I wouldn't sleep with a human…"

"Then get off of me," said Kanda, his jaw stiff as his body started reacting to Airi's presence. She was too gorgeous—even he, at this rate, wouldn't be able to resist.

Airi kept quiet; Kanda could feel her thin fingers dance over his cheek, then slide to his neck at his collarbones. He breathed in sharply as he felt her unclasp the first button of his collar, quickly continuing down.

"What the—"

Airi silenced him with a kiss, her full weight leaning against his chest. He could feel every bit of her body against his, pressing against him with a force that he had never experienced. Even the kiss was different—while the previous few had been cold and indifferent, these were magnetic, seductive…the temptress that Airi really was surfaced, and Kanda, inexperienced and pitifully human, could not oppose.

She seemed experienced at undressing her prey—his shirt was open in a matter of seconds and Airi's hands slid over his torso. Kanda lost all self-control—his masculine instinct took over his mind, and he did the only logical thing that his body could comprehend—he kissed her back. Airi hardly seemed surprised at his reaction. He could imagine that flitting smirk on her lips as he pressed his mouth tightly against hers; he felt her body relax on his, and without thinking, he flipped them over.

Airi hit the floor as Kanda slammed his hands on either side of her head, his lips fighting to find hers. Airi's cool fingers ghosted over his bare chest, dancing on his well-defined muscles and then sliding lower. He jerked back instinctively, which gave Airi the opportunity to switch their positions again.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly as her hands roamed. "I can't stand being on the bottom."

Before Kanda had time to register what was happening, Airi kissed him again, and any slowly budding thoughts of resistance just died. He couldn't stop himself—he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him hard, his legs enveloping her lower body and holding him close to him.

"You are just so…forward," she inhaled as Kanda broke the kiss and went after her neck. "God…this is amazing. To think that a mere human…ngh."

She elicited a breathless moan as he bit down onto her neck brutally, his hands gradually gliding further up her barely adorned body. He felt a desperate need to be the one on top—he wouldn't stand for this demeaning role—and when his body noticed that Airi had once again relaxed, he rolled over her again rather forcefully, pinning her to the ground. If he had been in his right mind, he would've known that pinning Airi down was pointless—if she really wanted to be on top, she could easily push him off—but masculine nature was dominating his every action, and he was not rational.

"Have you done this before?" she questioned breathlessly as his hands tugged her shirt up.

He was not listening. Had he been sane at the moment, he would've noted it to be very strange that Airi still talking through all this, but she was probably more experienced than he was, it wasn't surprising. It should've been obvious that Kanda hadn't done this before, seeing as he wasn't able to think about anything except for kissing Airi.

They would've continued on into explicit territory had Airi not stopped them. She took Kanda's hands and, while still kissing him, slid them off her body and pushed him off of her. Before he regained his senses, she leaned down to his neck and bit down gently, tugging at the skin. Her fangs grazed his skin slightly but didn't pierce—it seemed that she hadn't done everything for the sake of feeding.

"Just a little memento for you," she smiled, watching him as he breathed raggedly.

Kanda collapsed against the wall, his breathing harsh as his mystified expression cleared. Shit. What the hell had he just done? It had been so random, had just happened…did he just make out with a vampire? He tried not to stare at Airi—one of her tank top straps hung loosely down her shoulder, revealing a bit more skin than he was comfortable with. Goodness, why was she so…sexy?

"Ready for my memories?" she said lightly. "Or do you want to go all the way?"

"What…what the hell just happened?" he demanded.

"Don't blame yourself for your lack of self-control," she grinned. "I often hear that I have extraordinary sex appeal—it's probably because my mother was part succubus."

"Part what?"

"You know, succubus. Those insanely beautiful women—even by vampire standards—who feed off men by seducing them in their dreams? My mother was a direct descendant of Lilith."

Kanda just stared at her. Airi laughed a bit, dragging him up onto his feet.

"Are you disgusted with yourself?" she said mildly. "Don't worry—no human man can possibly resist me if I really want to seduce them. You're not the first."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better how?" said Kanda lethally.

"It's not," she said, laughing again. "But it might make you feel better if I told you that I got Cross's blood the first time that way. He couldn't resist at all…"

They were unconsciously walking to his room, and Airi pushed him down on the bed.

"Just think of what happened as your punishment for that slip of tongue earlier," she said, smirking as she leaned close to him. "You won't be able to think about anything but me for the next few days…" Her hand slipped a bit lower, and her smile widened as Kanda's body stiffened. "Just kidding. Do you want my memories now?"

"No," he said defensively.

He didn't want anything of hers now.

"Too bad," she said cheerily. "This will take some time, so you might not be able to wake up in time for…kendo practice tomorrow morning. I'll tell Lavi to cover you."

Her eyes. They were everything. Her seduction, her mind tricks, everything. And now, they pulled him in; he was drawn to them like opposite poles were drawn to each other. That was exactly what they were—polar opposites, and yet Kanda could not resist. Airi was an enigma he just had to figure out, not just to satiate his curiosity, but so that he could find her weaknesses and crush her from within—he wanted to completely destroy her guard, because she had obliterated his.

Airi watched as Kanda fell asleep in front of her, his mind engulfed in all her memories. She straightened up after placing him gently down on his bed. She looked around the room. What a plain room. No personality at all…

Her plan was going beautifully. Kanda's little history had been an unexpected hitch, but it was undeniable that his presence was going to be crucial to her plans. Depending on how she dealt with him…he could be unbelievably useful.

Now. Mugen.

She was sure the weapon Tiedoll had given Kanda was Mugen. And she also had a hunch to who Kanda's parents were…though he didn't have any pictures around. Hm. Not a sentimental guy, obviously.

Mugen's aura was getting to her head—she didn't want to stay around it any longer than she had to. She sighed, exiting the bedroom and returning to the kitchen to retrieve her bloodied blazer. She gave a twisted smile as she thought of the romantic physical intimacy that had just occurred. Airi was quite sure that she had been the first to ever do anything as such with Kanda…what a softie. His reactions had been so innocent, she'd almost laughed. She'd forgotten that such innocence actually existed in males…though it didn't help that being around Tyki constantly had gotten rid of much of her faith in anyone.

But Kanda was an unnaturally good kisser. Especially for a human.

Why was it that he was unnaturally good at everything for a human? Well, she actually had a hunch to why…

Airi shrugged and buttoned up her jacket. She walked out of the Japanese-styled home, closing the door tightly behind her. The sun was hiding behind the clouds. Her smile broadened.

Things were going amazingly well. Now to deal with Lavi.

It was late at night when Lavi arrived at Airi's house. She'd called him to invite him over so they could discuss the day's developments, and so that she could answer any questions he had.

"Hey," she greeted when he approached her. "Want some food?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

She pushed over a full plate of European cuisine over to him. He looked around the room—Airi could see him taking in all the evidence of shattered plates and glass on the floor. He sat down across from her and speared a piece of chicken.

"…I'm guessing taking so much of Marian's blood is making it hard for you to control yourself," he remarked.

"It is a bit difficult to accommodate," she admitted. "He's gotten stronger since last time, so I'm having a bit of trouble restraining my instinctive explosive nature."

Lavi snorted. Instinctive was probably an understatement.

"Before you ask your questions," she began.

"I don't have any," he interrupted.

Airi looked at him, surprised.

"You don't?" she said.

Lavi shook his head. "I gave it some thought today…and I decided that I'd side with you. It wasn't that surprising to hear that you had been planning this for so long…or that you were planning it at all. It can't be denied that you are and will always be better than Mikk. So I'll stick with you."

Airi lapsed into silence, rather touched at Lavi's sincerity, especially since he had every reason to hate her.

"Besides," he continued, "even though you always act so…reserved now, I know your true nature better than anyone. As your personal Bookman, I know your personality inside and out, and I know…that you're wiser than to leave your people to the Hunters. You're not that kind of person."

"…I appreciate that," she said quietly. She could feel the guard that she had so carefully wrought around her drop a bit. Lavi would always bring a sentimental side of her out. "Lavi…before I ask you a few things…can I ask…do you really regret being a vampire?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, I do. And I know it's my bloody fault…but…"

"It's also mine for making you my first Donor," she finished, closing her eyes. "I know. The lure of immortality, superhuman strength, speed, and eternal youth is a lot to resist, especially for an eighteen year old boy. I'm surprised you didn't cave in sooner…"

Lavi was silent.

"Putting that aside, let's get down to business," she said hastily, uncomfortable with her sudden lapse in stiffness. "Even after my downfall, did you keep tabs on all my actions, Lavi?"

"…Yeah. Never got out of the habit…"

"That's good. So you remember everything that I did over the course of the last ten years?" she said.

"Easily."

"Good. So can you recall how many humans I've killed over the course of my life?"

"Three hundred fifty-seven humans, six hundred eighty-nine vampires," replied Lavi mechanically. "Why?"

Haltingly, she told Lavi the questions that Kanda had posed for her. Airi could see Lavi's eye staring at her intently, and knew he was recording all this information in his brain.

"He wanted to know who you cared for, and why you did?" repeated Lavi. "What a queer guy."

"I know," she said musingly. "I wanted him to ask about my past—"

"But why?" said Lavi, confused. "You normally never let anyone know about it."

"Let me explain my plans. And let it be known, Lavi, that now that I know that you've somewhat forgiven me for making you a vampire, you will be my confidant. I will not stand for your betrayal."

"…Do you want me to swear?" said Lavi seriously.

"…We can do the ritual later. I'm more keen on running my theories past you first."

"All right…"

"First. Cross Marian will not be satisfied with the deal I presented today, even though he'll take it," she said.

"Because he doesn't trust you enough to hand over the throne. Quite appropriately, I must add," he said.

"True. Which means that he is going to find a failsafe plan to get rid of me once I get rid of Tyki."

"If you get rid of Mikk," corrected Lavi. "Not being a pessimist, but Mikk is too much for you to handle alone."

"I'll get to that later. Anyway, I'm quite sure that Cross will try to hook Kanda into becoming my weakness. Drinking his blood like that in front of the Hunters today was quite a sensual move on my part—Cross will see it as a sentimental action and will recruit him."

"I wouldn't say that for sure…" said Lavi dubiously.

Airi waved aside Lavi's doubt. "I have more proof of that. Today, as I told you, I went to Kanda's house. I invited myself inside because I felt the aura of an anti-vampire weapon."

"…Really?!" he said, shocked. "I've been there though—I never sensed anything."

"Because you're weak," said Airi candidly. "And because it's extremely well disguised. It's under the floorboards of his bedroom, and the aura is concealed wonderfully by no one other than Froi Tiedoll."

Lavi paled. "You're joking."

"I'm not. Tiedoll took in Kanda as an orphan when Kanda's parents died ten years ago. Tiedoll is a known philanthropist, but all of vampire society knows that Tiedoll takes in kids whom he trains to become Hunters. So the question is, why Kanda?"

"…Hang on," said Lavi, paling even more. "You said Kanda's parents died…ten years ago?"

"You've known him for two years and I found out more about him in one hour than you did all this time," she grumbled. "Yeah, and I'm betting they died in Hokkaido."

Lavi was as white as a sheet. His brilliant mind was piecing each bit of information together like a puzzle, and Airi could see that he had completed it.

"…In…Hokkaido," he said faintly. "Ten years ago. Shit…we were in Hokkaido ten years ago…"

"You say you remember every human I've killed. I can't say I'm blessed with the same ability, but it struck a faint chord to me today…"

"The human couple you killed in Hokkaido…" Lavi groaned. "The couple who supplied the Hunters with the weapon that eventually killed your parents…surname was Kanda."

"I thought so," she sighed. "It wasn't their fault, really, since they meant to give it to the Hunters but it somehow ended up in Tyki's possession…but they created Mugen, and at that time, I was so desperate to hunt down every connection to my parents' deaths that I let it out on them."

"Kanda must never know," said Lavi firmly.

"He won't. At least, I hope he won't figure out. He's in regular connection with Tiedoll, I believe…but hopefully it will be all right."

"Did you take Mugen?" queried Lavi.

"As if I would even touch that thing," she scoffed. "No, I left it with Kanda. It's his natural anti-vampire weapon, and if the Hunters are going to recruit him, it'll suit him better."

"Why are you going to just let him become a Hunter?!" said Lavi. "He…you must've sensed it, Airi, but he's no average human. If he becomes a Hunter, he could be so strong that he might be able to kill you."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that," she said airily. "But I do need him to be strong…"

"Were you listening to a word I said?" said Lavi.

"Yes. But I would like my Donor to be a strong vampire hunter. It would make me so…refreshed," she said with a very vampire-like smile.

"He could kill you," Lavi repeated.

"Ah, yes. But not if he falls in love with me, right?" she smirked.

Lavi stopped speaking. There was a ten second pause.

"What did you do?" he said in a deadly tone.

"I left Kanda with a little parting gift. Somewhat of a seductive experience and my memories of the past. Now, everyone knows that humans can't resist my sexual charm," she said arrogantly, "and my history with Tyki is so heart-wrenching that Kanda will definitely soften up towards me. I can probably guarantee him falling for me in…a month."

"This is one of the most foolhardy plans you have ever come up with. This…this is past ridiculous, Airi, couldn't you find something more substantial to base your hopes on?!"

"Tsk tsk, Lavi," she clucked. "After studying me, you, of all people, should know that people do crazy things when they're in love. They go so far as to help the enemy, unwillingly, unknowingly, and to destroy themselves inside. Which is precisely what I need Kanda to do."

"Airi—"

"Hush. I'll wipe them all out, Lavi. You don't understand." Airi gave a steely smile. "No matter what happens, I will be the queen."

Free Talk:

Quite an eventful chapter, no? Thanks for being patient, and I hope this chapter suited your liking. Some AirixKanda time, but not sincere. It's not supposed to be--it's supposed to be purely physical. Sorry if Kanda came off as OOC, but I wanted it to be a complete physical, not emotional reaction. And Airi is very calculative and manipulative--like Cross said before, she has a way of biding her time to get what she wants. And she always will.

Some scandalous history, and hopefully that wasn't boring.

Sorry for any errors--I typed this up rather fast. I might edit it and re-upload it sometime, but for now, I hope you liked the chapter. :) Please review!

Love,

m.n