The last chapter was inspired by Megurine Luka's 'Tower'. And Kagami's powers come from reading too much Molly Moon at a stretch. Also from Kana's mirror in Inuyasha. Gah…I'm easily influenced aren't I?
"Hey, I think we should find your parents, Sora." Yuuki said over breakfast.
"How do we do that?" Hanabusa asked.
"We ask Sora where she lives! Where DO you live, Sora?"
"Oh, no particular place, we're always moving!"
"Then…where were you last?"
"Um…I don't know…Somewhere near when I started following Hanabusa!"
Yuuki turned to Hanabusa. "And where was that?"
"I think…somewhere near 3rd street." He replied. "And shouldn't we wait for Kagami before we run off somewhere?"
Kagami was coming over to spend the day with them, and had promised to be there before breakfast. Right now, she was late.
Hanabusa looked out the window, toward the gates. "I wonder why she got held up…"
Kagami grabbed her coat and made for the door. Sure, she was a vampire, but that didn't mean she didn't feel cold.
"Ah…I'm gonna be so late! And I still have to run that errand!"
Hoping that she would not slip on the ice, and break her bones or something, Kagami arrived in front of an ancient looking shop. 'Morris Antiques' proclaimed the sign on top. Kagami pushed open the door, slowing her pace. This place always made her do that. It was just so quite…
"How can I help?" A scratchy voice from the shadows questioned, making Kagami jump. "Oh, Miss Maato, it's you."
"Hello, Mr. Morris. Is my locket ready?"
Morris was the owner of the store. Kagami's family had been customers to his family for ages. The most frequently brought in item was the locket currently owned by Kagami, to get it polished. She had given it to the old man the night before, after the episode in Hillson Village.
"Yes," The old man rasped. "I'll go get it." He bustled off to the back of his shop, while Kagami waited impatiently, occasionally glancing at the clock.
After what seemed like an age, he was back, holding Kagami's locket in his hands.
Kagami accepted it. "Thank you, it looks beautiful!" She handed him some money, and exited the shop.
She ran to the end of her street, and slipped in between two buildings. She didn't usually go this way due to the rats (Which she absolutely HATED), but she didn't have a choice right now, because she was late, and her friends at Kuran mansion would start to get worried.
Kagami didn't notice the sad look Mr. Morris gave her. The shadowy figure that had been hiding out of sight all this while appeared behind her.
"Good work, Morris. You will be left alone now…" It said, and evaporated into nothing.
Morris buried his face in his hands. "Oh, what have I done?" He whispered.
Kuran Mansion-
Kagami nearly slammed into the door. She didn't have to knock, as the door was opened by an enthusiastic Sora. "Hello. Are you Miss Kagami?"
Sora didn't remember a thing of the incident in the village, as Kagami had wiped her memories.
"Yes I am."
"Come in! Everyone's waiting for you! They're going outside!"
Kagami allowed herself to be dragged by the little girl. She was lead to the spacious sitting room, where everyone was.
"Where's everyone going?" Kagami questioned.
"We're going to try and find Sora's parents!"
In a little while, they were all outside. Due to Yuuki's insistence that they walk, they made their way along the footpath. Kagami and Sora were in the back.
"Miss Kagami?"
"Yeah, Sora?"
"I don't wanna leave…"
"Aw, don't worry Sora. Nobody wants you to, they just know your parents are worried about you, and want them to stop worrying."
"Ok…Hey, I think I lived over there!"
Everyone halted. "There?" Kagami asked. "But it's just an empty plot of land!"
"I know, that's were we put up camp last week, I'm sure!"
"Well it doesn't look like they're there now."
"Mommy said we were going that way." Sora pointed to the horizon. "I don't know how far away they went…"
'Horrible people.' Kagami thought. 'Just packing up and leaving without their daughter…"
"Do we have to walk all the way?" Hanabusa moaned. "A car could never go through terrain like that. The wheels would sink into the snow in five minutes!"
"Stop moaning, Hanabusa. It's annoying." Akatsuki, his cousin said. "But he is right. And walking in this snow will be tiring too…"
"Oh no need for that, we'll just use this!" Kagami smiled, and stepped back from the others. She opened her locket.
"What're you doing, Kagami?" Yuuki asked.
"It's a new trick my mother taught me last week!" Kagami closed her eyes. After around ten seconds of that, the locket started to glow. The glow intensified, and then concentrated at one point. It became blinding, and everyone covered their eyes.
When the light stopped, there was a beautiful snow white horse standing there.
"Wow." Was all Hanabusa managed to say. Then after a minute, "That's amazing, Kagami. Hey, you alright? He added with concern, for Kagami was leaning against a light post, and taking in deep breaths.
'That's odd…' She thought. 'I've never felt this before. The locket…it hurt me…it's never done that before…'
'It will get worse…'
Kagami jumped. Was that her imagination? It had happened before, she had seen and heard things that weren't there, because of exhausting her energy, but they had all had a certain dreamy quality to them. This had seemed so real….
'Calm down, girl,' She told herself, 'it was just your imagination.'
After composing herself, she moved towards the horse, and muttered into its ear. It neighed, and bowed its head.
Kagami faced her friends. "Listen up guys; this is Kangae, an embodiment of my thoughts. Don't look so surprised. The mind is my domain, so I can detach it, and then reattach it. I'll be useless for a while after this, so I'm not invincible or anything." She smiled as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Hanabusa, go with Sora, and see if you can find her parents."
"Me? Why me?"
"No reason." Saying so, Kagami collapsed into the snow.
"Guess that's what she meant by 'useless for a while'." Yuuki muttered. "Kain-senpai, pick her up, and let's go home. It's getting cold."
"Hey, don't treat her like an inanimate object!" Hanabusa objected, when Akatsuki slung Kagami over his shoulder.
"How else should I carry her?"
"Um…I…carry on."
Sora giggled.
"Aw, shut up, kid." Hanabusa mumbled.
They had been riding for a while. Three hours to be exact.
"Hanabusa?" Sora asked.
"What, Kid?"
"Is Miss Kagami gonna be ok?"
"Yeah, she said she was going to be."
"Oh, ok."
"Hey, Kid?"
"Yeah?"
"I've noticed something. MISS Kagami. MISS Ruka. MISS Yuuki. MISTER Akatsuki. Why just Hanabusa?"
"Because I like you!"
"Then shouldn't you show me some more respect?"
"No, not really."
Hanabusa grumbled.
"Did I do something wrong, Hanabusa?"
"No, Kid. You didn't."
Sora opened her mouth to ask why he was grumbling then, but she forgot to, when Kangae reared up, nearly throwing her off. Without warning, it ran back as fast as it could, despite Hanabusa's protests.
Kuran Mansion-
Kagami was waiting for them at the mansion. Ruka was helping her stand. Kangae stopped in front of the door, and disintegrated. Hanabusa fell and Sora landed heavily on him. The dust from Kangae all floated towards Kagami, and she held out the locket. When dust landed on it, the mirror absorbed it.
After a minute, Kagami had it all collected, and she was able to stand again. Yuuki called the four of them inside, and they all sat around the fire in the sitting room.
"Kagami, you're horse-"
"I know what happened."
"What? How?"
"I told you, Kangae was an embodiment of my thoughts!"
"Oh yeah!"
Kagami gave him a look that clearly said 'You are such an idiot'. Before she had a chance to voice this, she was interrupted by Kaname coming into the room. Everyone other than Yuuki stood up in greeting.
Kaname waited for all of them to sit. "Before I go, Aidou- How are Yuuki's lessons going?"
Hanabusa jumped up, and started apologizing as fast as he could. "I'msorryKaname-Sama, *cough*Blackmail*cough*, Iwasunabletocomplete-"Which was as far as he got in his superfast, muddled up sentence, before Kaname got tired and slapped him.
Kaname went upstairs to retire to his room, and Hanabusa clutched his cheek, still on the floor. Kagami bent down. "Do you always have to get into trouble?"
"Yeah, it's a talent I have."
After Hanabusa sat down again, Kagami asked Sora. "Sora? Why do you want Hanabusa to bite you?"
"I wanna be a vampire!"
"Hanabusa can't do that. Only Yuuki or Kaname can. And they're not allowed to."
"Oh…"
"Why do you want to be a vampire?"
"Well, I don't like my parents killing vampires, so I thought maybe if I became a vampire, they would stop, and get to realize how vampires aren't so bad!"
Everyone's eyes had gone wide after 'Killing Vampires'.
Kagami gulped. "J-just what are your parents, anyway?"
"They call themselves 'Hunters'!"