Chapter 8
Kira stayed beside Kyoko protectively which only succeeded in making her laugh, and occasionally she sat down and he'd stop right there. Eventually they made it to their destination which was yet another huge mansion or castle, Kira didn't know which one to call it either way he was in awe.
"I see you like the castle." Kyoko said blankly as if all emotion just left her soul.
"Yeah in a way why?" Kira asked.
"Memorize the location of this castle and fear it Kira, then turn that fear into hate and despise this place and make sure after this little fight we're having to protect Danny never come to this place again." Kyoko said as if trying to underline a statement that Kira just couldn't grasp.
"But why? It doesn't seem so dangerous." Kira replied.
"You of all people should fear this place and the fact that you have not yet to figure out who owns this castle confounds me." Kyoko said.
"Nothing really clicks right now." Kira said truthfully, he was tired from the journey over here both physically and mentally drained.
"This is Hero's castle that is why I say what I do." Kyoko said realizing how tired Kira was.
"H-hero's castle!" Kira practically screamed.
Kyoko quickly clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Ssshhh! Do not yell that out here, everything here can hear what you're saying if it is not a whisper do not mention Danny and do not say anything about knowing Danny. Let me do the talking and you'll be fine, I'm going to change your appearance so Vlad can't recognize you because that would put both of us in danger. Do you understand Kira?" Kyoko whispered removing her hand so he could speak.
Kira relaxed as much as he could before finding a reply to answer her back with.
"Ok but what of my name Vlad will surely recognize that." Kira whispered back realizing that they hadn't even approached the gate yet.
"Well then your just going to have to answer to the name Angel, aren't you?" Kyoko whispered back smiling.
"You're going to turn me into a girl!" Kira whispered as best as he could which turned into more of a low hiss then a whisper.
Kyoko smiled and nodded.
"Can you even--?" Kira began but was quickly silenced when Kyoko nodded her head.
'She knows magic? But why? Is it for defense or for situations like this?' Kira asked himself before looking at Kyoko uncertainly.
"I know so I don't waste unnecessary energy and just in case of emergencies." Kyoko said answering his question and then he snapped back to reality and remembered once more that Kyoko knew just about everything about some people.
Kira closed his eyes so he couldn't see any burst of light or surge of power heading his way, but he couldn't help but wonder… Just how good of a spell caster was Kyoko?
After a long while he risked opening his eyes but it was slowly, fear evidently written in his eyes.
"You can look now, it's not like I'm a beginner in magic you know." Kyoko said laughing as if she were joking with a friend.
"I thought you said that we need to whisper?" Kira whispered the question and soon realized the change in his voice.
He sounded like a girl! He walked over to a puddle near some bushes and looked in and almost fell back not recognizing himself. His blond hair was long now and wavy but a bit darker in color and his eyes looked almost like a bright crystal blue color now compared to his brilliant sapphire colored eyes.
"It worked… Well." Kira whispered and Kyoko nodded to him.
"Indeed now shall we be going I do believe when we catch up to Vlad the better, after all we can't leave things alone now can we I believe he deserves to be notified that some things have happened in his absence from the mansion. Don't you agree Angel?" Kyoko said speaking in code and he looked toward Kyoko in astonishment.
She too had changed her appearance while he was busy closing his eyes. She now had layered shoulder length chocolate brown hair with strawberry blond highlights, and her eyes were no longer the marvelous mix of red, orange and yellow like the fire, but now they were an enticing dark purple color that made her look surreal and supernatural, like a vampire should look instead of looking like a goddess. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and was completely speechless. She now looked like a servant and low level vampire that wasn't at all royal or powerful.
"Angel?" Kyoko asked.
"Umm… S… Sorry K--." He began but stopped wondering whether or not to say her name and by looking at her asked if he should.
She shook her head no.
"For now call me Coco." Kyoko whispered her reply.
"S—sorry Coco I'm not feeling to well, I'm forgetting things now perhaps I should go see a doctor when we get back." Kira replied trying out the name for himself.
"Its fine when we get back you can go see Aria he's good when it comes to medical needs." Kyoko answered him.
Both of them walked to the front gate making sure they kept themselves from holding hands, just as a caution just in case Hero some how found out in the short period of time in their journey that they liked each other. A guard looked at them and Kyoko explained why they were their making sure to use their fake names instead of their real ones. The guard simply nodded and let them in looking both up and down. Kira held back a scowl as they both walked into the gate and the guard smacked Kira's ass and he yelped making the guard laugh a little. Kira was going to turn around and hit him if it weren't for Kyoko stopping him and keeping him facing forward and walking.
"No that would not be a good thing; girls in this region don't exactly know that they could fight back and if you hit him that would make us look suspicious. Even girls around our area know not to do that, they know the customs when traveling her and trust me it kills me to have to stop you. If I was in my regular form and not disguised he wouldn't have touched you and would have kept his looks to himself." Kyoko whispered to Kira making it look as if they were whispering some secret.
"Then why didn't you stay in your regular form, at least that damn guard would show some respect." Kira whispered back to her.
"Because then Hero would know that something was up if I came to get Vlad, we need him to keep thinking that he's in complete control of the situation if we're going to have any chance at beating him." Kyoko whispered to him.
"In other words we have to pretend like servants and make him think he's in control? So technically we're beating him at his own game." Kira whispered to her.
"Exactly what he doesn't know won't kill him, well, at least for now anyway. Remember he's time, he won't try anything if he thinks he's in control of everything, he's cocky like that trust me… It…How do I put this?... It bemuses him." Kyoko whispered back.
Kira nodded and both of them entered the castle easily, Kira was learning all he needed to know in deception from watching how smoothly Kyoko answered any and all questions. He was also learning how not to show fear and panic and to just stay calm and occasionally take on the mood of any conversation. Luckily none of the other guards were as lecherous as the others, He and Kyoko looked like they were around the age of either fourteen or fifteen where as some guards were probably in their forties.
"This is fairly easy." Kira whispered to Kyoko.
"Just wait until you meet Hero, just remember let me talk unless he asks you a question, do not look fearful or angered, do not let him see any other emotion except respect even if you want to hit him. He's a lot more lecherous then the guard by the gate and a lot easier suaded then one might think by just looking at him. He is quiet dangerous if he falls for you which means do not look directly into his gaze and if you must do not think of anything other then yourself. Be greedy and self righteous and you'll be perfectly fine. He has a thing for girls with platinum blond hair which is why I made your hair a fairly dark shade of dirty blond so you won't have much problem avoiding anything he tries, to be honest he more then likely won't even try anything." Kyoko whispered to him reassuringly.
"What about my eyes they're brighter blue then they usually are?" Kira asked through whispering.
"Another thing he likes is girls with dark blue eyes, however I can't guarantee that he won't change his mind but I can't just change you're eye color to any other." Kyoko whispered shrugging.
"Why not you did yours?" He whispered through gritted teeth.
"Ok so you'll stop complaining look at me and don't close your eyes other wise it won't work." Kyoko whispered back stopping in the hall.
"So you're limited on magic, you can only change eye color if my eyes are open not when they're closed?" Kira asked through whispering.
"You got it; if you close your eyes your eye color will only be lighter." Kyoko whispered and used the opportunity when he wasn't paying attention to cast the spell.
"That was a fairly easy why to explain it." Kira whispered as he focused his gaze on Kyoko and then went wide eyed and focused his gaze on the mirror behind her.
His eyes were now the exact same color as Kyoko's, Dark purple. She laughed seeing his reaction and after a little while went back to walking and he followed close behind. They were soon being led by guards to a huge door that was made of stone with intricate designs and symbols that Kira was now all too familiar with. The same symbols that were on the piece of wood Kira had turned into a key so many years ago to free Vlad so he could kill Jiro were engraved on the door and each one read as 'key'. Kira wondered why Jiro's brother had that word engraved in stone on the door that made it stand out so much along with the intricate designs that flowed about the door and its frame. Before he could find his voice and ask Kyoko they were standing in the doorway with Vlad looking at them in awe and Hero turning around with a gleam in his eyes.
Kira kept himself from gasping and stayed as emotionless as Kyoko as he looked at Jiro's brother Hero. Hero had short black hair that seemed to go in almost every direction except for straight up, but in away it was orderly. To match his crazy hair he had one black eye and one golden amber one. His gaze made Kira want to shiver, it was almost like he was staring straight through Kira and Kira almost thought that Hero was going to shout out "These girls are frauds! Tie them up and through them into the dungeon and torture them until they tell us everything we want to know!" But that never came which almost put Kira into shock but still he stayed emotionless and looked as if he rather not be here to deliver any bad news.
"My, my, what brings such beautiful young ladies to my castle?" Hero asked.
Kira felt like fainting by the way he talked and he started to curse the fact that Kyoko had turned him into a girl.
"Forgive us my lord, but we have come to fetch Vlad." Kyoko said bowing to him as if he controlled everything.
"And why will Vlad have to leave in the middle of his visit with me?" Hero said staring at Kyoko suspiciously and then to Kira.
"There is trouble and mayhem at his estate my lord and do pardon my interruption." Kira said bowing as Kyoko did.
"There is trouble at my estate?" Vlad asked turning his attention fully to them.
"Yes do forgive us for not telling you sooner master." Kyoko began.
"We had no other means of transportation so we had to walk from there to here." Kira finished and both bowed once more.
"Then I should be off then in order to silence it." Vlad said harshly.
"You girls are forgiven, but perhaps you two would like to stay a day here until tomorrow night as well as you Vlad." Hero offered.
Vlad nodded and Kira thought he was going to have a heart attack, he didn't know how long he would be able to stay in the new form Kyoko had given him. He glanced towards Kyoko and she nodded as well so he followed her gesture and nodded as well.
"Well if you two stay here for the day then please let me know your names so I can tell the guards not to touch or bother you." Hero said smiling and Kira almost lost his mind again.
"My name is Coco Akina." Kyoko said.
"And I'm her sister Angel Akina." Kira said smiling and he noticed Hero blushed.
'Great he has a crush on me now damn it all.' Kira thought.
"Yes she is my younger sister and married as well." Kyoko said to Hero.
"Oh she is, to whom?" Hero asked curiously.
Kira took the hint of what Kyoko was doing and started to play along.
"Yes a noble man farther to the west I work under Master Vlad to work off the debt that my husband owes him and to make a little extra cash." Kira answered.
"Awe I see now then I will ask no other questions do forgive me I did not mean to press the subject to such an extent and it was not of my jurisdiction." Hero said bowing politely.
"It is fine I do not mind being asked." Kira answered respectfully and he saw the approval in Kyoko's eyes.
"And might I ask of you, Coco, the same thing? If that is you do not mind me asking." Hero asked her respectfully after nodding to Kira.
"Why yes you may ask me." She replied as if lingering on the subject.
Hero nodded. "Well then what of you?"
"I am engaged, I am terribly sorry to tell you since you seemed to have had your hopes up." Kyoko replied smoothly and calmly.
Kira almost believed her had it not been for the quick glance she gave him and he restrained himself for nodding and looking suspicious.
"Indeed she is." Vlad said looking at Hero then at them and winked.
Kira kept back a smile.
'Does he know?' Kira thought and he saw Kyoko smiling.
"She is, and if you don't mind me asking, to who are you engaged to?" Hero asked.
"She is engaged to my adopted son Kira." Vlad said sounding proud and both Kyoko and Kira had to stifle their laughter and stay silent.
"Oh that is very nice, tell Kira I say congratulations on his engagement to such a beautiful young lady and you Angel tell your husband congratulations on him finding an amazing and beautiful woman as well, oh and you two may call me Hero instead of lord." Hero said sounding like a kid in a candy shop.
"But of course Hero." They said in unison.
Hero nodded to them smiling and then to Vlad, Vlad bowed and walked out with the two of them.
"Kyoko, Kira what brings you here?" Vlad whispered.
"A matter that you can't ignore now that everything as begun." Kyoko replied softly so only Vlad and Kira could hear.
"Vlad you knew it was us?" Kira asked softly as well now that he could ask the question.
"But of course I knew it was you two." Vlad whispered back to them.
"How?" Kira asked.