Momiji sat in the living room tapping her foot on the floor. Hermione had been too long for her liking and she was starving. "Where is she?" Momiji asked Serena who was sitting opposite of her reading a book intently.
"Being impatient is going to help her come any faster you know," said Serena not looking up from her book.
"I wish it would," Momiji said turning and laying down on the couch to look up at the ceiling. They were both silent for a few minutes; Momiji turned and looked over at Serena. She dropped her head up on her hand and looked at Serena. "Hey I have a question."
But before she could as it they both heard the front door open and slam shut. They turned and looked for Hermione to walk around the corner, but instead of hearing her footsteps they heard a loud thud and silence. Momiji looked at Serena; they locked eyes and then moved at the same time. Momiji jumped over the back of the couch and ran around the corner.
As Momiji entered the hallway she saw Hermione passed out on the floor bleeding. "Damn it Serena get something to heal her," Momiji yelled as she went to Hermione and picked her up. She carried her to the couch and lay her down gently. Momiji checked her pulse and unwrapped her bandage to check the wound.
Hermione stirred and opened her eyes, "Damn and I thought I wouldn't faint."
"What happened?" asked Momiji.
"Christopher attacked me," Hermione told her. Momiji looked at her worry in her eyes. "Don't worry I kicked his ass," she said with a weak smile.
"Hermione who bandaged you up?" Momiji asked.
Hermione didn't say anything and when Momiji tried to enter her mind and see her thoughts Hermione blocked her. "Hermione what happened?" Hermione didn't answer she just kept staring at Momiji blocking her mind at the same time. "Hermione?"
"I have some clean bandages," said Serena coming in from the kitchen. She came around the couch and knelt down next to Momiji and Hermione. She told Hermione to lean forward so she could bandage her. "What happened Herm?" Serena asked.
Hermione told them what happened leaving out the part about Daniel and Kusanagi showing up and saving her from dying.
"So you just left him there? Are you sure he was dead?" asked Serena.
"I don't think he was dead but at the moment I wasn't really that interested in his life I was trying to save my own," Hermione told them as Serena finished bandaging her.
"Well you're lucky to have gotten away from him especially after a wound like this, you've lost a lot of blood your really lucky that it didn't pierce any internal organs," Serena said.
"Yeah I shouldn't take too long to heal, which is good," said Hermione.
"You should go upstairs and rest," Serena told her. Hermione nodded in agreement; Serena helped Hermione stand and then her and Momiji helped her upstairs and into her bedroom.
After Momiji and Serena had put Hermione to bed they left her and went into the hallway. "She's hiding something," Momiji said.
"I know but she's not going to give it up right now so it's best not to push her," Serena told her.
"If we don't push then she won't tell us anything," Momiji said as she followed Serena down the hall and towards her bedroom.
"You don't know that you need to give her some time," said Serena as she opened the door to her room.
"But…" Momiji began, Serena turned and faced Momiji.
"Look why don't you just back off," Serena said. "You're not going to find anything out by pushing and pushing and pushing all you're going to do is push her away from you," Serena yelled. "I know that you're worried Momiji but we have figure things out on our own sometimes."
"We've never been like that before," Momiji said softy. "We've always talked to each other we've always trusted each other."
"Yes and now we are all going through something that is far more complicated than anything we have ever faced before," Serena said almost yelling. Momiji knew what she was talking about but she didn't comment. Serena put her face in her hand and sighed, "Look Momiji why don't you get some sleep we could all use a little relaxation."
Momiji shook her head at Serena a look of shock on her face she turned and walked down the hallway. She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at Serena. "You know why things are changing, because you're changing them this whole vampire thing, this whole mate thing, it's not that complicated. All we need to do is ignore it, they're the enemy that's it nothing else, it doesn't matter if we feel for them or if we have a connection to them it doesn't change what they are. We were born to fight against them Serena, it's that simple."
"Yeah tell that to Kusanagi, you feel something for him Momiji I know you do because I feel the same thing for Darien," she said.
"I do not and even if I did I know that whatever happens we don't just stop and decide to change our lives and everything that we were taught just to accommodate what we want," Momiji said. "You can't just go and change the rules in the middle of the game!"
"What if everything that we were taught was wrong?" Serena said. "What if the 'game' was rigged?"
"What are you talking about Abby taught us everything that we needed to know. Vampires kill people, killing people is bad, we kill vampires and save people, saving people is good," Momiji yelled. "Why are you questioning our lives?"
"Because for two weeks I lived with a vampire coven and none of them were evil they took care not to hurt humans unless they had to," Serena said. "And we were taught that vampires can't love because evil can't love, but what I saw when I was there completely contradicted it."
"Evil cant love Serena," Momiji.
"Then maybe they aren't all evil!"
"Are you siding with them?" Momiji yelled.
"No I'm just trying to tell you that this is more complicated that we originally thought!" Serena said trying to calm her. "Look maybe we should take a little time off and try to figure things out."
"Yeah you go ahead and do that meanwhile I'm going to do my job and protect innocents from those who are hunting them," Momiji said then she turned and walked down the stairs.
Serena leaned against the doorway defeated she turned and shut the door behind her. Momiji was right they had never acted like this towards each other. They had always trusted each other no matter what and now they were all keeping secrets from each other.
"I hate this," said Serena out loud.
Kusanagi sat in the living room of his house, he held a large file in his hand and was trying to read it but he couldn't concentrate. He finally gave up and threw the file down next to him. He rubbed his hands over his face and looked at the door. He stayed like that for a few minutes and then leaned back against the couch.
"You really expected her to come?" asked Louis sitting down in the chair next to the couch. Louis stared at him with a pitied expression.
"Truthfully I'm not surprised that she hasn't shown up," he said. He gave a small laugh, "But then I don't know why I expected her to show it is Momiji and that's not her character."
"You are so in love with her," Louis said.
"I'm not denying that at all," he said.
"You know if your parents find out there's going to be hell to pay," Louis told him.
"I think Darien will be more in trouble than I," Kusanagi said. "He is the one who's going to inherit the keys to the kingdom after all having a slayer for a Queen might not sit well with the elder vampires."
"Darien's never really cared what they thought though did he," Louis said. "He's always been on to do first and then deal later. But it's also what's gotten him into trouble too."
"Darien is a double edged sword," Kusanagi said.
Louis opened his mouth to speak again but the front door opened and they both stopped and looked.
Darien walked into the room with Daniel. Daniel walked over to the chair opposite Louis and sat down exhausted. Kusanagi stared at Darien who sat down opposite of him and leaned back.
"How's the search for Serena going?" asked Kusanagi.
"Terrible, no one seems to have seen the slayers and its beginning to get even more tedious," Darien told them. "I can feel her, I can smell her, I can hear her voice and thoughts but I can't touch her, I can't see her, I can't even sense if she's near or far."
"That's the trouble with witches they have a lot of power cloaking spells can hide them pretty well," Louis said. "I saw what the one slayer did to Christopher though extremely powerful, how is he by the way?"
"He's healing but that slayer used powerful spells on him so it's taking a while Ami and Zoicite are taking care of him," Darien said.
"He couldn't ask for better doctors," Louis said.
"Speaking of Christopher Darien don't you think it's time to send him home?" asked Daniel.
"Why?" Darien asked him.
"Well if you want to find Serena having a crazy slayer hunter like Christopher out there isn't going to help" Daniel told him. "I mean we already saw what he did to her sister and he almost killed the other slayer as well. I just think that if you want to bring them out the best way would be to put the lion back in his cage."
Darien thought for a moment and then looked at Kusanagi, "Do you agree?"
Kusanagi nodded. "He had orders not to kill Momiji but if I hadn't stopped him he would have killed her then and there, Christopher is good for slayers that we want eliminated but if I'm right none of us want these three eliminated."
Darien and Daniel agreed, "Alright then I send Nephrite and Zoicite to take care of the situation."
"Don't you think we should put out a warning to all other slayer hunters?" asked Daniel.
"No that would raise suspicion and that is the last thing that you want besides you don't want your enemies to get the idea that you want these three," said Louis.
"But aren't they the enemies that we would most likely be concerned with?" said Kusanagi.
"Yes but I think Louis means our political enemies," Darien said.
"You mean your political enemies," said Kusanagi.
Darien looked at Kusanagi. "Do you think that Rei will bring mother and father back with her?" asked Daniel.
"She won't have to once they hear what's been going on they'll probably drag her back early," said Kusanagi.
"Mother and fathers presence here will only complicate things," Daniel said "How are we going to protect them once they arrive?"
"Well I think they are doing a pretty good job of protecting themselves since even we can't seem to find them," said Louis.
"Well one thing is for sure we can't them find out about the slayer being related to a member of our coven," said Kusanagi. "If they were to find out then they would eliminate her and none of us want that."
Momiji sat on the hood of her car staring up at the night sky. She put the cigarette in her hand up to her lips and sucked in. Even though she hated the taste of it she liked how it was able to calm her down. Her argument with Serena ran through her head then her promise to Kusanagi then her own self doubt washed into her heart. "Fucking relationships ruin everything," she said out loud then she took another drag on the cigarette.
"Those will kill you," said a familiar voice.
Momiji stilled and didn't move a single muscle, she even stopped breathing. Everything seemed to stop. The wind didn't blow and the bugs didn't chirp, nothing seemed to have sound. Momiji's eyes were wide as she stared up at the sky. She heard footsteps near her place and felt the air around her thicken. Her breath came back and she began to inhale deeply without trying to move.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her and threw her off the car and into the front lawn. "Are you ignoring me! That is not how you greet your superior Momiji!" yelled the voice.
"I….I…don't…" Momiji said as she stumbled over her words.
"You, you, you what!" yelled the woman.
Momiji looked up at the woman in front of her. She stood tall and strong looking down at Momiji. "Al…Alana," Momiji said.
Alana bent down and picked up Momiji's dropped cigarette and put it to her lips. "You know I think that you have gotten shorter Momiji," she said.
"What! What are you talking about you're the one who's gotten shorter if anyone has!" Momiji said standing. She was right, Alana stood a head shorter than Momiji her head reaching up to Momiji's shoulder. "What are you doing here?" Momiji asked her.
"Blake called me and said you three were in the area," she mumbled the cigarette still in her mouth. "He said that I should check up on you because you weren't talking to him or Sarah."
Momiji glanced at her suspiciously and then asked "Did he tell you that they made us move out?"
"Bitches you know how they are," Alana said moving to lean against Momiji's car. "You also know that its procedure to take the target out of casualty zone. That house is full of dem girls and if you were to stay there you know you would put them at risk."
"Yeah I know," Momiji said moving to lean against the car next to her.
"You know I'm actually surprised that she didn't make you move out before this," said Alana. "I mean you three are the most active slayers in the area it makes sense that she would have made you leave to keep the others safe."
"What are you really here for Alana you never listen to Blake and you defiantly don't listen to Sarah so your lie about coming here on their behalf can be dropped," Momiji said.
"Well it's kinda interesting," Alana said. Momiji's cigarette was finished so she took it out of her mouth and flicked it into the street. She pulled another out of her pocket along with a lighter, she lit the cigarette and then put the lighter away. "I was in Japan up until a couple weeks ago. Kyoto region."
Momiji stilled, "You're such a hooker." The Kyoto region was where Momiji had been born and where she had lived with her mother until moving and living with Abby.
"Yeah well it comes with the territory. Anyways I 'accidentally' wandered into your old neighborhood and I met a woman named Sophia," said Alana.
Again Momiji stilled in her place and she felt her heart skip a beat, "How?"
"Well it's not hard to find a British teacher of English in Kyoto they aren't really natives now are they?" Alana said.
"Did you tell her who you were?" Momiji asked.
Alana shook her head, "she didn't ask but I think she knew I had some kind of connection to you."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well she kept talking about how she had daughter a few year younger than me who was in America," Alana told her. "And seeing as how I didn't think that she had two daughters I supposed she meant you." Momiji didn't respond to Alana she just looked down at the ground and focused upon the grass. "She lives with her sister and her sisters two children your cousins."
"Did she…did she mention her husband?" asked Momiji.
"No sorry nothing about a husband," Alana said. "Momiji what do you know about your family?"
"What? What do you mean?" Momiji asked.
"Well that house it's not your mothers is it?" Alana said.
"No I believe it was my fathers and when they got married I think that's when she moved in with him and began living there. But my father never stayed there long he was always moving around."
"Momiji, Momiji did you ever do any background on your family?" asked Alana.
"No I never had any reason to."
"God, I'll say one thing Abby sure as hell knows how to keep you all on a short leash," said Alana.
"What are you talking about?"
"You never questioned your make up?" Alana said. Momiji stared at her blankly. "You know that there are slayers and then there are witches right?" Momiji nodded. "You never wondered how you were a half breed?"
Suddenly a light clicked on in Momiji's brain. "What are you saying?"
"Momiji you're mother wasn't just a teacher and your father wasn't just abandoning your family," said Alana. Momiji stared at her not saying anything. "Let's take a ride."
Serena looked out of the window when she heard the doors of Momiji's car slam. She saw Momiji and another person get into Momiji's car and back out of the driveway. "Well who could that be?" Serena asked.
'It's Alana,' said Hermione telepathically.
'When did she arrive?' asked Serena.
'Not too long ago she showed up when Momiji was smoking and started talking to her. I think she said something that upset Momiji though because her aura changed right before they got into the car,' Hermione told her.
'Do you need anything Hermione?' asked Serena.
'No I'm fine just trying to relax.'
'Hermione would you like to tell me what happened?' Serena asked her.
'Come in here and we can talk,' she said.
Serena turned from her window and put down the book she had in her hand. She entered Hermione's room and turned on the light next to her bed. Hermione's room was a colored light, a calm pink wall paper with pink lilies on it adored the walls. The bed was a queen sized bed that had a light pink cover and sheets. There were several lamps around the room and a vanity in the corner, however unlike normal peoples vanities this one was had no make up only books and potions on it.
"Well?" asked Serena looked down at Hermione.
"Daniel saved me," Hermione told her.
"Daniel? Darien's brother?" Serena asked.
"Yes, he's the youngest of the four," Hermione told her as she sat up and spoke with Serena.
"He saved you?" Serena asked slightly confused. Then she thought for a second, "He's your match as well isn't he." Hermione nodded; "It seems as though the world likes to make fun of us," she said. "We all fell in love with people that we aren't supposed to."
"I think that's the world that we live it challenges us," she said. Hermione was silent for a while and then began to think. "Serena have you ever thought that maybe everything that Abby told us wasn't completely true? That maybe what she said about vampires and everything may have been a little over exaggerated?"
"Yeah I've had that feeling ever since I met Darien," Serena said.
"I think that this move may have been one of the best things ever," Hermione told her.
"Me too. You should get some sleep I know how tired you are," Serena said.
"Goodnight," Hermione told her.
"Night," Serena said before she went back into her room. She saw down on the bed and then leaned back to laid down and stared at the ceiling. "Darien," she whispered. Suddenly she felt his presence. Her heart skipped a beat of fear until she remembered that the house was protected by barriers Abby had created. She was safe, even though she could feel him and speak with him she knew that he wouldn't be able to tell where she was. She felt him push in her mind for her to open a connection.
After a while she finally did, 'You know you're giving me a headache,' she said.
'You left,' was his response.
'You noticed,' she answered.
'I knew the second you stepped out of the barrier,' he told her there was silence and then he spoke, 'Why did you leave?'
'Are you really asking that question? I thought it would be obvious.'
'Well its not,' he said.
'I didn't belong there,' she told him.
'You belong with me, at my side.'
'Yes that what you keep saying but you seem to forget that I am a slayer,' she told him.
'You only think we are enemies because of what that old witch has told you,' he said. 'She has a vendetta against my family.'
'What are you talking about?' Serena asked.
'That women isn't as truthfully with you as you have been lead to believe,' he told her. 'You yourself have begun to question her I can feel your confusion.'
'What proof of this do you have?'
'I have an old story that you need to hear,' he told her.
'Tell me.'
'No.'
'Why?' she asked.
'I will only tell you the next time I see you,' he said smoothly and she knew he was smiling thinking that he had the upper hand.
'Fine have it your way,' she said and then she completely closed off her connection with him. "Human or vampire all men think that they can completely beat you out and control you," she said aloud. Serena rolled over and stared at her pillows it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
"Mother?" asked Blake as he entered the dark room. There was no response to his question only silence. After a few seconds he heard some movement in the room. He knew that she was sitting near the window. He heard a cough and then heavy breathing. "If you need anything just buzz me," he told her before shutting the door and locking it.
Blake placed his hand on the door and then sighed heavily. He turned and went back downstairs after making sure that all the girls were in their beds. He saw Sarah sitting down out on the porch and went to join her. He sat down next to her.
She threw the book that was on her lap down on the table on top of several papers and files. "How was she?" asked Sarah.
"The same," he told her.
They sat in silence for a while and then Sarah spoke, "The girls have begun to ask question about Abby. They want to know what's wrong with her and why she never comes out of her room."
"Tell them that she sick," he said.
"That's not going to last much longer," Sarah said.
"We have to make it."
"Blake they are going to figure it out sooner or later," Sarah told him. "Especially Hermione, ever since the attack on the house a couple weeks back she's been looking into it more and more."
"Yeah so?"
"So what are you going to do when she discovers that Abby is infected?"
"We can't let them find out," he said. "If they find out that she's….if they find out that she's…."
"Say it." Blake remained silent. "Say it, say it and admit it to yourself."
He was silent for a while more then spoke, "If they find out that she's half vampire then it will undo everything."
"Then you had better find a way to keep it buried because of she keeps escaping then there's no telling what she's going to do next or who she'll accidentally attack," Sarah said.
"Yeah I know."
"If this is what I believe it is then you know what the outcome will be," she said.
"Yeah I know."