A/N Sorry it took so long, but here's the REAL Chapter 9! Enjoy and please leave a review.

Chapter 9- Through the Looking Glass

Hagi motioned for her to join him on a nearby bench. She watched the graceful mannerisms of the stranger with wary eyes. Her arms folded over her chest and she responded, "Like hell if I'm gonna get all cozy with some strange man that can jump over me like I was nothing more than a rock in the path."

If there was ever a moment that could cause Hagi to want to roll his eyes, this would be it. She was rude and not even willing to hear him out, but he persisted as he remained standing near the bench. "In order to understand what you are, you must first learn of the species known as Chiropteran."

Her face remained passive and he briefly wondered if that was how he looked most times. Mentally shaking the thought, Hagi continued, "The species began with two sisters. One was Saya and the other Diva. They look like normal teenage girls, but they are indeed something very different. They do not age and when they are injured, the wounds heal quickly, sometimes instantaneously."

She wondered at the information this man was presenting to her as she shook off the feeling that she could sense his inner thoughts. Before he spoke again, she heard the thought, "I must be cautious as I attempt to tell her everything. She will never believe anything I say if I can't convince her. She has not lived nearly as long as the others and has not even realized that she has stopped aging."

He took a breath and continued, "The blood of these two girls have a special and deadly power. It can make a man immortal like them, but it also kills the other or any of her servants. I am a servant of the one known as Saya. She gave me her blood and that is why I still live in spite of being born in 1861."

Her eyes shot open wide and it took her a moment to regain her composure. "No shit? You're really nearing 200 years old!" She then laughed out loud and responded, "Damn, you're the funniest, most creative crazy person I've ever met!" With that, she took off running again, trying to keep from laughing. She started as he landed in front of her once again. She gave him a freezing look of annoyance and growled, "Will you quit fucking doing that?"

He grasped her shoulders as he could sense that their time was running short. "There's not much time. Listen to me. There are people that want to take you. You need to hear me out and then, I will give you 24 hours to think this through. After that time, you will have to make a decision."

She gulped and nodded. What was his problem anyways? He was so adamant about her coming with him and she didn't even know who he was or where they would be going.

He continued on, "Diva had servants as well. We are called chevaliers. Her chevaliers spent their leisure time among human women, not realizing they could breed with them. The queens could not breed with human men and so the chevaliers thought that applied to them as well, but it didn't turn out that way." He looked at her and tried to see just how much she understood.

She thought quietly as she sat down on a nearby fence. She tried to hide it, but he could sense the tears coming to her eyes. There was a terrible sense of a bitter "Ah-ha moment" that she had guarded up in her mind. She took a breath, extinguishing the tears and responded, "So… which one of the dead-beat winners created me?"

He wondered at her for a moment. At first, he was certain he wasn't getting through to her. It surprised him that she was willing to listen, even a little. Taking a deep breath, he wondered further if she was thinking the same thing the Red Shied thought. His answer was, "I do not know for certain. Dr. Julia with the Red Shield will be able to tell you for certain. All she needs is a bit of your cells. She uses a cotton swab…"

She interrupted, "I know how the process works. I've seen the talk shows 'Who's your Daddy' and all that shit."

He nodded and looked down pensively, causing her to wonder at the suddenly thoughtful looking man. She regarded his sharp, pointing nose and the firm and familiar looking jawline. His eyes and the way his hair fell in waves around his face- hadn't she seen this same face staring back at her from her own mirror every day? She took a breath and bravely asked, "Why is it impossible to include yourself in the list of possible dead-beat dads?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and responded in a low voice, "I would never betray Saya."

After a long, uncomfortable pause, she thought out loud, "Wait a minute! Those monsters that have been spotted a long time ago- was that?"

He nodded, "Those monsters were created by Diva's blood. That was why the Red Shield was formed, they assist Saya and I in eliminating the chiropterans."

Her eyes narrowed as she wondered at this group called the Red Shield. It sounded like some kind of FBI-like organization. Was this guy some kind of narc (slang for narcotics police officer)? She gulped and added, "So you guys are not some kind of law-enforcement, right?"

He looked up at the clear skies and responded, "I suppose, in a way, we are."

Her look suddenly darkened as she began to back away. "Okay," she nearly growled, "that was a dirty trick. What? You think telling this ridiculous story is going to make me somehow open up and spill my guts?" She whirled around and began to take off.

"Wait!" he demanded as he followed her. When his hand grasped her shoulder, she gripped his hand with her own, squeezing hard as he heard and felt the bones crunch and dug her fingernails into the skin. His eyes shot open as he saw her whirl around with an angry expression clouding her pale features. Small pools of his blood stained her fingernails as he felt them digging into his flesh.

Her hand still gripped his as she spat angrily, "You-you! You dirty-filthy son-of-a-bitch! How dare you do this! I want all the photos- all the evidence- and whatever else you have on me! I will kill your sorry ass easier than it is for me to break your hand into a million pieces!"

Keeping the shocked expression from coming to his face, he responded, "I have no evidence of any kind! I am not part of the United States law enforcement or any other law enforcement."

Her eyes narrowed as her mind clouded out all that he was claiming. All she could think or see was that she had possibly been caught by some kind of cop- a weird one. Continuing in her train of thought, she ground out, "What did you see?"

He gave her the same angry glare and answered, "Why I am here has nothing to do with any crime you have committed. I have explained to you that I am a servant of the one called Saya and I have only come to speak to you. I must convince you to come with me to Okinawa."

Her eyes opened wide as she could feel the bones in his hand coming back together and restructuring themselves before her very eyes. She dropped the nearly completely healed hand and her brown eyes met his cool blue ones. "How the… what the…?" she gasped.

"I have already explained this to you," he answered coolly. Something in her expression set off alarm bells in his mind. She looked completely shocked to see that hand heal before her eyes, but for some reason, the emotion didn't make it to her eyes. What was she hiding?

She slowly backed away from him as he continued, "I am not law enforcement. I am not even an American. I stay in Okinawa and travel the world looking for those like us. It is imperative that I bring you to the Red Shield as soon as possible."

She was backed into a tree and her eyes still remained wide as she asked, "Is that," she pointed to his hand, "possible for me too?" Again, the emotion seemed fake to him.

"Your kind- what Dr. Julia calls princesses, do not have many of the abilities that chevaliers or Saya and Diva do. You do heal quickly, but not as quickly as us."

She nodded, still not looking as if she was willing to believe she had seen what she had seen.

"Unfortunately, your blood can create more of those monsters or chiropterans," he informed her. "That is why…"

Her eyes followed his to a large white van pulling up to the fence. It seemed like nothing to her as she watched a few men wearing road construction vests jump out and place large orange cones down, but Hagi knew better. He recognized the driver as the lead scientist of Fimm Örvar.

"What the FUCK?!" she screamed as he grabbed her around the waist and began to jump into the air.

The movement was so fast he hadn't any time to react. Hagi was usually quite strong and fast, but only having to fight these lower class chiropterans had slowed his reaction time. He was very much out of practice with these quick and strong movements.

She pulled his arm away from her waist and snapped it around, whipping him back as her leg came up and connected with his right side, sending him sailing into a tree 50 yards off. The crack of the bark, as well as his bones was the last thing he recalled as the young woman ran off.

~0~

She jumped the fence and let tears streak her face as she approached the construction workers. They all looked to be about mid-30s and since they were human, she didn't need to worry about them trying to take advantage. She could kill any of them in an instant if she had to. "Help!" she cried out as she approached. "Help! I've been attacked by that pervert over there."

The doctor smiled wickedly as he prepared the needle. This would be the first time he had intercepted a princess before that chevalier could get to her. He carefully and quietly exited the driver's seat and crept behind the ranting princess.

"I was just over there, running and he came up…" she was explaining to the men when she felt a sudden prick in her neck and everything became cold as ice.

Before she could speak, she felt the prick again and a pair of strong arms caught her.

"Do you think two injections are a bit too much?" asked one of the workers as he pulled the girl into the van.

One of the lookouts turned to him and responded, "You heard the boss- the girl is stronger than all the others. Better to be safe than sorry."

The doctor was already in the driver's seat again as he calmly commanded, "Get in. We have a long way to go."

They all piled into the van and were on their way as the body by the tree began to move.

The van was gone by the time the figure in the dark clothing awoke. He couldn't follow their trail now that it had begun to rain, but he knew where they were going.

~0~

The cloaked figure bounced from shadow to shadow among the pristine white walls and floors of the facility. As she passed, cameras would mysteriously malfunction. Her movements were so quick, no one could detect her.

She passed by a room full of cabinets and three computers. Recalling what was taught to the small, lavender haired girl, she began to quickly move through each drawer and grab what she thought was important. Taking the files, she made certain to hold them high enough for the small camera they had attached to the hood of her cloak, to capture the images.

The small tracking device attached to her sleeve was constantly mapping her movements and the camera recorded what she saw. This way, the Red Shield could make a map of the facility before they raided it.

It took only 5 minutes for Lulu to get all she wanted from the files. A small voice in her ear piece demanded, "Try to hack anything you can from the computers."

She heard footsteps coming down the hall and ducked into a shadow, keeping perfectly still as they passed. When they were out of hearing, she responded in a small whisper, "Can't- not enough time."

She continued to make her way down the hall and came across a small room. There were blood packets and a couple of IV stands. Equipment was laid out on a small, stainless-steel table. There was a bed next to a window. "This is where they do transfusions for the princesses." She thought.

Other rooms were meeting rooms and a few offices. The basement was her next objective as she moved down the stairs. She could sense the weaker presences of the princesses. "One in each cell," she informed in a very small whisper.

"Affirmative," it crackled back.

She came to each cell and recognized a couple of them, but she had never met them all. Lulu usually worked a lot with Lewis in the CIA since she had finished school. They found that, along with her natural chiropteran abilities, she also had a knack with all things technical. That would have come in handy if she weren't so pressed for time right now.

Lulu had been doing a lot better since Julia had discovered that Diva's blood was what was needed to heal the Schiff from the terrible threat of the thorn. The lavender haired girl was given a small amount and was now healthy and completely thorn-free.

Unfortunately, the young girl would always have the appearance of a young girl. It was fine with Lulu, however, she would always get a good laugh out of the new CIA members when she would approach them and inform them in a serious tone, "Hi, I'm Lulu. I will be your new training coordinator." It was one of Lewis' favorite pranks.

Because of an issue in the pigmentation of her skin, she was still highly sensitive to sunlight and continued to wear a hooded cloak when outside. Working in CIA headquarters, where there are few windows to her and Lewis' office, she opts for a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt. Lewis likes to tease her, "All you need is a black jacket with tails and you'll look just like your mentor."

Since working with Saya and Hagi all those years ago in the war, Lulu had come to adore Saya for all her abilities and her heart, but she was sleeping. Hagi, on the other hand was always paired with Lulu to fight whatever remaining chiropterans were around and had come to respect and admire the quiet chevalier. He never spoke much, but he was certainly an amazing fighter.

A loud sound startled her and she turned as she leapt into the shadows. Straining her ears, she heard a voice, "Lulu? Is that you?"

She came to the cell next to her and looked inside to see Kaylee, one of the many that belonged to Solomon. "Lulu?" she asked again as tears swam in her green eyes and spilled down her dirty face. Her hair was dull and nearly flat beside her face.

"Kaylee," she whispered as she reached through the bars to the woman's delicate hands. Knowing she had very little time left, Lulu encouraged her, "It won't be much longer. We are going to get you out."

"Please, don't leave me. They separated us and I am so lonely."

She looked around and then responded, "We are mapping the place now and it won't be much longer, I promise."

Her green eyes became focused and serious as she recalled the last bit of information she had heard. "Lulu, they are going to take the last princess. Hagi was about to go for her. I can only think that they seem to know everything so quickly because there is a spy in the Red Shield."

"Spy?" Lulu asked in shock.

"Yes," she responded in a convincing whisper. "I heard him talking with one of the doctors. I didn't see him because he was on the other side of the wall, but I know the doctor called him Hunter."

"I'll tell David as soon as I get…" she responded.

The main door to the basement was opened, causing Lulu to return to the shadows. She watched as 5 men carried a very agitated girl into the closest cell. They shouted obscenities as she thrashed and screamed their curses right back at them.

As they locked the cell door, the place echoed with the bangs of her kicks and the shrill, angry screams. Lulu heard their conversation as they complained about the girl.

"God-dammit!" one breathed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I thought the doc doubled her tranquilizer."

The other was panting and grasping his knees. It took him a moment to respond. "He- did. He- doubled it- again- on the – plane."

"She was still fighting like a wild animal!" the third commented.

"She will make very powerful mice," informed the tall man in the light grey suit.

Lulu would recognize that rat anywhere- Argiano. Her child-like eyes narrowed as she regarded the man that was helping to cause all the trouble- and even had been the one to take the fall for it.

The others quickly dispersed as he told them to return to work. He looked into the cell at the wild-haired red-head. He smirked, "It's remarkable. She looks exactly like him."

Mary Frances was too angry to speak. Instead, she rushed the doors and slammed herself against the bars as her long arm reached through the bars. She would have had him by the neck if he hadn't moved. She screamed her rage as her long fingers tried to scrape at him.

He removed a small candy from his pocket and unwrapped it. "What a wild animal," he commented as he popped the candy in his mouth. "Like father like daughter." The wrapped fell to the floor as she screamed her frustration again.

Once the basement cleared, Lulu crept to the cell. She carefully and slowly moved to the cell and looked in.

Mary Frances felt a similar presence to that strange man coming near her and prepared to attack. Her hand came through the cell bars and captured the neck of a small child. It shocked her at first, but the pointed ears and lavender hair was a bit off to her. "What are you?" she growled.

Lulu whispered, "Keep your voice down." She was dropped to the ground. The young woman had red, messy hair, but Lulu was evidently shocked by the similarities to her mentor. "Y-you look like…"

"I'll ask again- what are you?"

"I am the last of the Schiff," she responded.

The girl smirked, "Which of the dead-beat monsters did you come from?"

"Diva," she answered as she gave a questioning look.

"Diva?" Mary Frances asked. "You mean you're not from the cheva… cheva… whatevers?"

"No," she responded. "I am a lab-created chiropteran- from Diva's blood." Lulu wanted to stay and question this girl, but her time was running short. "I have to go, but we'll come back for you soon."

Before Mary Frances could respond, the small Schiff disappeared in a light blue streak of light.

Lulu bounded through the shadows and sped through corridors, trying to get back to the file room. She had to find anything she could on the newest princess. Her hand smacked her forehead as she thought, "Why didn't I ask her what her name was?"

It was too late to go back now, she could see the hall and the door just across the way. There were three places to hide. She quickly hopped from place to place before she felt her hand in the grip of something behind her, something like her.

She turned to see the elongated head and grey skin of a chiropteran. It had jagged white teeth and drool dripped from them and splattered on the floor by her feet.

She turned to the sound of a man's voice- Argiano's. "Welcome to my company, Lulu. I would have preferred if you use the front door and not destroy my cameras."

Lulu grunted as she tried to break the grip of the chiropteran, but the fingers would not budge. This one was so much stronger than any she had faced before in the past 30 years.

"You like my mouse?" Argiano asked. "He was created yesterday- from Mary Frances' blood."

"H-how?" Lulu asked.

"We took a sample of her blood when we took her from California. This mouse took two days grow this much." He smirked before he added, "Not that it will do you much good, but we tested the sample of the DNA found under her fingernails." He smiled as he remembered, "Wait. I forgot that you didn't know. Our operatives caught her after she had been in a fight with Hagi. She managed to scratch him with her nails as well as knock him out. She's quite strong for a princess."

The lead scientist came up and began to search the small Schiff for any small objects. He smirked as he informed her, "We have the test results, Mr. Argiano. It appears that Mary Frances Reyes is indeed the daughter of Saya's first chevalier, Hagi."

Lulu gasped at the knowledge. It must be wrong! It had to be wrong! She shouted, "You lie! Hagi would never…" Her rant was cut short as she felt the grip of the beast tighten, crushing her wrist. Her cries of pain echoed through the facility.