A/N Sorry guys for the late update. I know I'm so mean leaving y'all hanging like that, but life has been annoyingly busy. I will do my best to add another chapter to the other two fics I'm writing ASAP, but please bear with me.
Chapter 33- The New Chevalier
Kai's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. This could not be happening.
The sweet child that took after Kai's angelic little brother stood before him and just informed him that he had followed in his name-sake's footsteps and became a chevalier.
The aging man that now had grey streaks mixed in with his unruly red hair did not register that he was being led to sit down until he was gently pushed into the cushions of the sofa. Finally, he met his younger son's brown eyes and asked in a shocked voice, "How?"
He took a breath and furrowed his brows. Kai looked at those brows and realized they would never wrinkle and if he allowed his red hair to grow out once again, it will never go grey the way his had. His body will never experience the aches and pains that come with aging. He would never die unless whatever sister was not his queen ended up giving him her blood.
He was startled from his thoughts when his son spoke, "Kanade and I snuck out on your old bike last month."
Kai let out an exasperated sigh as his face buried in his hands. It took him a moment before he groaned into his hands, "I reported that bike stolen."
"I know, Dad," the younger relayed contritely. "We really are sorry. Kanade wanted to see Aunt Saya that night. She was really upset because of Mary Frances coming back and Uncle Hagi still being in denial…" He looked up and added, "She just wanted to think and talk it out."
"Alright," Kai said. "That's okay. But why didn't you guys come to me and ask?" Kai was looking at his son with an expression the boy knew all too well. Kai was a hot-headed guy, but he was also very loving and protective of all his kids. How many times had he stressed to them that he was there to talk to no matter what?
Shrugging his response, Riku wondered why Kanade was so adamant that Kai be kept out of it. It really didn't matter because the two never made it there. The pair of younger brown eyes lifted and met with his father's intensely worried ones. He took a deep breath and let out the story.
"We were on the highway and I was going pretty fast. I thought you had gotten that cooling problem fixed so I wasn't worried that we wouldn't make it there. There was this funny smell and I looked at the gage. Dad, the needle was all the way past hot."
"I was so scared that I would blow the head and I began to pull over, but the engine backfired and I panicked. I could feel the bike fish-tailing, but I couldn't stop it. I only had time to close my eyes and I could hear Kanade's screams in my ears, but… I don't know."
He took a ragged breath and continued, "I woke up on the beach with the taste of blood in my mouth. Kanade was looking down at me with tears all over her face and a cut on her hand that was still bleeding. As she sobbed, my entire body began to hurt like hell. It felt like there was an earthquake inside my body and I was shaking so hard, I could feel all my bones breaking and my guts twisting. I remember screaming so hard that my throat bled- then, it all went black."
Kai was silent as his mind wrapped around what had happened.
It took a moment before Riku broke the silence with, "Kanade explained that we had lost control and careened over the railing, but not until after the engine blew and caught fire. We were both badly burnt, but the fall from over the railing had broke my neck and my arm. She felt for a pulse- I was dead."
"She did the only thing she could think to do. The same thing Aunt Saya did for Uncle Hagi and Uncle Riku- she gave me her blood."
Kai steepled his hands in his lap and wondered, "It started with Hagi and Amshel and has continued on since then. I hoped that my daughters would never have chevaliers, but now… Not my son! Why did she have to take my son?"
Riku saw the look in his father's eyes and pleaded, "Dad, please, I would have died."
He looked at his son with weary eyes and gave a sad smile, "You know, when we were at the Zoo during the war with Diva, I saw your uncle die after what Diva did to him. I begged your Aunt Saya to save him the way that Kanade saved you."
Sunlight glinted through the window, causing the red in the older man's hair to shine like fire amid the shiny silver streaks. The smile that was there now became a frown as he added, "It was a mistake. I watched as my brother became something that was no longer my brother."
He looked up. His sad brown eyes meeting his youngest son's- his baby, and said, "Now I have to watch my youngest son as he becomes something else."
"Dad," Riku reasoned as he came to his father's side, "I'm sure that can't be true. Yeah, I feel different… and stronger, but I'm still your son."
He placed an arm around his boy that was now a grown man- chevalier. The expression on his father's face revealed that he was still not happy about the situation, but he was willing to accept it. Turning his eyes to his son, he commented, "Alright, I'm good. I only have one condition."
"Okay…" the son commented slowly, unsure of what his father was going to insist upon him.
"You don't wear anything like Hagi does." The older man shuddered as he added, "I couldn't stand the outfits that your Uncle Riku wore so that he could look like your Uncle Hagi."
The face of disgust on his son's features was all that Kai needed to burst into laughter. Riku added, "I saw those pics Joel brought of Uncle Riku. He really must have thought Uncle Hagi was awesome if he wanted to dress like that."
Kai smiled as relief washed over him, but a new anxiety followed it quickly. This meant that his son would also be involved in this battle. Now three of his kids were involved. He sighed as he commented, "We better get packed up, Riku. There's a long way to go and a short time for me to teach you what I can. I still have an extra gun…"
"Dad," Riku interrupted, "how is a gun going to help? Only Hibiki's blood can kill the new ones."
"It doesn't kill them, it slows them down so Hibiki can make the kill. Hagi's attacks usually don't kill them either- not the kind that come from the queens at least, but he does slow them down and sometimes stops them completely. Saya then came in and killed them."
Riku nodded as he followed his dad up the stairs. He thought out loud, "They said that the ones from Mary Frances' blood are weaker. Do you think they could be killed with bullets?"
Kai smirked as he turned to look at his son. An evil glint came to his eye as he responded, "With these bullets, they can."
~0~
Hibiki placed the last of her folded t-shirts in the drawer at the hotel. They finally made it to Praha. The Red Shield decided to start there and work their way north, eliminating the threat along the way.
She briefly wondered what had happened to Raoul. He was taken, along with a few other soldiers to Hannover and Nurnburg. They would fight to eliminate all the chiropterans possible until they all reached the epicenter- Halle.
They had been shown pictures of the farm that was there. It was excluded from other places by the remoteness of the place. It was situated on the end of a dirt road, in the center of the neighbor's surrounding fields.
However, the immediate concern was for the large cities and the population that was being overrun by monsters. They were told that the ones with unmatched eyes were attacking at night only, but the ones with solid blue eyes would attack whenever they smelled blood.
Kanade was in the process of receiving a transfusion and, as usual, was fast asleep. Hibiki turned to see her sister completely knocked out on the twin bed next to hers, with an IV bag attached to her arm. The bag was at the half way point and it would be a while.
She was rather surprised at her cousin. Mary Frances had arrived with a black and silver bag slung over her shoulder. It took her less than ten minutes to unpack and then find the box that was sent to her and place the weapons inside in her backpack. She left the scythe in the corner of the room, but was now walking the streets of the capital of the Czech Republic- alone.
The sudden sound of her muffled ringtone alerted the blue-eyed queen that someone wanted her attention. With a scowl, she dug out her phone and noticed who it was that called her. Glancing at her sleeping sibling, she headed for the bathroom and closed the door.
"Mary Frances," she answered the phone, "what is…"
She didn't get a chance to finish before the girl interrupted, "Is Kanade there? I tried calling her phone but it's still turned off."
"She's sleeping beauty. You know how she gets when she's getting a transfusion," she responded.
She could almost hear the girl running her fingers through her black spikes of hair. "Shit!" she ground out. "Damn it all to hell!"
"Okay," Hibiki responded, unsure of what got the girl so upset.
"Bring me my black shorts and t-shirt. First drawer on the right- and my steel toes- they're in the corner," she responded.
Hibiki exited the bathroom quietly as she gathered the items that were requested.
Mary Frances continued, "Leave my scythe- it's too conspicuous. Do you have one of those hollow daggers with you?"
"Yes," she whispered into the phone as she scowled.
"Good," she responded, "we have a target out here and it's a really ugly son of a bitch. The shit took down someone we know."
At this, Hibiki's eyebrows shot up in concern. "Who?" she asked in surprise before she covered her mouth and glanced at sleeping beauty on the bed. The girl frowned slightly, but did not stir.
"Never-fucking-mind who! Just get your skinny ass down here," Mary Frances demanded. "When you exit the hotel, turn right. Two streets down and to the left. Small alley on the left side. I think I've got us hidden well enough and the bastard creature is pinned to the wall right now. Use your speed and run. I don't care if you're spotted. If you don't get here soon, I don't know how long I can hold the shit off."
The blue-eyed queen had already pocketed the dagger and was now outside the hotel with a bundle of clothes. She hurried through the streets at her top speed, thanking all the gods she could think of that the streets were empty for some strange reason. As she rounded the corner where the alley was, she saw the thing.
It was pinned to the wall by a few glittering sickles and writhing and convulsing in a sickening manner. It took her a moment to realize that it was covered in a black netting with a long string that ran to the woman holding a remote control.
Mary Frances was in her black Mega Death t-shirt that was practically ripped in half in the front, revealing a red bra that was now torn beyond repair and a gash that was now a patch of silvery skin that was in the process of healing. Her jeans were covered in blood and her feet were still clad in running shoes- not the best choice for fighting monsters, but then, she didn't expect to run across one of these things so soon.
Her face was twisted in a morbidly delighted smile that made Hibiki think she was sick in the head. Her brown eyes turned to the newly arrived queen and the smile faded. "Well, hurry up and kill the thing!" she demanded. "I'll end the shock in 3… 2… 1…"
Blood dripped from the dagger as Hibiki palmed the blade. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue as her features looked almost serene. Her instincts knew this was what she was supposed to do. When she heard Mary Frances count down, she prepared herself for the mighty leap.
Her right hand grabbed the hilt of the dripping dagger and she leapt onto the red and black scaled creature. It was at least 5 times her size- a small one from what Mary Frances described them as, but as she slammed the blade down, she could understand the strength.
The armored skin resisted the pointed dagger and Hibiki grunted loudly as she applied more pressure- still nothing more than a dimple. Her eyes blazed in an inferno of ice-fire as she willed the blade to penetrate into the skin of the monster's shoulder.
Finally, the beast howled as a tell-tale cracking was heard. It sounded like glass being shattered as the beast came apart under her, riddled in deep red cracks. The blue light went out in its eyes until they became lifeless and grey.
She was panting from the exertion of it all. Her eyes were still glowing, but the brightness was fading slowly as Mary Frances came to her and commented, "I need to show you how to find the weak spots, your highness."
The blue-eyed queen blinked in confusion as her eyes lost the glow completely.
Mary Frances pulled the dagger from her hand and stabbed several times into the crystallized monster, revealing the gaps between the scales. Hibiki could only wear a look of disbelief and utter, "Oh."
The brown-eyed princess rolled her eyes and gave an answering, "Oh." She kept the hollow dagger in her hand and walked over to the victim that was laying face-down on the street. His hair was brown and it was obvious he was young. The princess rolled him over to reveal his very familiar face.
"Hojo!" Hibiki exclaimed as she leapt from the crystallized beast that was now disintegrating into dust. She came to his side to notice that his body was becoming cold and his breathing was nearly nonexistent. "Oh, my god! What are we gonna do? Kanade will completely lose it!"
Mary Frances dropped the hollow dagger in front of the queen and said in a monotone similar to her father's, "You must give him your blood."
She blinked and looked up at Mary Frances. "I can't. Kanade wants him."
Mary Frances squatted down next to her and informed, "According to Amshel's research and Dr. J's findings, only a chevalier from a blue-eyed queen can impregnate a red-eyed queen. Even then, after a queen becomes pregnant, her blood loses its power to kill. It would be like giving your sister a gift- the man she loves."
"He would be bound to me forever," she shook her head.
"Not necessarily," a familiar voice replied.
Both turned their heads and smiled. "Nathan," Hibiki breathed out.
The smile that was always there clamed the reluctant queen as the man she had known for so long came to her side and squatted opposite of Mary Frances. "You remember the story I told you about your mother's chevalier, Solomon?"
Both girls nodded and he gave Hibiki a reassuring pat on the head.
"He turned on your mother for your Aunt Saya. It has been that way since the dawn of time. It is how chevaliers and queens mate. You are choosing this man, not for yourself, but for your sister. It is a beautiful thing, really."
With that, her resolve was made. By instinct, Hibiki could still feel the drumming of this man's heart against her skin. Her fangs elongated and her eyes lit up in a fiery blue that would blind if stared at for too long. In a swift movement, her fangs sank into the man's flesh while she released a primal growl.
Nathan's hand began to stroke the young queen's short hair as she followed her instincts. When the man was nearly drained, she tore her fangs from his neck with a snarl and drew the dagger across her palm.
Mary Frances was in awe of the scene. Nathan wordlessly signaled her, and she seemed to know just what he had meant. She tilted the man's head back while Hibiki dripped her blood into his open mouth.
Nathan spoke in a voice that seemed as ancient as the hills and rocks beneath their feet, "Receive the blood of the blue queen, Hibiki. Take it in and become a new creature. Serve your queen well until your mate claims you. Without sleep or death, sickness or injury, follow your queen and protect her from harm."
With a hiss, Hibiki threw her head back and released a silent scream. Hojo's body began to writhe and convulse while liquid fire dripped down his throat. As his convulsions stopped, he opened his eyes that were now glowing blood red. He then shut them again and slept for the last time.
Hibiki came down from her moment and looked at Nathan. Mary Frances was still in awe of what had happened. She finally uttered, "So that is how a chevalier is born." Before she could continue the thought, Nathan grabbed the newborn chevalier and brought the man's mouth to his neck, coaxing him to feed.
The blue-eyed queen looked on and asked, "Shouldn't I be doing that for him?"
He shook his head and answered, "You could, but I enjoy it far more than you would." He then released a feminine sigh as Hojo's new fangs pierced his skin.
Mary Frances smirked at the man. "Pervert," she claimed as Hojo began to take strong pulls from the ancient chevalier.
He smirked back and answered, "Oh, Mary Frances. You are much more entertaining than your father."
She cringed and then responded, "He has a stick up his ass." Then her eyes lighted with humor and added, "Something you're wishing for yourself?"
He gave her a wicked grin and answered, "You know me too well."
"Does he mean Uncle Hagi or the stick?" Before anyone could answer Hibiki's question, she waved her hands and responded, "Never mind, I don't want to know." Changing the subject, she asked, "Do they have to feed after their transformation?"
Nathan suddenly looked serious, "Oh, yes. Hagi did not feed right away and it caused him to attack those villagers that were after Saya. He was well fed after that one- probably the only time he's been well fed."
"But I thought…" Hibiki began to question, but he interrupted.
He waved his hand dismissively as Hojo pulled away from his neck. "Sure, she was in danger. It was a blood lust that caused Hagi to kill, though. Riku would have done the same if Kai didn't have all that blood on hand for you ladies."
They both looked at each other in confusion and then turned to him, waiting for him to elaborate.
"I see you don't know," he observed as he still cradled Hojo's body in his arms. He took a frilly, lace-edged handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the excess blood from his neck. "Very well," he sighed. "Your brother and cousin is Kanade's chevalier. They were in an accident on that contraption Kai calls a bike. He died and Kanade turned him."
Hibiki's hand went over her mouth as Mary Frances came to her feet. She vaguely heard the tall princess ask where her clothes were, causing the blue eyed queen to vaguely point where she had dropped them.
Nathan laid the new chevalier on the asphalt and watched the even rise and fall of his chest. He wasn't the cutest chevalier he'd ever seen, but if he made Kanade happy, that was all that mattered. He noticed the way Hibiki was looking down at him as she commented, "He would have died. Riku, the Riku that I helped raise and protected would have died." She sniffed and swiped an arm under her eyes to wipe away the tears.
The ancient chevalier moved to reach out, but something else caught her attention and she turned away from him with a cry, "Urgh! Mary Frances, really?! Tell me that you're not changing here in an open alley?"
Nathan turned to see the girl was now completely topless. Small spatters of blood remained on the ivory skin of her belly and between the perfectly round breasts. Undaunted by Hibiki's complaints of decency, the tall princess removed her stained pants, leaving her in only a pair of black satin panties. She used the ruined shirt to wipe away the blood stains on her skin as Nathan reprimanded, "Tsk, tsk, tsk! What would your father say if he saw his little girl in her birthday suit, hanging out in an alley?"
She smirked as she pulled the shorts on and fastened them. With a snort, she retorted, "Some things never change?"
A groan came from the man lying on the ground, but he remained unconscious as Nathan continued with, "He'd never say something like that." Noticing the faded black, over-sized t-shirt she was pulling over her head, he grunted, "Oh please don't."
Now she let out a guffaw and asked, "Re-really, Nathan? I thought you would want me to cover them up."
"Oh no, pretty one, I was referring to the over-washed bean bag chair cover that you call a shirt," he rebutted.
Pulling her steel-toes on her feet, she looked up and noticed how Hibiki was looking down at her sister's boyfriend. The blue-eyed queen hardly noticed the princess pulling on her boots or the way Nathan turned his look of concern for her. All she could think of was Kai's rage when he found out that each of his daughters now had chevaliers.