A/N: Hello fellow readers! Really thankful for all of your support so far for my fanfic "Sparked". Many thanks, especially to "Asharoth's Chronicle" and "FerogiSwag", my biggest supporters. Anyway, here's Chapter 10.
Chapter 10:
"I don't understand. Hiiragi Konoka said that there was an aradama here," Suzuka sighed, looking up from her Spectrum Finder.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that bitch sent us on a wild goose chase," Maki replied. "If nothing shows up in the next ten minutes, I'm leaving and going straight to Director Maniwa. We need to do something about that damn ambassador woman."
The two Elite Guards searched the Origami family mansion meticulously. In the courtyard, there were very few hiding places for a great aradama to take cover. Maki and Suzuka narrowly scanned for any sign of irregularity or anything out of the ordinary, with no luck.
The mansion itself was easily searched, but there were no hidden areas unaccounted for. All the rooms were undisturbed. Everything was plain and straightforward. As they walked through the hallway that led to Yukari's bedroom, Maki raised her hand suddenly.
Although it was almost inaudible, both of them had heard it. The light creak of a wooden floorboard.
"It's in her bedroom," Suzuka whispered.
"Get ready," Maki whispered back.
The two Elite Guards unsheathed their okatanas, as they crept softly to the fusuma that had a beautiful design of the Origami family crest. Outside, they paused. There was no doubt that something was in the room.
Maki hissed, "Now."
She flung open the door and raised her okatana with Suzuka close behind her. Then, both of them stopped dead.
What they were greeted with was not the aradama they had been expecting, but instead a black-cloaked figure. The figure was fixated on a small butsudan in the room and appeared to be stealing something from it. But even in the darkness, Maki and Suzuka could clearly see the familiar orange glow of noro coming from the small container that the figure pocketed.
"Hey!" Maki yelled.
The thief turned towards them with a cruel grin. A gleam of moonlight struck the double-edged okatana that the figure was holding, causing Maki's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Kogarasumaru?" she gasped.
Although part of the figure's face was covered with a hood, Suzuka almost swore that she could see a blue eye glowing from underneath it. It couldn't be...
Without any warning, the mysterious figure leaped at Suzuka with incredible speed. Maki barely blocked the figure's attack in time.
"Thanks for the save," Suzuka winked, before launching herself at their attacker.
Maki wordlessly joined her, but a thought continued to tug at her mind. That familiar technique that the offender just used...
'Kashima Shinto-Ryu?' Maki thought.
Despite the two Elite Guards' skills and teamwork, the thief was too fast for them, easily dodging their onslaught of attacks. Soon, Maki and Suzuka's stamina began to decrease, their bodies tired and weak. Without any sympathy, the anonymous figure raised their hand, before an assault of lightning blasted out of it, striking the two Elite Guards. The thief let out a chuckle, before opening the sliding window and escaping into the night.
Just before her consciousness slipped away, Maki murmured, "Juujou Hiyori..."
Hiyori gaped at the two Origami sisters before her. Upon seeing Tagitsuhime, Akane shrunk back a little, her eyes wide with alarm. Seeing the chains wrapped around them, along with the look of hatred Yukari was giving Tagitsuhime, everything started adding up in Hiyori's mind. She gritted her teeth and turned to the aradama princess.
"Why are they here?" Hiyori yelled.
"Tagitsuhime did this," Yukari growled.
"I did it for you, Hiyori darling," Tagitsuhime replied, calmly.
"I never wanted this!" Hiyori screamed.
"The Origami sisters would have prevented us from ever being a family, so I did what I had to do," Tagitsuhime countered back with a dejected expression. "To prove that both of us can finally be happy together and get revenge!"
A devastated look crossed Hiyori's face, as she stared at the monster before her with pained eyes. A sniff coming from the prisoners' direction made her turn around. Akane, who was shaking like a leaf, clearly was trying to not show any weakness, but failed miserably. Hiyori went up to her and grasped her warm hands in her icy ones, hoping to give the younger Origami sister some reassurance through that one gesture. The chains on Akane's arms shifted a little, revealing more painful bruises beneath them.
Turning her head, Hiyori slowly said, "Release them."
"And let them warn the humans, so that they can kill us?" Tagitsuhime spat.
A sarcastic smile appeared on Hiyori's face, as she whispered, "Death has been my fate since birth."
She slowly removed her hands from Akane's and stood in front of Tagitsuhime with arrogant pride. She no longer feared the aradama princess before her. In Hiyori's eyes, she was a powerful being herself. And if fate was merciless to her, then she would not let the last moments of her being in control go to waste.
"I already agreed to become yours and yours alone. Why go through all of this?" Hiyori asked.
Tagitsuhime said, "You're worried that I don't care for your happiness."
"Because you never did," Hiyori snarled. "You've never cared for anyone's. Don't think that I'm a fool. You say that you want to be a family, but I know that you'll never give up anything for me. Like you've said before...you just want revenge."
Tagitsuhime's snake-like eyes grew cold with calculation and she bit her lip. The Origami sisters didn't dare to move or make a sound, as they watched the conflict going on between the two. They looked back and forth between Tagitsuhime and Hiyori, wondering who would explode first. It was so strange to see the two so close—the aradama that radiated an orange glow and the other, clad in blue lightning.
Tagitsuhime let out a sigh and she tried her best to put on a sympathetic face, as she said, "Don't tell me that you yourself do not have a thirst for revenge. Look at this woman before you."
She gestured to Yukari, and added, "For a long time, you've held a grudge against Origami Yukari. She's the reason why you've spent years alone without your mother, as a lost little girl with no one! Remember?!"
"Of course, I do!" Hiyori choked, the images of her dead mother appearing in her mind.
Pain shot through her, as she remembered the guilt and regret on her mother's face. Even though, in the netherworld, her mother pleaded for her to forgive Yukari, Hiyori couldn't help letting a small gnarled place in her heart brew with hate against the Origami sister. She knew it wasn't Yukari's fault—that it was just Tagitsuhime's, but Hiyori was a person who preferred placing blame on people.
Hiyori realized that she had been glaring at Yukari the whole time and quickly looked away, her face reddening with shame. She let out a slow breath, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't go pointing fingers at anyone at the moment. Right now, only Tagitsuhime was responsible for her suffering.
Tagitsuhime continued, "Now, you can finally end Origami Yukari. Don't you see that I am doing you a favor?"
"I don't want any help from you," Hiyori growled, turning her back on the aradama princess.
Tagitsuhime's eyes lit with orange energy, as she shrieked, "You won't need any help from me, once you start being an obedient mate!"
Hiyori choked and let out a strangled cry, once she felt something squeezing the air out of her. Her eyes went down to see that a tentacle of noro was wrapped around her neck, crushing it. Desperately, she tried to claw at it, using her powers even. Her efforts were futile, once more tentacles of noro pinned her arms to her sides, leaving her defenseless. Sweat started to drip down Hiyori's forehead, as her face started to turn blue from air loss.
"Tagitsuhime!" Yukari yelled.
"Stop it!" Akane cried, covering her eyes.
"Not until my little crow promises to start behaving," Tagitsuhime replied. "Well, Hiyori darling, what do you say? Even if you do choose death, I'll win anyway."
She was right. Hiyori's only reason for living now was to protect those she loved. While her death would benefit the world from having to deal with another aradama, there would be nobody left to prevent Tagitsuhime from destroying her friends. And Kagari...she couldn't let her daughter be raised by such a monster.
Just as Hiyori's vision started to fade, she screamed with her last remaining strength, "I promise! I promise! Stop it!"
Tagitsuhime let out a chuckle and instantly, Hiyori's bounds released her. Hiyori coughed as she gasped for air, rubbing her bruised throat. A white finger lifted her chin and she found herself staring helplessly into the aradama princess's eyes.
"Something tells me that we're going to be arguing a lot in the future. How about we take this argument to the bed?" Tagitsuhime crooned.
Yukari thrashed in her chains, spewing foul language that Hiyori thought she'd never hear from the composed woman. She sadly smiled at the Origami sisters, before turning to Tagitsuhime and nodding her head.
The aradama princess gave Hiyori a loving look and pulled her in for a cold embrace, slowly running her fingers through Hiyori's black and blue hair. Hiyori did not close her eyes or hug back. This was nothing compared to the embraces she'd share with Kanami. In this situation, she could feel no emotion but emptiness.
"That's a good girl," Tagitsuhime whispered, slowly unbuttoning Hiyori's uniform.
In her office, Konoka lazily rolled a pencil on her desk from side to side. She stared at the phone in front of her, willing for it to ring. Apparently, that wasn't necessary as the doors to her office opened hastily, and a soldier from the Special Ritual Riot Squad stepped in.
"Hiiragi-san, I have obeyed your orders," he said. "All of the riot squad, along with the troops of the surrounding districts, have been gathered. We are prepared to arrest the traitor."
Konoka got up from her chair and looked out of the window that was behind her desk. Lightning flashed, as she stared at the mountains. Somewhere out there, her little niece was hiding. Well, Konoka always loved a good game of hide-and-seek. A cruel smile made its way across the ambassador's face.
"Perfect."
A/N: Another chapter done! I was hoping to get more action in this, but writer's block has been cruel to me. Also, first day of college is approaching soon, so I'm really stressed. Feel free to tell me your thoughts or ask any questions.