Hey it has been a really long time hasn't it... hehe... ...

Well I've been busy with SAT's, homework, and all that dastardly stuff.

Regardless here we are with the next part of this fantastic tale of love and comedy and bloody fights with decapitations... okay... I have absolutely no idea what I am saying so let us continue with the story.

Chapter 15

Tree

Outside Rinto Laboratories

September 24th – 19:26

The inside of the building was dark, it seemed like the labs had gone out of business years ago. Weeds had sprouted up in the cracks of the parking lot, and most of the windows seemed to be broken as well.

After we had disbanded the day before, Aria and Shirayuki had dragged Kinji off to the arcade, Momo had gone back to the dorms and I realized that I'd been neglecting Haimaki lately so I ended up spending the rest of the day with him.

From what I found out later, Tatsu had spent the remainder of the day (along with most of the night) at the warehouse looking through the crates, shipping containers, and the like. Tatsu had sent out a text out earlier saying to meet up outside Rinto Labs. He had said only Momo would be joining us due to her insisting on wanting to save Riko herself. He also asked me to bring Haimaki along with me, so at the moment it was just Haimaki and me waiting in an empty parking lot.

I sat on the ground stroking Haimaki's thick fur, while I thought about the last couple of months since I had met Tatsu. Hearing that we had a new student had never particularly interested me, but just a few days before there had been that strange package.

I pulled out the strange necklace, gently weaving my fingers through the beautiful golden chain. Tatsu had said that he had made the necklace himself but I don't think he ever actually told me why he had made it for me. I guess it was just a gift but I fealt that it was something more.

As I sat there examining the necklace, I saw Momo coming from the bus stop. "Is he late?"

I shook my head, "Not exactly. It's usually like this, he'll probably be another five minutes or so." Haimaki looked up at Momo then turned and sorted.

"Ya know… something seems off about Tatsu." I looked at her curiously. "Well it's more like he is hiding something."

"I already knew that he's hiding something… He said that he would tell me eventually but…" I wanted to say 'but it still hurts', but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

Momo looked at me strangely, "You've changed lately."

"How so?"

"Well for starters you actually talk more now than you ever have before. Secondly you don't spend as much time with Haimaki or on missions. Whenever I see you now, you're always with Tatsu."

I opened my mouth to deny that but no sound came out. I realized that I had been spending almost all of my time with him; the only times when I wasn't spending time with him is when he goes off on his own without telling me and when we split off for the dorms.

"See you can't even deny it!" She posed triumphantly. Then she leaned in close and whispered, "Do you love him?"

I blushed deeply. I didn't know if I did or not. I mean I enjoy spending time with him but I'm not entirely sure if I'm in love with him. I didn't know what it felt like…

Thankfully Tatsu now came from the bus stop wearing his black cloak, saving me from having to answer Momo.

Momo looked at my relieved face and said, "I'll except to hear an answer later, Reki."

"Answer about what?" Tatsu looked from me to Momo repeatedly. I quickly answered nothing and let him begin speaking.

"Well from what I can tell Gainen is somewhere inside and more than likely he'll know where Vlad is."

Momo stared at him skeptically, "And just how do you know that?"

"Because I told him." A small high-pitched voice spoke from the confines of Tatsu's cloak.

A small creature appeared from one of Tatsu's pockets. It had a sleek look to it; similar to a seal's skin. Its heads was spherical with something that looked like a lightning bolt sticking out of the back of its head. In contrast to its black skin, it had snow white hands and feet. In a way, it was kinda cute.

"Will you both quit gawking at me already!" Sheesh you act like you've never seen a Shadow Tracker before."

I looked at Tatsu hoping for some kind of explanation.

"A Shadow Tracker is one of the forms of an infant Shadow Demon, though this little guy was trapped…"

"Stop calling me little!"

I tried hard not to laugh at the demon's angry face. It was like in the cartoons where steam comes out of someone's eyes.

"Quit laughing! I've been stuck in that stupid vase for almost two hundred years!"

Suddenly there was a sword millimeters away from the demon's face. "Whoa whoa whoa! Watch it with the pointy objects girlie!" Momo had her sword drawn, ready to strike down the Shadow 'Demon.'

"Put the sword down Momo." Tatsu apparently wanted to keep the demon alive.

"Is this thing from that vase you had tossed over your shoulder?"

"Technically you caught that vase and I broke later after you had all left, so yes he is from the vase."

"Ya know, I can hear you. And I don't appreciate being called a thing! Besides I'm nothing like those other idiot Shadow Demons." He plopped on the floor as if he was in protest of Momo pointing her stygian sword at him.

"Well''' I will admit that you are different from the demons I usually have to deal with…"

"Thank you! Finally someone notices! Give the girl a prize!"

"On second thought maybe I should kill you." Momo's sword flashed before the little demon's eyes.

It was annoying to watch Momo argue with the little demon back and forth, back and forth… "Oh, enough already! Just let the thing explain himself so that we can move on."

Momo and the little demon stopped and stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably; I didn't like being the center of attention.

"Fine, but if he annoys me one more time, I'll slice off his head!"

The demon made a noise as if he was clearing his thoughts and said, "As I said earlier, I have trapped in that clay vase for the last… 200 years?"

Momo was caressing the hilt of her katana, "You say that as if you're asking."

"Well give me a minute! You tend to lose your sense of time after being crammed into an itty bitty pot for so long. Well anyway being stuck gives you a lot of time to think and ask yourself questions. Such as, 'How did I get myself into this mess?' or 'How long am I going to be stuck in here?' or even-"

"Get on with it already!" Momo was tapping her foot repeatedly and looked like she would settle with stabbing any of us at this point.

"Alright already! Sheesh, you'd think that such a pretty little girl would some patience. Well when my new master finally let me out, I decided to turn over a new leaf. You know become a new demon me."

"Being a demon means that you die by my sword." Momo then leveled her black sword menacingly at the demon.

Tatsu suddenly stepped between the two of them pointing one of his pistols at each of them. "Ok, that's it! Momo put away the sword now! And Zelko, stop antagonizing her!

Momo glared at Tatsu as if to kill him with her stare and when that didn't work she angrily sheathed her sword. The little demon shrugged and turned around.

Finally I spoke up in an effort to break the icy silence, "Zelko?"

"What! It's my name, got a problem with it?" Zelko angrily stomped the and attempted to glare at me. ( I say attempted because with his bright red eyes and little white paws, it just looked adorable)

"No… Just wondering what it meant."

His chest puffed out and he got a prideful look in his eyes as he said, "Tree!"

I stood there silently waiting for him to continue when I realized what he meant. "Zelko means Tree?"

"Yep!" Zelko stood proudly; obviously he believed that his name was amazing.

I looked over at Tatsu and Momo; Tatsu looked the same as always: carefree and calm, Momo on the other hand was obviously trying hard not to laugh.

Zelko suddenly stopped smiling and turned to look at Tatsu. "I can't feel his presence anymore."

"I know. It's been fading away for a while now." Momo nodded as if she felt the same thing. I on the other hand was standing completely clueless as to whatever they were talking about.

Suddenly Haimaki walked up to Zelko and started sniffing him.

"Hey! What is this mutt doing?" Zelko took a few steps, backing away from Haimaki. Which of course, interested Haimaki even more. "Watch it mutt!" Zelko brandished his claws against Haimaki. He growled in response displaying his massive teeth.

Judging from just size alone, it looked like Haimaki was going to devour Zelko.

Tatsu walked over and picked up Zelko by the scruff of his neck. "Hey ,hey, hey! What's the big idea? I can take that mangy mutt no problem! Come on, lemme go!"

As Tatsu was dealing with the enraged Zelko, I was trying to calm Haimaki down. Eventually Haimaki settled himself and layed down next to me as I slowly stroked his fur.

Meanwhile Zelko was still thrashing in the air as Tatsu held him up.

Momo finally calmed down enough to take a look at what was happening now, only to start laughing again. In between gasps, I heard her ask, "Did he try to mark his territory?"

Both Tatsu and I burst out laughing. Haimaki just looked at me wondering why I had stopped scratching him. Zelko kept asking, "What's so funny? What did she say? Someone tell me!"

Suddenly the ground shook violently and Tatsu dropped Zelko who (to Zelko's great relief and terror) was caught by Haimaki. The ground shook for a good while before it finally stopped. Once it stopped Haimaki gently placed Zelko on the ground and then returned to my side.

Tatsu was the first to speak, "Anyone know what that was?"

Surprisingly Zelko was the one who answered. "Maybe someone is still experimenting in there."

Underneath Rinto Laboritories

A few minutes ago…

The young girl awoke to the sound of machines whirling and metals clanking. She looked around and saw golden bronze pipes covering the walls and large hammers colliding with flat metal platforms.

She looked around for her captor; that inhuman monster that had been dragging her around for the last few days. Just the thought of him made her shiver. Not seeing him anymore, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly a tall skinny man in a lab coat walked through a spinning archway and said, "Oh, are you my new lab assistant"

"Uh…"

"Wonderful! Right this way then." The scientist grabbed her into what looked like a replica hospital room. "I do hope that you last longer than my last assistant."

"What hap-?"

"Oh just a little mix up between a healing ray gun and my experimental disintegration cannon I invented."

"Disintegration cannon?"

"Why yes! It's a very interesting contraption. Would you like to see it?"

"Uh… I'd rather not…"

"Oh nonsense! After all what are the odds that I lose another lab assistant to the same machine? Although there were the two who died in the bottomless pit simulator…"

The girl squeaked in terror as she was pulled towards the gigantic cannon.

So that was chapter 15 please tell me what you thought (if you want me to type the next chapter that is)