All throughout the expansive villa silence had fallen, with only the quiet footsteps of the numerous armed guards walking around on patrol being heard over the gentle rustling of leaves and grass in the wind. High up in the sky a half-moon was seen behind the clouds, the soft bloom of the moonlight just barely illuminating the interiors of the buildings below through the windows.
Inside one of the many bedrooms within the villa Mizore was sleeping quietly, a few strands of her lilac hair dropping down across her face as she slept next to her shadow demon. Although she normally had a blank expression on her face, even when asleep, this time faint traces of dismay were seen as she slowly turned over onto her side, trembling slightly as her hand which once donned her engagement ring clenched slowly. As far as she could tell Dark hadn't noticed that the ring was missing upon his return to the bedroom, however she wasn't sure what to do come the morning, as not only was he bound to notice its disappearance but so were the rest of her friends.
Outside in the hallways that spread throughout the large building all was quiet as a few armed guards quietly walked the halls, slowly glancing around as they had their firearms holstered at their sides. They weren't expecting to encounter any hostiles, especially this deep inside the compound, but were dedicated to their jobs for the Huang family and were remaining vigilant. There was no telling when an assassin might try to sneak in, or if the villa would fall under siege from rival organizations, or if monsters from an unknown dark realm would show themselves out of the shadows that lurked about.
Or a quiet snow angel which moved silently through the halls, her bare feet making little noise as she had a focused expression on her face. Arial snuck around the halls with agility and grace, avoiding the eyes of the watchful guards as her frosted wings shimmered slightly behind her while passing by a window in the moonlight.
Mizore rolled over onto her back and slowly opened her eyes, only seeing darkness with a few rays of moonlight coming through the window to the side. She held in her whimper and lifted up her hand that was no longer wearing her special ring, trying to hold back her tears as she shook her head in disbelief.
'Out of all the possible ways I dreamed of meeting the snow girl that freed my Dark for the first time, I never would have imagined that she would be so… so… out of her fucking mind.'
She closed her eyes and breathed out in sorrow, trying to calm her mind the best she could. After a pause she slowly glanced over to the side of the room at the light coming into the room, her eyes unfocused as she felt her inner conflict growing.
'If I tell Dark what happened… he may not believe me. And even if he does… to hear that the angel that he looks up to, the girl that he devoted his life to, is nothing more than a psychotic demon herself that's madly in love with him… I have no idea how he'll take it. As reserved and in control as he is... I fear what such a thing would do to him, or how he might react afterwards.'
"What do I do?" she asked herself quietly. Suddenly she felt something sitting on her lap, the girl then looking back to seeing a frosted shimmer behind a darkened silhouette. Before Mizore could say anything a hand clasped over her mouth, creating ice that froze over the sides of her mouth towards the bed. Mizore gripped the hand as she stared with wide eyes, seeing Arial glaring down at her while one of her hands was keeping her quiet. Her other hand however was held back, formed into an ice claw that sparkled in the moonlight.
"You can just die," Arial said quietly, before striking her claw into Mizore's chest. Mizore felt the frozen hand pierce through her lungs and ribs, letting out a muffled cry as she struggled to move. She tried to kick around before Arial carved with her claw upwards, the frozen ridges slicing through Mizore's flesh and shirt as the snow maiden trembled. Blood started to drip out of her mouth and turn the ice that held her down red as Arial leaned in closer to her face.
"He's mine, forever," she hissed, then sliced up with her claw, cutting through the ice and splattering Mizore's blood and skull fragments onto the wall above her.
"Arial!" Mizore yelled as she shot up from her dream, breathing shakily as she stared ahead with a shocked expression. Dark quickly sat up and looked to her as she tried to control her heartbeat.
"Mizore? What's wrong? What about Arial?" he asked quickly. Mizore held a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, catching her breath as she came to her senses. After a moment she slowly glanced over to Dark, not being able to see him too well but knowing he was looking right at her.
"Sorry, I… just had a… bad dream," she said quietly.
"About Arial?" Dark asked curiously. Mizore paused for a moment then slowly lied back down on the bed.
"Yeah… about… how she's trapped down here with me-… us," she said softly. She quickly yet quietly moved her left hand back under her pillow, fearing Dark might see or feel it was missing should he take her hand to comfort her. Dark remained silent for a moment then rested back down next to her, gently holding her chin with his hand and turning her gaze over to him.
"It'll be ok Mizore, we'll figure out a way to send her back to heaven where she belongs," he assured gently. Mizore just looked towards where she believed was his eyes with worry.
'She belongs in hell, far more than you do.'
"I hope so. The sooner we can do that… the better," she said softly, kissing his hand before looking away. Dark gently held her around her waist as he lay next to her.
"Don't worry Mizore, I won't let anything happen to my angel," he said gently. Mizore closed her eyes as she took hold of Dark's arm with her other hand, choosing not to comment on that remark. Slowly she and Dark fell back asleep, with the shadow demon hoping to save his snow angel the next day while Mizore hoped to just stay alive from the snow angel the next day.
The sun started to rise over the horizon, the rays of light creeping over the expansive villa as the new day began. Inside the compound servants and guards of the Huang family were busy going about their morning routines while a large group of guests were waking from nights of peaceful slumber, horrible nightmares, threatening encounters with angels from above, and releasing pent up desires with one another after a very long and near-fatal day yesterday.
Inside one of the guestrooms Moka slowly started to get out of bed, her eyes looking downward with worry as she slowly stretched out her arms with a yawn.
'Did you have bad dreams as well?'
'Depends, if you call being separated from the boy I love with all my heart while the world around us is being plunged into darkness and horror a bad dream, then yes, I had bad dreams all night.'
'Same here, but mostly about Tsukune being so far away from us, I miss him so much.'
'As do I, I can only hope we get this crisis resolved before he gets out of Paradise, which he will. When our mate returns from his ordeal the last thing I want him to have to deal with is a war.'
'Then we'd better get to work.'
Moka looked towards the window, seeing the sunlight coming in from above the large wall that surrounded the villa. The group had their night to rest, but now needed to organize their next move.
"I won't let my future with Tsukune fall into the darkness, no way in hell will I let that be taken from me," she said confidently as she stood up.
'Us.'
'You know what I mean.'
A knock came from the door, with Moka then walking towards it while still wearing her sleepwear of a white shirt and shorts. She opened the door to see Kurumu and Kokoa standing there, both also dressed in their night clothing.
"Morning Moka, we were all about to get cleaned up before we… get started today. Care to join us for a warm bath?" Kurumu asked, having a slight smile on her face while her voice did nothing to hide her concern for what was coming. Kokoa nodded slowly, also seeming to be deep in thought about the future.
"A bath? I think I could go for one as well; sure, I'll join you. Are the others awake yet?" Moka asked as she walked outside of her room, the three girls then walking down the hall together.
"I'm not sure; we came here first after waking up. Rason and Gin went to see if the boys are going to have a relaxing bath as well, before we all get down to business," Kokoa said. Moka nodded then looked up at the ceiling as they walked down the hallway.
"I hope this isn't our last peaceful moment, seems we're only dealt so many when this sort of thing happens to us," she said softly. Kurumu and Kokoa nodded in agreement as they walked down the hall, rounding the corner and seeing Ran leaning against her door. She had her glasses on, along with her sleepwear from the night before, and her expression was of remorse while she had her eyes closed.
"Ran? Are you ok?" Moka asked. Ran looked over to them then forced a quick smile.
"Oh, good morning. Yes, I'm fine, just… thinking about a lot," she said softly.
"We know how that is, anyway we're about to take a nice relaxing bath before we strategize our next move. Want to join us?" Kurumu asked. Ran nodded slowly as she glanced over down the hall.
"Sure, couldn't hurt," she said as Yukari was walking towards them, yawning slightly as she was still in her sleepwear as well.
"Morning, hey, have you girls seen Arial or Complica?" Yukari asked as she walked up to them.
"Arial and Complica? Weren't they sleeping in your room?" Kokoa asked. Yukari nodded then looked around curiously.
"They both went out for a walk last night, but they didn't come back. I ran into Arial in the hallway with Ahakon looking for them but she disappeared before we got back to our room," she said puzzled. Ran blinked then looked at Yukari carefully.
"You… and Ahakon were walking around last night? Through here?" she asked suspiciously. Yukari nodded while glancing around still.
"Yeah, he was having trouble sleeping as well. I haven't seen him yet this morning either, but I'm getting worried about Arial and Complica. Well, more so for Complica, I feel Arial will be just fine on her own," she said with a shrug. Ran looked at her with wonder then down the hall as she held a hand to her lips.
'Ahakon… was walking around last night? That dream… it did feel so real…'
"I wonder where those two went," Moka said looking around. She blinked then looked to Kurumu and Kokoa with concern, the two looking to her with a jump as well.
"You don't think Arial…" Moka said nervously.
"No, she wouldn't have…" Kokoa said worriedly.
"Oh… shit," Kurumu said looking down the hall. The three girls took off running down the hall as Ran and Yukari watched with wonder.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ran called after them. She then glanced to Yukari curiously, the witch then taking off after the other girls. After she ran off Ran slowly looked back down the hall.
"Ahakon…" she said softly, and then ran down the corridor as well.
Moka, Kurumu, and Kokoa sprinted down the hall, quickly rounding the corner and crashing into two very surprised witch sisters. The five girls tumbled down onto the floor, all wearing their white sleeping clothing from the night before, while Yukari and Ran rounded the corner, the two stopping instantly and staring at the sight with stunned expressions.
"Ow, watch where you're going!" Kokoa barked out as she sat up and rubbed her head, blinking once then staring at something with an open mouth.
Moka slowly sat up and rubbed her head, her senses coming back to her to seeing Kurumu lying on top of Astreal. Kurumu was coming to her senses as well while the witch was flailing around under her, face first in the succubus's bosom. Moka stared at the sight with wide eyes then felt something, jumping a bit before looking down to seeing she was sitting on Apoch's face. The witch sister was also flailing around as Moka's rear and panties were suffocating her. Moka screamed and scrambled back to her feet as Kurumu shook her head to regain herself, then looked down to seeing Astreal gripping at her shoulders while trying to free her head from the oxygen free and extremely soft hell it was trapped in. As Apoch gasped for air and Moka's face turned a deep shade of crimson out of embarrassment Kurumu screamed and jumped back up to her feet, with Astreal gasping for air desperately.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Moka asked quickly. Apoch blinked a few times then slowly looked over to Moka.
"I vaguely recall you having horrible coordination in my original timeline, I see that you share those traits all the same, don't you?" Apoch asked shakily. Astreal slowly got back to her feet while looking at Kurumu with disbelief.
"How… how the hell does Rason stand being forced into those things on a daily basis anyway? I thought I was going to die!" she cried out. Kurumu blushed and looked down with worry as Apoch stumbled back to her feet.
"We've only been awake for a few minutes and already we've had our faces shoved into places that we most certainly shouldn't have had to," Apoch muttered as she straightened out her hair.
"I'm so sorry Apoch, really. Are you ok?" Moka asked worriedly. Apoch nodded then glanced to her.
"Yes, I believe I can blackout that little… incident. Why are you in such a rush anyway?" she asked curiously.
"Arial and Complica are missing, we're worried Arial may have gone to see Dark… and Mizore," Kurumu said nervously. Apoch and Astreal looked at her then to each other, the two sisters then jumping with a startled expression.
"Oh dear," Apoch said softly.
"She wouldn't have been so foolish, not after what Rason said to her last night," Astreal said worriedly.
"After what Rason said to her? What did he say?" Kurumu asked.
"Hey, good morning," Ruby called out as she walked over to the girls, dressed in a simple sleeping dress with her hair loose around her shoulders. She had a calm smile on her face as she walked slightly off-balance, her cheeks having a blush to them while she approached the girls.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but last night was one of the best nights of my life," Ruby said softly while looking up with a loving gaze. The other girls looked at her with disbelief.
"What? The best night of your life? Ruby, we were nearly executed as enemies of mankind, we're trapped in the human world with no way back to the monster realm, Luna's trapped in the dark world above us, Arial and Complica are trapped down here with us, and we're on the HDA's most wanted list. How the hell could that have been the best night of your life?" Kurumu asked with shock. Ruby glanced to her then showed a wide grin.
"Finally went all the way with my boyfriend," she said smugly. The other girls just looked at her with surprise as she sighed and looked down with a hand held to her cheek.
"It was everything I've ever dreamed about, and more so. It was perfect, it felt beyond what words can describe; and my word, the way Razico was with those chains-"
"Excuse me Ruby, but we've got bigger issues to deal with other than you losing your virginity!" Kurumu interrupted with a stern expression. Ruby twitched slightly then looked to her with annoyance.
"Well pardon me for relishing in a very touching and wildly romantic moment of my life that was the saving grace to yesterday's hell," she shot back.
"You got laid, big deal! For all we know Arial could be hacking up Mizore in her sleep as we speak!" Kurumu shouted back. Ruby jumped in surprise then looked to Moka. Kokoa glanced down the hall and blinked then pointed at something.
"Hey, there she is," she said, with the other girls looking over to seeing Arial walking past the hall with a blank expression. She was wearing her normal attire again while her frosted wings fluttered once behind her. Moka and the girls ran over towards her as she rounded the corner, the group of girls then following after and seeing Arial walking up towards Sun. The siren waved to the snow angel as she approached her, wearing a soft blue robe with her sketchpad clipped to her hip. Sun then looked over to the large group of girls curiously, with Arial then glancing back to them.
"Arial, where were you last night? You never came back to our room," Yukari asked. Arial remained as silent as Sun, the siren who was also looking to Arial curiously. After a moment of silence Arial merely shrugged.
"I couldn't sleep, I just walked around. What's wrong with that?" she asked simply.
"And just where did you walk around to?" Kokoa asked cautiously.
"None of your business," Arial said looking away.
"Ms. Arial, need we remind you of what Rason told you last night?" Astreal said firmly, crossing her arms just as her sister did.
"What did Rason say to her anyway?" Yukari asked.
"Mr. Rason has warned Ms. Arial for the last time, that if she so much as touches a hair on Ms. Mizore's head then she will have to stand before the Almighty himself upon her return to heaven," Apoch explained. The other girls looked to Arial with wonder as she growled quietly.
"Arial, you didn't go near her again, did you?" Moka asked carefully.
From around the nearby corner Mizore ran over, dressed in her sleepwear still along with having a frustrated expression. She rolled her lollipop around in her mouth as her teeth were bared slightly, turning her focus over to the girls as they looked over to her.
"Mizore, there you are. We were just talking about you," Ruby said as the snow maiden marched up towards the group.
"Give. It. Back. Now!" Mizore shouted at Arial, with the group looking at her curiously while Arial merely glanced back to her.
"Give what back, what happened?" Kokoa asked. Mizore held up her left hand, showing the girls that her ring was gone.
"She stole my ring last night!" Mizore yelled out. She was normally very quiet and reserved, however it was more than apparent how upset she was given the escalation in her voice. The group looked at her hand with surprise then over to Arial.
"You stole her ring? Arial!" Kurumu yelled out with anger.
"Rason specifically told you not to go near her, remember?" Ruby demanded with narrowed eyes.
"Give it back to her right now you little thief," Kokoa hissed.
"Mr. Rason and Mr. Gabriel will not be happy to hear that you disobeyed them like this," Apoch threatened.
"Hey, I've done no wrong. She doesn't deserve to have that ring," Arial snapped back at the witch.
"Yes she does, Dark gave it to her!" Yukari yelled out.
"She never received my blessing," Arial stated, turning to face Mizore while crossing her arms.
"Blessing?" Ran asked puzzled. Arial nodded and narrowed her eyes at Mizore.
"Yes, my blessing. Dark said it himself that I'm his guardian angel. You all admitted that as well," she said firmly. The girls all watched her carefully as she shook her head.
"Well, then as his guardian angel I get a say in who he can and can't marry, and I certainly never gave this girl my blessing. I'm just doing what I know is best for my shadow demon, I've done no wrong acting as his guardian angel that he sees me as," Arial declared firmly.
"Dammit Arial, get it through your head that Dark wants Mizore to be his wife! He proposed to her, he told her he wants to marry her, for crying out loud he marked her heart as his! He doesn't need your damned blessing to marry her, he never did!" Kurumu barked out at the snow angel. Arial glared at her as the hallway started to turn colder around them.
"The only thing this girl has done is get in the way of me and Dark's happy life together. If you want to get married then you need the parents' blessing. Well, you said I'm like his mother didn't you? Then as his mother I forbid Mizore from marrying my Dark!" Arial shouted out. Mizore clenched her fists with frustration, growling through bared teeth as she struggled to control herself.
"You can't forbid me to do anything you little bitch, I'm going to be his wife with or without your blessing," she angrily declared. Arial glared at her with a scowl.
"You can't be serious Arial; if you're his mother then you sure as hell can't marry him either!" Ruby shouted out. Arial glanced to her and shrugged.
"Then think of me as his step-mother. All the same rights as a real mother, but no blood relation, and thus being capable of feeling such love for him. Call it whatever you want, I'm the only one good enough for him," she stated calmly. Sun shook her head then wrote down something on her pad. She tapped Arial's shoulder, earning a glance from the snow angel, and then showed her the pad.
Not to take sides here, but have you told Dark any of this yet?
Arial read the pad then looked at Sun with a small glare.
"I haven't seen him yet this morning, why?" she asked accusingly. Sun nodded then wrote down something else for the angel.
Arial, you know I'm your friend, right?
Arial read the pad then nodded while looking at Sun questioningly. The other girls watched carefully as Sun wrote down something more.
Then please, listen to me and think carefully about what you're doing, about what you're going to do to him by bringing all of this up.
The group read the pad then looked to Arial who was showing confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Arial asked shaking her head.
"Can't you see how much Dark loves Mizore?" Yukari asked expectantly. Arial looked over to her with a glare as her hair slowly shifted to ice.
"He does not love her, he loves me!" she shouted out. She shook her head while growling furiously, eyes shut tight as the ground around her froze over. Arching back she yelled out into the air.
"He loves ME!" she screamed.
SLAP!
Arial recoiled from the hit to her cheek as the group stared wide eyed at Moka, the vampire having her hand held out to the side from her strike. Her expression was solemn while Arial's was of shock.
"Moka…" Mizore said softly. Arial looked back over to Moka while holding a hand to her cheek, a stunned expression on her face.
"Enough of this Arial," Moka said sternly, crossing her arms before her. Arial growled as she glared at the vampire, with the other girls looking to her cautiously. Moka shook her head with discontent.
"You will return Mizore's ring to her right this instant, or I'm going to tell everybody what you've done," she declared. Arial continued to growl as the air around her swirled around in a chilled torrent. Moka showed no reaction to the snow angel's fury as she stood before her.
"I mean it Arial. I'll tell Dark it was you that cut down Mizore yesterday, that it was you that stole her ring from her last night, that you disobeyed Rason's order and how you're anything but what Dark sees you as. I'll tell them both just how horrible and rotten you really are," Moka stated firmly. Arial growled with frustration as the girls just watched her carefully.
"You want Dark to know the truth about you? You want to stand before the Almighty in discontent? Is that what you want to happen?" Moka demanded.
"I can only imagine how much it will crush Dark's heart to find out his precious and sacred angel is nothing but a wretched little thief," Ruby commented.
"Or how she's so violent as to nearly kill the girl he chose to marry," Kokoa added while crossing her arms in discontent.
"You're in enough trouble as it is with the Almighty, how much deeper are you going to dig yourself in here?" Yukari asked shaking her head. Arial growled loudly as she looked down with frustration, clenching her fists as Moka watched her expectantly.
"Arial, the ring," Moka demanded, holding out her hand. Arial glared up at her as the others watched her cautiously. After a pause she slowly shook her head.
"No," she hissed. Moka showed a slight amount of surprise before her stern expression returned. Arial's hair returned to normal as she looked down with a focused gaze.
"You can threaten me all you want; I will not back away from the demon I love. If I must speak to the Almighty and convince him that Mizore doesn't deserve my Dark, that Dark belongs to me, then so be it. You won't scare me away from what's rightfully mine," she declared.
"Rightfully yours? How blind are you, you have no right to Dark at all!" Kurumu yelled out at the angel. Moka shook her head then turned to walk away.
"Fine, have it your way. This ends now," she said before walking off down the hall. Arial looked to her with a frustrated growl then quickly followed after, with the other girls following right behind them. Arial ran ahead of them then looked back to Moka with a glare.
"Go ahead and try, you'll never take my husband away from me!" she shouted out before running down the hall. Moka shook her head then marched down the hallway with a dull expression before Mizore grabbed her hand, halting her as the snow maiden shook her head worriedly.
"Wait Moka, I don't want Dark to know about this," she said softly.
"What? Are you kidding me Mizore? She stole your ring, and she tried to kill you yesterday!" Kurumu shouted out. Moka looked back to Mizore curiously.
"Mizore, we need to tell him the truth, this needs to stop," Moka said with concern. Mizore shook her head then looked down with a troubled expression.
"You don't understand, Arial's image to Dark is sacred, I can't destroy that for him. Especially not now, not with everything else that's been happening. If he hears how his angel really is… it'll crush his spirit, I just know it will," she said softly.
"Mizore, she stole your wedding ring. She's trying to steal Dark away from you, how on earth can you defend that?" Moka asked shaking her head.
"I'm not defending that, I'm only asking for you not to let Dark know about her like this. Please, telling him now will only cause more problems, some of which may not be able to heal properly," Mizore pleaded softly.
"If it wasn't for Ceal you wouldn't have healed properly, you'd be dead now because of her!" Kurumu argued.
"She's right Mizore, Dark deserves to know the truth about his precious little angel," Kokoa said with discontent. Apoch looked down the hallway for a moment then shook her head.
"No, Ms. Mizore is right," she said softly.
"Sister? You're agreeing with her?" Astreal asked in disbelief. Apoch nodded then looked over to Moka.
"Please Ms. Moka, Dark's faith and praise in Ms. Arial's spirit means so much to him, I know this since I was once marked as his wife," she said gently. Mizore looked over to her with worry while Apoch nodded.
"I know precisely how he feels about her, and if you taint that image in his mind by telling him the truth, it may forever scar him inside, knowing that his angel is nothing but a little demon herself. We mustn't let Dark know the truth, it would crush him to the point of no return," Apoch said worriedly.
"But Apoch, we need to put a stop to this. We can't keep this from Dark," Moka said shaking her head.
"Please Ms. Moka, don't tell him anything yet. You wouldn't be solving a problem by doing so, you'd be creating a much larger one," Apoch pleaded. Moka looked at her with concern then over to Mizore, the snow girl nodding in agreement.
"This isn't going to go by unnoticed; Mizore doesn't have her ring anymore. Dark is sure to find out," Ran pointed out.
"She's right; you can't keep hiding this from him. He was Fairy Tale's top agent, he's going to put the pieces together eventually," Ruby said shaking her head.
"I know, I just… need to think of what to do next. In the meantime, please, none of you speak a word about this to Dark. I mean it, he can't find out the truth about this, not yet," Mizore said looking around at the girls. They all looked to each other worriedly, not sure of what to say. Sun showed a concerned expression then wrote down something to show her.
I won't say a word, but it's only a matter of time before Dark finds out one way or another. If you're going to say anything to him, you'd better think of something soon.
"I know, but telling him isn't going to be easy," Mizore said looking down with worry.
"Alright Mizore, if this is what you want, I want say anything to the boys. But you need to get this under control and soon, we have enough to deal with up ahead as it is, we don't need her making this worse for us," Moka said. Mizore nodded while still looking down at the floor.
"Well, shall we go get cleaned up for the day then? A relaxing bath sounds like an even better idea now," Kurumu suggested while looking around at the girls. They nodded in agreement to that.
"But where did Complica go? We still don't know where she went," Yukari said curiously.
"That's a good question; we should let the boys know about her disappearance. Hopefully one of them has seen her," Ruby suggested. The girls walked down the hall together towards the side of the building where the boys were staying in.
"Something tells me Arial is going to find Dark soon, what if she says something to him about… you know…" Ran asked glancing around at the girls.
"If Rason and Gabriel are with him hopefully that will be enough of a deterrent to stop her. Otherwise… we might not get a relaxing bath this morning at all," Ruby said shaking her head. As they neared a hallway up ahead they started to hear a young girl's cries echoing down the corridor.
"Do you hear that?" Moka asked as she heard the young girl's sobs up ahead.
"Wow, do you think Dark set her straight already?" Kurumu asked curiously.
"No, I don't think that's Arial, there's no ice or snow flying around. All of hell isn't breaking loose," Kokoa said shaking her head. After a pause Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore then looked to each other with the same realization.
"Complica!" they shouted out, all the girls then running down the hall. They rounded the corner and saw the boys gathered together watching something. Dark and Rason were standing near the front along with Gabriel and Ahakon, the four boys dressed in simple clothing from the night while watching something carefully. Behind them Razico and Gin were glancing to each other questioningly while Render and Leon were holding in their laughter at the back of the crowd.
"Render? What's going on?" Apoch asked as the girls ran up to them. Render looked to her as he held a hand over his mouth still, trying to hold in his laughter while Leon was shaking his head in amusement.
"It's… it's…" Render stuttered between hearty laughs.
"Why are you laughing? Who's crying?" Astreal asked looking around at the crowd of boys. Before Leon could say anything Fang Fang walked up towards the group from behind, wearing his usual attire and a curious expression.
"Good morning everybody, um, what's going on here?" he asked looking around at the large group gathered in the hall.
"See for yourself," Leon said gesturing them ahead. Fang Fang and the girls made their way to the front of the crowd of boys who were watching with surprised and amused expressions at something.
"I'm sorry!" Complica cried out, holding her hands to her face as she sobbed loudly. She was still dressed in her shirt and underwear from the night before, however her panties had a large damp spot on the bottom. Standing near the front of the crowd next to Dark was Arial, who was looking at her friend with exasperation. Mizore glanced to Dark then quickly hid her left hand behind her, holding it with her right.
"Did you wet the bed again?" Arial asked tiredly. Complica trembled and sniffled, then slowly looked up next to her. Leaning against the wall next to his room's door Ceal was looking up with a withheld expression of annoyance, his arms crossed, and a large wet spot along his left pant leg.
"You peed… on Ceal?" Gin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What was she doing in your bed?" Rason asked cautiously.
"Besides peeing on his leg?" Ahakon asked flatly. Complica whimpered and shook her head while hiding her face in her hands.
"I'm sorry! I couldn't sleep last night and I was alone and scared and I just wanted to sleep with somebody I could feel safe with and Arial wasn't around and my sisters aren't around so I went to Ceal asking if I could sleep with him just for one night just one time and I didn't think this would happen I didn't mean to wet both the bed and his leg I swear!" she sobbed loudly. The group looked at the crying chronofly then to Ceal as he continued to keep his gaze upwards.
"Does she even know what a comma is?" Razico asked curiously.
"I'm sorry!" Complica whined loudly. Ceal breathed out then glanced down to her.
"It's alright Complica, I've been covered in worse out in the field before," he said dryly. Complica wiped her tears away then looked up to him with watery eyes.
"I'm really sorry, please forgive me," she whimpered.
"I told you its fine," Ceal said glancing away. Laughter was heard behind the crowd, with Render unable to control himself anymore. Even Leon started laughing too as the group looked back to Ceal. Razico held in his chuckle as Ahakon held a hand over his mouth.
"Wow Ceal… that was very… kind of you to offer her a place to sleep," Gin said with a snicker.
"Yeah… good to know you do… have a warm spot," Ahakon said with a chuckle.
"Um, I really don't think laughing at him is such a good idea," Ran said nervously as she eyed the catalyst mage.
"I have to agree with her, maybe we shouldn't make a big deal out of this," Yukari said nervously as Ceal's necro hand glowed with a black hue.
"You must really love Falla for you to endure so much like this," Ruby said with a slight giggle. Ceal growled as dark tentacles started to creep out of the walls and ceiling around the group, everybody then looking around at the limbs as Complica looked up to Ceal worriedly. From behind the group Render and Leon were snatched up by the dark limbs, the two boys thrashing around before they were brought up to the ceiling above the group.
"Render!" Apoch cried out.
"Leon!" Astreal called up with worry.
"Hey, put them down, what are you doing?" Rason shouted out at Ceal. Ceal walked forward into the middle of the hall, glaring up at the two bound mages with cold blue eyes.
"I've spared your two witches an early demise, I've slain a dragon for you people, and I helped rescue your friends from the humans. I've done all this not because I had to but because of Falla's insistence that I help you. I should be in the monster world right now, slaying Fafnir, but instead I'm trapped here with the likes of you. My patience is spread thin enough as it is, do not test me hunters or so help me you will meet an early grave despite Falla's wishes," he said coldly. Render and Leon looked at him with cautious expressions while black tentacles were bound around their limbs and necks, holding them against the ceiling.
"Yeah, but… in all fairness… an angel peed on you… it's just kinda funny," Render said with a weak smile.
"Although, in hindsight, perhaps it's not that funny," Leon pointed out, glancing to his friend. Render glanced to him then chuckled a bit.
"Yeah, it kinda is though, I mean an angel-"
"Shut up already!" Kurumu shouted out. Render glanced to her then looked to Ceal nervously with a weak smile.
"Anyway, we're kind of getting off track here. We were going to go take relaxing bath, you know, before we deal with everything else that's been happening to us lately. You can come with; maybe scrub down that leg of yours while you're there, could be fun. What do you say buddy?" he said with a small shrug. Moka sighed then glanced to Ceal worriedly.
"Ceal, please?" she asked gently. He glanced to her as she shook her head.
"At least not in front of Falla's sister," she said glancing to Complica. After a long moment of silence Ceal growled quietly and waved his hand to the side, causing the tentacles around the hall to vanish. Render and Leon flailed about wildly in the air then dropped down with a thud onto the floor in front of the group. Apoch and Astreal rushed to their sides and helped them back to their feet as the group looked to Ceal carefully. Complica whimpered and hung her head low.
"I'm sorry Ceal," she said softly. Ceal glanced to her then looked away.
"No apologies are needed Complica, I was aware of your little problem from the beginning," he said calmly. She wiped her tears away then looked at him curiously.
"What?" she asked.
"Falla told me about her little sister, and her rather unfortunate… reoccurring problems," Ceal said glancing to her. She looked at him with wonder as the rest of the group showed curious expressions.
"Wait, you knew she was a bed wetter?" Yukari asked.
"You knew she had that kind of problem, and you still allowed her to sleep next to you?" Ruby asked in wonder. Ceal merely nodded as he once again looked away from the group. Moka looked at the catalyst mage curiously then showed a gentle smile.
"Ceal, that was very kind of you," she said softly. Ceal growled then glanced over to her.
"Would you just take her to get cleaned up? There's no reason for her to be standing around in dirty underwear," he asked impatiently. Moka nodded then walked over to Complica as the group looked at Ceal curiously.
"Complica, we were all about to take a nice bath together, would you like to join us?" Moka asked kindly. Complica looked to her for a moment then back to Ceal.
"Um, sure, thank you," she said quietly. Ceal glanced to her briefly then started walking away.
"Ceal? Where are you going?" Gabriel asked. Ceal stopped while he kept looking ahead.
"There are three baths in this building angel, one of which will be needed to be cooled for the snow girl and snow angel here to bathe in comfortably. That leaves one for the boys and one for the girls," he said simply. Mizore glanced to Arial worriedly at that remark, catching the snow angel's scowl at her.
"Yeah, so, are you not going to take a bath now?" Rason asked puzzled.
"I am angel, just not with you. There's another bath in the right wing of the villa, I'll get cleaned up there alone," Ceal said.
"Wait, in the right wing? But that's my private washroom," Fang Fang said worriedly. Ceal glanced back to him for a moment, then ahead as Fang Fang smiled weakly.
"Of course, I suppose after all you've done I can let you borrow it," Fang Fang said with a shrug. Ceal walked off as the group looked to each other curiously. Complica however watched Ceal walk away with wonder; her eyes locked onto the mage before he rounded a corner and vanished from sight.
"He's not a very social kind of dragon slayer, is he?" Render asked flatly.
"I'm not complaining he's not joining us, let him head off to get cleaned up alone elsewhere," Gin said with a wave of his hand.
"I hope he doesn't use up all of my expensive shampoo," Fang Fang said worriedly. The group glanced to him questioningly at that remark. Fang Fang sighed then looked around at everybody with a small smile.
"Anyway, please make yourselves at home here today. There are three main baths in this building, with two being located down the hall and the third across from it. Just inform the guards outside which bath you want cooled down for your snow friends and they'll take care of it for you. When you've all had a chance to get cleaned up I'll have my cooks prepare us a good breakfast in the dining hall," he offered kindly.
"Thank you Fang Fang, we really do appreciate all you've done for us," Moka said gratefully.
"It's the least I can do for you all, I insist. Take your time and rest up before we begin with today's work, I'll be in my study in the meantime. When you've finished getting ready my guards will let me know and I'll meet you in the dining hall," Fang Fang said with a graceful bow. He then walked off as the group looked to one another.
"Well, shall we go then?" Moka asked looking to Complica. She slowly nodded then looked down with worry.
"Hey, Complica, it's ok. Accidents happen, don't worry about it," Ruby said gently.
"Yeah, besides, Ceal said he didn't mind. He was even half expecting you to do that from the start," Kokoa said with a hopeful smile. Complica sniffled and shook her head slowly.
"Luna always ate her blankets in her sleep, and I wet the bed. Falla was the only one of us that wasn't broken," she whimpered. The group looked at her with worry as she closed her eyes.
"I can't even use my magic right, I'm really a mess after all," she said quietly before starting to walk away.
"Complica, wait, you're not a mess," Arial said running over to her. She took Complica's hand and stopped her, the chronofly looking down still with closed eyes.
"It's ok, I never judged you once, even with your accidents. You're not a mess," Arial said gently with a small smile. Complica growled then glared at Arial, the snow angel backing away worriedly.
"Yes I am! I threw my life away all because of a stupid feeling I had that I was too stubborn to let go of, I can't use my magic at all without risking me killing everyone around me, and I keep wetting the bed, why can't I stop wetting the bed?" she cried out before breaking down into tears. Arial looked at her worriedly and slowly held out a hand towards her.
"Complica, you… you just made a mistake, that's all," she said softly.
"I am the mistake!" Complica cried out before running off.
"Complica wait!" Arial called out as she ran after her. The group watched them disappear around the corner before looking to each other.
"Poor kid," Leon said gently.
"What did she mean by she threw her life away?" Ran asked.
"She cast a forbidden spell when she was alive, to spend one day with a boy she loved. She died after the day was up," Kurumu said softly.
"The Chrono Displacement spell, you mentioned she cast it before," Razico said glancing to her. Kurumu nodded and looked down with concern.
"Somebody important to her died, and she wanted to see him again. She killed herself with the spell, all to spend just one day with him," she said softly.
"She killed herself with it? What kind of spell was that anyway?" Leon asked.
"One that is gone forever now, something that was too dangerous for anyone to use," Gin said.
"Luna and Falla mentioned that their little sister was always a bit of a mess, I never knew she was so hard on herself about it though," Moka said shaking her head slowly.
"How did she cast such a difficult spell though, she said she could never use her magic properly," Razico asked curiously.
"We're not sure, somehow she was able to," Moka said with a shrug. Razico looked at her confusedly then down the hall again.
"But how? I saw that spell myself; it was a real complicated and elaborate one. If she can't use her magic stably at all, how in the world did she cast that one on her own?" he asked puzzled.
"It shouldn't surprise you," Dark said simply. The group looked to him as he too was looking off towards where the chronofly had run away.
"What do you mean?" Razico asked. Dark glanced to him then looked back ahead.
"You've seen what her sisters can do. Luna has done what a normal chronofly couldn't have done, defied time. Her control over her magic is so commendable that the Almighty himself asked her for help with something. And Falla, she survived The Ender spell that not only did she cast but had fired back at her. Not only that, but she even defied time by coming here, and put an end to her darker self once and for all. Those girls, they're not bound by limitations as they were supposed to be, they've defied fate and death again and again. Complica alone is proof of that, she killed herself with the Chrono Displacement spell, and yet she walks the earth once again by defying the rules of life," he said calmly. Mizore nodded and looked down the hall as well.
"If anybody could cast such a dangerous and elaborate spell at such a young age, it would be her. She may be a mess most of the time, but if she's focused enough, I wonder which of them would be more powerful; Luna, Falla, or Complica," she said softly.
"She must have been so determined to see that boy again that she was able to think properly and cast the spell," Yukari said in wonder.
Running down a hallway blindly Complica was crying while looking down with watery eyes, her footsteps echoing out as she sobbed and whimpered.
'I threw everything away, how stupid am I? I killed myself all for the first boy I fell for, I'm such an idiot!'
She tripped and tumbled into a roll, landing down on the floor with a cry. Her sobs echoed out around her as she lay in a large hallway intersection. Large decorative vases were situated against the four corners while a circular bronze emblemized sun was above on the ceiling. Slowly Complica sat up on her knees and whimpered, her wings hanging down low at her sides.
'What if he wasn't the one for me? What if I really was just in love with the idea of having a boyfriend? Now I'll never know what love really is!'
"What the hell is wrong with me?" she cried out, holding her hands to her face.
"Complica!" Arial called out as she ran towards her friend from down the hall. Complica dropped down onto the ground sobbing, shaking her head as held her hands to her face still. Arial ran up towards her and knelt down next to her friend, looking at her with remorse as the girl cried on the floor.
"Complica… I'm sorry," Arial said softly, gently resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. After a while Complica slowly sat up, sniffling as she wiped her tears away.
"I'm an idiot; I wasted my life without thinking about what I was doing at all. Why am I always like this, I can't focus on anything, I never can," she said with remorse. Arial looked at her with worry then over to see Moka and Mizore walking up to them. Arial narrowed her eyes at Mizore, the snow maiden glancing to her cautiously before looking back over to Complica.
"Complica, it's ok, really," Moka said gently, kneeling down next to the chronofly.
"No it isn't, I threw my life away all because I didn't want to let go of having a boyfriend. I gave up everything, all because of a feeling," Complica said shaking her head slowly.
"You made a mistake in your life, everybody makes mistakes," Mizore said softly.
"My mistake killed me, not everybody makes those," Complica said glancing to her with sorrow. Mizore paused for a moment then shook her head.
"I nearly did, I nearly killed myself because of a mistake. If it wasn't for Kurumu, I would be dead right now," she said gently.
"So she's to blame for you being here," Arial growled with discontent. Moka and Mizore glanced to her for a moment then back to Complica, the chronofly looking at Mizore curiously.
"What do you mean? What did you do?" Complica asked softly.
"I was a fool, I was hurt inside, so… I tried to end it. I thought there was nothing left for me in this world. It was the worst thing I ever did in my life," Mizore said shaking her head.
"The worst thing you ever did was try to come between Dark and I," Arial hissed.
"Arial," Moka hushed sternly, glancing back to the snow girl with narrowed eyes. Arial looked at her with discontent then away with a scoff.
"But you're still alive, I'm not. You can still live your life, mine's over," Complica whimpered. Mizore smiled and held out her hand to Complica's cheek, the chronofly feeling the cold touch from the snow maiden.
"You're here now, aren't you? And even in heaven, you exist. You can still learn from mistakes, and grow because of them. You can still find love in the afterlife, true love," she said gently. Complica looked at her with wonder as Moka smiled at the chronofly.
"She's right Complica, just because you made a mistake doesn't mean everything is all over for you. You can still exist, both in memory down here and in the afterlife up above. You're not going to fade away into time, not now or ever," Moka said assuredly. Complica looked at her with watery eyes then hugged her tightly, burying her face into Moka's shirt as she cried softly. Moka held her and smiled gently at the girl as Mizore tilted her head slightly with a small smile.
"Besides, you've already done the impossible, something not even your sisters have done," Mizore pointed out. Complica slowly looked over to her as Arial showed a confused expression.
"What? What did she do?" Arial asked shaking her head. Mizore smiled and stood up.
"You're the only chronofly to ever cast the Chrono Displacement spell, and still walk the earth. You've defied the laws of death Complica, not even the forbidden spell could keep you from coming back and making an impact with those around you," she explained. Complica looked at her with wonder then to Moka, the vampire nodding with a calm smile.
"It's true, you coming back helped Arial and Sun stay alive, you even helped in rescuing us. Without you having existed, we might not all have gotten away from the HDA alive," she said gently. Complica showed a curious expression then looked down as Arial smiled at her.
"I just… wanted to be brave like my sisters could be, I wanted to help," Complica said softly.
"And we owe you our thanks for your help, all of us," Moka said gently. Complica smiled slightly and looked back up to her.
"Luna and Falla are going to be proud of you when they hear about what you did, I guarantee it," Moka said with a wink. Complica giggled softly and looked down, her wings fluttering once behind her. Moka nodded then glanced down with a slight smirk.
"Now, how about we take a nice relaxing bath, and get you out of those?" she asked with an amused tone. Complica blinked then looked down at her damp panties, blushing slightly before nodding slowly in agreement.
"Yeah, ok," she said quietly. Moka stood up and helped the chronofly back up to her feet. The two started walking away as Mizore smiled calmly at the young angel. She then glanced over to see Arial glaring at her again. After Moka and Complica had left, with the vampire having glanced back carefully at the two snow girls before looking back ahead, Mizore turned to face Arial with a dull expression.
"Where's my ring?" she asked sternly.
"With me, where it belongs," Arial snapped back.
"Odd, I don't think it'll fit your finger. Ever," Mizore said crossing her arms before her.
"Doesn't matter, I'm going to be his wife, no matter what," Arial growled. Mizore looked at the angel for a moment then raised an eyebrow in question.
"Oh? And what makes you think you're fit to be his wife more so than I?" she asked.
"Because I love him and he loves me! I'm his soul mate!" Arial yelled out. Mizore continued to watch the angel with a dull expression then tilted her head slightly.
"You don't know anything about him, about who he is or what he's been through. You don't know him at all. A proper wife should be able to understand him, know what he's thinking, how he feels. You can't provide that," she said simply.
"I know everything about Dark, the elders in heaven told me all the stories about what he's been through and what he's done. I know everything there is to know about my demon," Arial asserted firmly. Mizore shook her head then looked up casually.
"What's his favorite color?" she asked.
"Black," Arial declared, crossing her arms with a scowl.
"Wrong, it's white," Mizore said shaking her head. Arial looked at her confusedly as Mizore glanced down to her.
"What's his favorite type of food?" she asked.
"A warm cooked steak," Arial said firmly. Again Mizore shook her head.
"Wrong, it's frozen tuna. Is he left handed or right?" she asked expectantly. Arial looked at her cautiously then down in thought, remaining silent.
"The correct answer was right handed, in case you didn't know. What's his favorite type of music?" Mizore asked tilting her head again.
"Um… heavy metal," Arial said glancing away.
"Wrong, it's classical. What's his favorite type of weapon?" Mizore asked accusingly. Arial hesitated then looked at her with a stern expression.
"A rocket launcher," she declared. Mizore shook her head and held a hand down to her side, swinging it back and forming her ice katana. Arial watched as the frozen blade extended out from Mizore's grip, taking shape with an elegant design on the handle, before Mizore whipped the blade towards her. It stopped a hair short of touching Arial's neck, the snow angel staring with wide eyes as Mizore glared at her.
"Wrong, it's a katana. Just like this," Mizore said sternly. Arial glanced to the blade then back to Mizore as the snow maiden held the weapon firmly.
"What's his mark look like?" Mizore asked. Arial just looked at her confusedly, again remaining silent.
"It's on my pendant, if you want to know since you have no idea. It's also imprinted on my heart, permanently, because Dark gave it to me when he marked me as his wife. You think stealing my ring makes you his wife? Wrong, all it makes you is a little thief, something else that Dark wouldn't want in a wife. I'm his wife, now and for all time Arial, and there isn't anything you can do to take that away," Mizore declared firmly. Arial growled as her hair started to frost over.
"You're not his wife, and you never will be. He's my demon, he's my soul mate, he's mine," Arial hissed as she glared back at the snow maiden. Forming her hands into ice claws she swatted away Mizore's katana then followed through with another swipe. Mizore swung around and angled her blade, blocking the strike as Arial pressed on her attack, the frozen ridges clashing and shaving off frost bits from each other.
"And that's going to be my mark, like hell you're worthy of it!" Arial yelled out as her hair froze over completely. Mizore growled around her lollipop and shoved Arial back, the snow angel quickly rebalancing herself as her frosted wings fluttered behind her. The two girls glared at each other as the temperature started to drop around them. Frost formed around the walls and vases while the floor beneath them began to freeze over. Slowly the two girls started pacing around in a circle, keeping their eyes locked onto one another as snow flurries drifted about. Mizore held her blade up at her side while holding her other hand back behind her.
"You think you can take my mark away from me?" Mizore dared, forming a second katana in her other hand. She narrowed her eyes as she kept both blades at the ready, her patience for Arial having finally ended.
"Then come and get it."