In the giant castle of the dark lord Issa Shuzen all was quiet as the day was slowly beginning. The magnificent castle of the great vampire stood amidst a vast countryside deep within the vampire homeland in the monster world. Peace and tranquility were all that was around for miles, which you should have known by now since I've opened with this very same intro many times by now.
Inside one of the many extravagant living quarters within the right wing of the large estate Akua slowly opened her eyes, yawning quietly as she started to rise out of bed. Her raven hair was slightly messy as she glanced over towards her window, with small beams of light passing through the glass. Dressed in finer white silk sleepwear the elder vampire slowly got out of bed and stretched her arms out, sighing quietly as she looked down with a blank expression.
"Moka… Kokoa… I hope you two are doing well on this morning," she said quietly before standing up in the room and walking towards her closet. Casually undressing she glanced down to her bare chest, seeing her normal looking skin over her breasts. She held a hand up to her chest and looked down with closed eyes. After a moment's pause she opened her eyes with a focused expression, her front chest shifting into a metallic armor from her foreign blood. Slowly she clawed down with her nails against the chest plate, a screeching sound echoing out in her room as she looked ahead again. Lowering her hand her chest shifted back to normal, the vampire looking over towards her window with a focused glance.
"Stay focused," she reminded herself as she looked ahead to her wardrobe in the closet.
"Stay focused Akua," she reminded herself as she got dressed in her preferred clothing style.
"Stay focused Akua, you're a vampire," she reminded herself as she set her hair up in her traditional pigtail style.
"Stay focused Akua, you're the daughter of a vampire lord," she reminded herself as she stood before a full sized mirror, having a determined expression.
"Stay focused, you have a job to do," she stated before walking out of her room. Her footsteps were faintly heard as she traveled down the hallway and down a large spiral staircase.
"Stay focused, father will be depending on us," she reminded herself as she reached the bottom of the staircase, walking down an elegant hall with a proud stride.
"Stay focused, you cannot let anything get the upper hand on you, not today," she reminded herself as she glanced around carefully, walking down the halls of the seemingly deserted castle. Walking up to a large double door she nodded with a determined expression before opening the doors, looking inside with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey Akua!" Kahlua called over with a bright smile, the vampire dressed in a fuzzy white robe, her hair wrapped back up in a white towel, sitting on a plush couch with a bag of chips, and watching cartoons on the big screen television. Akua just stared at her sister with a dull expression as the blonde haired vampire waved over to her.
"About time you woke up, I was getting bored being down here all by myself," she said with an adorable smile.
"Stay focused Akua, you're literally the only one around here doing so," Akua said flatly before walking into the parlor. Kahlua laughed as she watched the cartoons on the TV while munching on some chips with a blissful smile.
"I love this show; it's a good thing we got them on video before we lost the connection to the human world. Haha, that stupid cat, being outsmarted by a dumb little mouse," Kahlua laughed while Akua walked up to her, the elder vampire looking at her sister with a dull expression.
"Kahlua, what are you doing?" she asked flatly.
"Watching cartoons, sit down and watch with me, this is a good episode. See that cat there? He's trying to catch this mouse that keeps running around this human home, and the mouse keeps outsmarting him and hitting him on the head with a hammer. It's hilarious," Kahlua said as her eyes were glued to the show. Akua glanced to it then back down to her sister.
"Kahlua, as much as I would love to sit here and watch human animation with you, have you forgotten about father's order?" she asked accusingly. Kahlua jumped and looked to her with surprise, the bag of chips flying out of her hand and spilling out across the couch. Akua narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms with an accusing stare.
"While he's away from our homeland with the other dark lords he wanted us to keep a sharp eye out for the Fairy Tale killer, he's our responsibility to deal with, and we must deal with him before the gateways are opened again. Father was furious enough that Moka and Kokoa were left out in the human world, getting on his bad side right now would be the last thing in the world that we should be trying to do, mainly by sitting around here and watching cartoons!" Akua shouted out.
"Um, well, I…" Kahlua stammered. Akua closed her eyes and breathed out, then looked back at her sister with a calm gaze.
"Why aren't you dressed and ready to go?" she asked simply. Kahlua hesitated for a moment then looked up thoughtfully.
"Oh… well, I was going to, but then I got hungry and went to the kitchen for a snack, then I thought I could watch something while I ate, so I came here, then I remembered we didn't have our TV reception anymore since the barrier was sealed, and then I remembered we had these videos I brought from the human world. And… I sort of lost track of time," Kahlua said with a nervous smile. Akua drummed her fingers on her arms as she kept staring at Kahlua. After a moment Kahlua slowly pointed the remote at the TV and turned it off.
"So, anyway, I'll… I'll go get ready now," she said before scurrying off. Akua glanced back as her sister ran out of the room.
"And hurry up this time, I'm not up for waiting for hours while you fixate on your hair!" she called back. Sighing she walked over towards the bar and sat down, holding a hand to her head as she rested her elbow on the finely polished wooden counter.
"Stay focused Akua, stay… focused…" she trailed off, looking ahead at the glass cabinets that held dozens of fine wine and alcoholic drinks from both the monster and human worlds. She stared ahead with an unfocused gaze, watching her vague reflection on the glass while her mind wandered again. The image of the young boy she saved in the human world flashed before her, his smile and the way he looked up to her bringing a slight smile to her face. She had saved him all from an impulse upon seeing him facing certain death, her body seeming to react on its own and risk her very life to save his. Although she wouldn't be one to admit it, she felt moved by his confidence in her, how he saw her nothing like a monster but as a guardian angel, or rather a guardian vampire as he had said in his letters to her.
"Denzel, I won't let you down," she said as she closed her eyes. She used to believe humans were a plague, that they were barbaric and primitive creatures not fit to walk the earth. Now however she valued their lives just as she did with her own kind's, and felt a sense of pride in protecting them all the same. With a quiet sigh she slowly opened her eyes, looking ahead with a gentle expression.
"I'll prove to you that we're not-" she started before seeing something else in the reflection. Spinning around quickly she scanned the parlor with a keen eye, seeing nothing moving or standing out. Slowly she stood up and glanced around carefully while remaining on guard. A faint echoing sound was heard nearby, with Akua looking over towards an open doorway out into the hallway. She quickly ran out and peered around the elegant corridor, seeing nothing moving still. After a quick glance back into the parlor she walked down the hallway looking around carefully. Again a sound was heard nearby, coming from a large set of double doors up ahead that were opened slightly.
"Father's court, he shouldn't have returned so quickly," she said quietly to herself. Running over to the doors she quickly peered inside, seeing the empty hall with the vampire lord's throne seeming to be empty, with only faint traces of light coming in from the large stein glass windows above. Slowly Akua opened the door and walked into the hall, glancing around cautiously while making her way towards the lord's empty throne.
"Who's in here? This hall is off limits to everybody while my father is away. Show yourself!" she called out, her voice echoing out amidst the empty court. Walking up towards the empty throne chair she looked around carefully then breathed out.
"This isn't staying focused at all, chasing ghosts in your own home. Denzel would be ashamed of me," she said softly. She looked down to the empty chair and slowly ran her hand along the top. Looking around slowly one last time she relaxed her stance and shook her head, then sat down in the chair with a sigh.
'Maybe I'm too uptight; I'm getting worked up over the slightest sounds I hear now.'
Akua sat back in the chair and calmed her mind, focusing her thoughts once again as her perceptual senses returned. After a while she looked ahead and saw Kahlua walking into the hall, dressed as usual along with her tiara that held back her long blonde hair.
"What are you doing in father's chair?" she asked curiously.
"Just trying to stay focused with our task at hand. Though I may have been stressing over it and started to imagine ghosts here," Akua mused with a shrug. Kahlua stopped and looked at her with wide eyes.
"Ghosts? Here? Really, this place is haunted now?" she stammered looking around fearfully. Akua raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in question.
'I wonder what it's like to be so blissfully unaware of the world around her, to be so carefree and impressionable.'
"No Kahlua, there are no ghosts here. Anyway, now that you're ready we need to head out and try to track down this Fairy Tale killer once and for all," Akua said standing up. Kahlua walked up towards her and looked down with worry.
"Where do we start looking, he could be anywhere in the monster world," she said with concern. Akua nodded and looked up at one of the large windows.
"We need to find out if any remnants of Fairy Tale fled into this world and are in hiding now. Knowing Talon he'll be tracking them all down with ease, it still amazes me how he managed to memorize so many names from our operatives. He really is a natural born killer," she said cautiously.
"I am now, thanks to you," a voice called out. Akua and Kahlua looked over to seeing a figure walking through the doors into the hall, his metallic looking wings and wraith blades extended out while his dark green eyes were glaring at the vampire sisters. Akua and Kahlua turned to face him with cautious expressions as the hybrid walked across the hall towards them.
"Akua and Kahlua Shuzen, ranking operatives numbers two and three from Fairy Tale, and Kiria's personal lackeys. It wasn't hard tracking you two down, the fallen daughters of the dark lord Issa Shuzen," Talon said coldly.
"That doesn't seem to cause any concern on your part, both from approaching us like this and from trespassing on our father's estate. Seems you don't mind getting on a dark lord's bad side with breaking into his home and threatening his daughters," Akua said with a narrowed stare.
"You can't hide behind your father from what you've done, you can't run from the wretched lives you two have led, and you can't scare me away with your family's name or nobility," Talon said firmly.
"Talon, listen to reason. We're not part of Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale is no more. Kiria is dead, it's over," Akua said shaking her head.
"No, it's not over. You see I'm still scarred from you what you all did to me, that will never heal and just go away. No no, this will never be over until everyone responsible for my life being stolen is dead," Talon said with anger.
"You've killed more than those who were responsible for your violation. You've killed those who never had a clue what was going on behind closed doors within the organization. You've gone too far with your quest for revenge," Akua argued.
"Yeah, and you're not the only one that's scarred you know. We have Alucard's blood in us as well, we'll never be full blooded vampires again," Kahlua added with remorse.
"I care nothing for your loss, agent of Fairy Tale. Those that wore that insignia are to be damned for all time, to know true suffering for all the pain they caused, either from their own hands or by signing away others' lives without a care. You'll get no sympathy from me agent, and you'll certainly receive no mercy either!" Talon yelled before he flew towards the sisters with his blades held out at his sides, the two vampires tensing up with Kahlua's arm shifting into her bladed weapon while Akua's chest plate formed under her shirt. Kahlua swung out with her blade, connecting to Talon's wing as he blocked the attack and knocked her aside. He followed through with a strike at Akua with his blade, the vampire dodging back before the razor sharp weapon sliced through the top half of the throne chair. Before the sisters could regain themselves Talon spun around, both his wings knocking the girls back into a tumble away from him on either side of the throne while the broken chair dropped back onto the floor.
"Hey, that's daddy's chair!" Kahlua yelled as she quickly rolled back onto her feet. In a flash Talon dashed towards her and swung his blade at her head, the vampire blocking it with her weaponized arm. The two blades scratched and screeched as they were pushed against each other before Talon's wing arched forward and pierced into Kahlua's shoulder. She screamed as he swung his other blade at her, the vampire catching his wrist and holding it just in time before it had pierced her head. Talon growled then arched his other wing back, blocking Akua's kick as she had jumped over the broken throne towards him. She braced from the impact before his wing effortlessly swatted her away, the girl flipping back and landing down on the severed throne.
"Dammit, those wings are just as durable as our old reports stated," she cursed as Kahlua kicked at Talon, the boy dodging to the side before lunging forward and tackling her down to the ground. His wing yanked out of her shoulder and struck down at her, the girl moving her head before it pierced into the floor with a heavy strike. She growled and rolled over on top of him, struggling to hold him down as Akua ran up towards them. Talon put his foot to Kahlua's chest and kicked her off, the girl flying back into her sister and knocking them both back into a tumble as he jumped back up to his feet. He dashed towards them before Kahlua stumbled back to her feet and swung at him with her bladed arm, striking against his wraith blade before he swung out with his wing. Kahlua dodged under it and swung around with her arm, her strike being blocked by his other wraith blade before he spun around to use his wing with a horizontal slice. Kahlua jumped over it as Akua ran over, rolling under the wing and sweeping Talon's feet out from under him. He dropped down as she swung over with her leg and attempted to slam down on his skull, the boy's wing again swinging over him to shield from the strike. Akua's foot struck down on it before the wing threw her over to the side, the boy quickly getting back onto his feet while Kahlua ran up from behind with her blade geared back. She swung at him before his wing arched to the side and stopped the strike, his eyes remaining focused on Akua as the elder vampire got back onto her feet.
"You're going to pay for hitting me like that, and for breaking daddy's chair!" Kahlua yelled out as she swung to the side and razed across his wing. He swung his other wing back and swatted her away then ran towards Akua. She ran up to him and swung out with a powerful punch, the boy dodging it before his wing arched over his shoulder towards her. She knocked it aside with her fist then spun around with a kick, again being blocked by his other wing. He swung at her with his blade, the vampire dodging it by a hair, and then swung around behind him at Kahlua, blocking her attack as their two blades clashed. Akua jumped into a kick before Talon's wing arched to the side, stopping her strike as she growled with frustration.
'I don't believe this, his wings and blades are just as strong as our own mutations; they can stop nearly any attack we throw at him without putting any pressure on him.'
The two sisters continued to try to take down the assassin by repeated strikes, each of them being held back as Talon's wings and wraith blades were always moving to block, deflect, and even strike back just as fast. Akua swung around with an elbow strike, being stopped again by a wing acting as Talon's shield.
'If we can only land an actual hit on his body we can bring him down, this is crazy how he can fend us both off with his wings alone. No wonder he killed so many of our operatives before, Kiria really did create a monster with this one, a monster that won't be caged by anyone.'
"You stupid meanie!" Kahlua yelled as she swung again and again at Talon, each strike being deflected by his wings before he counterattacked with his own blade. Each time Talon swung at the vampire he then instantly swung back behind to stop Akua's assault, his movements seeming to be just as precise as theirs as he showed little trouble with taking both vampire sisters on at the same time. Akua growled with frustration as she tried to pick up her pace, kicking and darting around as fast as she could only for Talon's wings to continue to get in her way.
'This is ridiculous, his wings are able to cover nearly all of his body all the time; we can't get past them.'
"I'm going to enjoy spilling your blood ladies, you've had this coming for a long time," Talon said as he spun around, his wings knocking the two girls back into tumbles. Akua regained her footing before Talon raced at her and drove his blade through her shoulder, the vampire screaming as she was pushed back into a pillar. She tried to push him off before his other blade pierced through her other arm, the girl screaming as she was pinned to the wall while Kahlua stared with wide eyes.
"Sister!" she cried out before rushing towards them. She geared back with her blade and swung with a powerful strike, the attack again being stopped by his wing which arched back and blocked it. Talon narrowed his eyes as he twisted the blade in Akua's shoulder, the vampire crying out with anger and pain as she glared at him. He turned the blade and readied to swipe up through her skull before she reached out with her free hand and jammed it into his gut, the boy gasping as she drove her fingers through his flesh.
"You think I'm some helpless victim?" Akua hissed. Talon growled with frustration then swiped down with his blade, carving through Akua's shoulder and slicing down across her arm. She yanked her hand back just before it would have been hacked off, with Talon then striking up towards her head. She reached up and caught his wrist, straining to hold it back as the blade was an inch away from her eye. Her arm ached as blood trickled down it while Kahlua again and again tried hacking at him from behind, his wings keeping her at bay while he struggled to drive his blade through Akua's head.
"You're no victim, you're the evil that's going to finally be laid to rest in this world," Talon growled with anger.
"STOP HURTING HER!" Kahlua screamed as she geared back and swung straight down with her blade, her strike being blocked by his wing but not before the girl's attack struck into his shoulder. He yelled out in anger and looked back to Kahlua before the girl yanked her blade and him away from Akua, throwing him back into a tumble as Akua slumped down against the pillar. Akua held her wounded shoulder as she watched Talon carefully, the boy getting back up while glaring at them with frustration, his shoulder bleeding as his wings twitched slightly behind him. Kahlua raced at him with another swing before his wing swung out and knocked her attack to the side, the girl spinning around off-balance before he struck his own blade through her shoulder that had yet to be stained with her blood. She cried out as he forced her down onto her knees, gearing back with his other arm as Akua watched with shock. Talon growled then glanced to Akua as she watched her sister about to be cut down.
"No… stop this! We're not your enemies!" she yelled out. Talon twisted his blade, causing Kahlua to scream as her bladed arm twitched at her side. Akua shook her head as Talon brought his other wraith blade down and in front of Kahlua's throat, ready to slice across it as he glared at the elder vampire. Kahlua looked to Akua with fearful eyes as she was held down.
"You were part of Fairy Tale, that makes you my enemy," Talon said coldly before looking down to Kahlua.
"No… I'm begging you, spare my sister's life," Akua said through bared teeth. Kahlua shakily looked up to Talon as he glared down at her. Slowly her hand made its way towards her hip near her dress as she started to cry.
"I'm not a bad girl, I'm really not," she whined.
"You and your other comrades ruined my life; you took away something that can NEVER be given back to me!" Talon yelled out with anger. Kahlua slowly reached in under her dress near her thigh towards her garter belt as she closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. Talon growled as he pressed his blade against her throat.
"I don't want your apology, I want your blood," he said coldly. Kahlua glanced to Akua with one opened eye, the elder vampire watching carefully while Kahlua slowly removed her hand out from under her dress, a sparkle being seen in her grip.
"I see, well then…" Kahlua said slowly, and then swung back with her hand which held a small thin blade. She struck into his leg causing him to yell and stagger slightly, the vampire then bashing back with her head to knock him back off-balance. Gracefully ducking under his blade as it swiped by where her neck was she then swung around with her bladed arm, slicing across his chest and carving nearly through his arm with a slick crunch.
"You'll get nothing at all from me you murderer!" Kahlua yelled as she swung around with her blade again, striking near Talon's face and slicing across his cheek. He swung around with his wings in a wild spin, knocking Kahlua's arm and herself off-balance and back a bit before he took off into the air. He flew in place above the vampire as he held onto his wounded arm with a strained expression, blood dropping down from the large cut across the limb while he had Kahlua's small dagger stuck in his thigh. Kahlua held her blade at the ready while Akua got into a fighting stance, ignoring her wounds which had begun to slowly heal.
"You goddamned monster," Talon growled with anger.
"Look who's talking," Kahlua shot back.
"You can't run away from us Talon. It is us that are hunting you in this world, not the other way around. You will fall long before the gateways into the human world are opened," Akua threatened sternly. Talon growled then yanked out the blade from his leg, tossing it off to the side as he flew above them. He glanced to Akua then back to Kahlua, seeing that both sisters were indeed still combat ready. After a moment's pause he glanced to his arm which had slowly begun to heal as well.
'My healing rate isn't as fast as theirs; it's slower by seventy percent according to Fairy Tale's medical research on me. Another blow like that and I'll be crippled while they just get back up.'
"This isn't over vampires, you can't hide from me. I'll find you again, and put an end to your damned lives once and for all," he said with malice. Akua and Kahlua watched as she flew up and shot out through one of the windows, the glass flying out into the air as he flew out into the sky. Akua breathed out then looked down at her arm, the skin slowly healing while her blood dripped down to the ground. Kahlua slowly lowered her stance while her arm shifted back to normal.
"He knows where we are, he'll be back for sure to try to finish us off," Kahlua said looking over to her sister. Akua nodded then looked around.
"We need to stay on guard, he's extremely crafty seeing as how he managed to sneak into our estate without being noticed by anyone," she pointed out.
"Should we tell father about this?" Kahlua asked. Akua shook her head.
"No, let's not inform him about this little… setback. We'll take care of Talon just as father ordered us to, we will not fail with that task. Besides, I'd rather father didn't destroy this place again, you know how he is whenever somebody unwanted finds his castle," she said glancing to Kahlua.
"Yeah… the whole place goes down into rubble," Kahlua said looking around cautiously. Akua nodded then looked around at the damaged court.
"We need to have this place fixed up before father gets home, it'll save us time in having to rebuild a new castle should he level this one to the ground. After that we'll head out there and try to find him. He's hurting from that fight, but he'll be back on his feet in no time. This time we're going to find him first," she said confidently. Kahlua nodded then looked up at the sky through the broken windows.
"I hope Moka and Kokoa are doing alright in the human world in the meantime. How long do you think it'll be before we can get the gateways opened again?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm not sure, until then however all we can do is hope that they're safe and sound, hopefully hiding away from the HDA and lying low until we can reach them. Have faith though, you know our sisters, they're very adept at surviving difficult scenarios such as this," Akua reasoned with a small smile. Kahlua nodded and looked around with a sigh.
"I suppose so. Well let's get this place cleaned up, then after that how about we take a quick bath and get cleaned up ourselves?" she asked looking to her bloodied clothing. Akua nodded and shrugged while looking at her own clothing.
"I suppose we might as well, a relaxing bath is always good for soothing the mind and body. I could use the refreshing scent of herbal water to calm my senses."
"What is that horrible smell?" Ran asked while holding her nose, the siren clad in a white towel while she was standing inside a large bathing room. It had elegant marble tiles and hand-carved pillars around the walls while the center of the room had a large bath with greenish looking water and small leaves floating inside of it. Sun was standing next to Ran while holding her nose, also wearing a white towel around her body along with having a disturbed expression.
"It's just herbal leaves we added to the water, we have to otherwise the water would hurt Kokoa and I," Moka said with a shrug and a weak smile, sitting at the edge of the bath with her bare body under the water. Kokoa was removing her towel and looking at the water with a small smile, eager to take a relaxing bath. She glanced to Sun with an annoyed glare then looked back down with a scoff, agitated that she would have to share the bath with the girl that was trying to come between her and Gin.
"Vampires can't bathe in regular water, they have to use those herbs to make it safe for them. You get used to the smell actually," Kurumu said with a shrug, sitting next to Moka and leaning back with a relaxed smile. She had gotten used to the smell from Moka's necessary addition to their bathwater by now and didn't mind anymore.
"I'm still not used to it, but she's right girls. It's perfectly safe, hop on in," Ruby said while sitting in the bath as well. Apoch and Astreal were sitting near her while leaning back in the warm water, the two witches not showing any aversion to being in the herbal water. Sun and Ran glanced to each other then looked at the water.
"Well… if you say so," Ran said unsurely as she slowly removed her towel. Sun shrugged and did the same, the two sirens then slowly getting into the bath while looking at the water carefully. Sun set her sketchpad down next to the edge, slowly sitting down and closing her eyes as she felt relaxed by the warm water. Yukari giggled a bit while she sat next to Moka then looked to see Complica over across from them, the chronofly facing towards the door out into the hall while sitting in the bath. Her wings slowly fluttered behind her, causing ripples to flow away from her while she continued to watch the door with a deep gaze.
"Complica? Are you alright?" Yukari asked gently. The other girls all looked over to Complica as she didn't say anything.
"Complica? If you're still upset about what happened, it's nothing, really. Just forget about it and enjoy the bath," Moka said reassuringly. Complica glanced back to her then looked ahead again.
"I'm fine, really," she said quietly.
"You're being as quiet as Sun, are you sure you're fine?" Ruby asked. Complica nodded then looked down with a sigh, having her arms crossed on the edge of the bath while she rested her chin on them. The other girls looked at her for a moment then to each other worriedly. Moka moved over across the bath and sat next to Complica, the chronofly just looking down while remaining silent.
"Complica, what's on your mind?" Moka asked gently. Complica kept looking down at the floor while the other girls watched her.
"Complica, talk to us. What's bothering you? Is this about what happened in the past again?" Moka asked. Complica shook her head then looked over to Moka.
"Can I ask you something?" she asked quietly. Moka nodded as Complica looked back down again.
"You're in love, aren't you?" Complica asked softly. Moka smiled and looked down, remembering Tsukune's smile and voice.
"Yes, I am. I love somebody very much, why do you ask?" she asked looking back to Complica. The chronofly hesitated for a moment then glanced back to Moka.
"What does it feel like? I mean… how do you know you're in love?" she asked. Moka looked at her curiously then smiled.
"You just know Complica, it's a feeling unlike any other. It's a sensation you only get with that one special somebody, whenever you're around them or merely thinking of them you feel so much happier inside. They're more than special to you, it's the kind of feeling that once you have it, you'll know," she said gently. Complica looked at her for a moment then shook her head.
"No, I don't know. I thought I was in love before, but… now I'm not sure," she said before looking back down.
"You're not sure?" Moka asked with concern. Complica shook her head and looked towards the doorway with worried eyes.
"I'm not sure anymore. I thought I did, I was so sure back when I was alive. But… I'm not sure if it was love for him, or love of actually having a boyfriend. I… I can't remember how he made me feel when we were together. I can't… remember if I felt that special feeling inside or not," she said with remorse. Moka looked to the other girls then back to Complica with worry, the other girls glancing to each other curiously.
"I don't know what the feeling is, I don't know if I had it or not," Complica whimpered.
"Complica, you went to such extreme lengths for him, that sounds like love to me," Ruby said with a gentle smile at the chronofly. Complica looked down with closed eyes and shook her head.
"I made a horrible mistake. I killed myself without thinking about what I was doing, what I would be doing to my family," she said softly.
"You made a mistake, everybody does in life. Stop beating yourself up over it," Kokoa said gently. Moka looked at Complica with sympathy then smiled at her.
"You went back to spend one day with him, don't you remember how it felt to be with him again during that time?" she asked. Complica nodded slowly then glanced to her.
"I do remember that day, how happy I was with him, how much fun we had playing out in the fields, how it was like a dream come true for me then," she said softly. After a pause she shook her head.
"But… it's not the happiest I've ever felt in my life. I know I've felt happier than that, so how could that have been real love?" she asked worriedly.
"You've felt happier than when you were with him? When?" Kurumu asked.
"When I'm around Ceal," Complica said looking over to her. The other girls jumped and looked at her with surprise as she looked down with a small smile.
"Whenever he's around I feel completely safe. More so than when I was in heaven even, I feel warm inside. He's so protective of me, he's not like anyone else I knew back in my original home in life. He's the coolest guy I know, I… I don't want to be separated from him ever," she said softy before her expression changed to worry. After a pause she looked to Moka with concern.
"Oh no, does that mean I love him? I can't love him like that though that would be horrible because he's Falla's boyfriend and I can't fall in love with my sister's boyfriend that would be so cruel to both of us but what if I do love him oh no then what if I turn into somebody like Arial who becomes obsessed over him and I lose my mind completely and try to kill Falla in a fit of jealousy oh dear god tell me that won't happen please!" she cried out. Moka just looked at her with a stunned expression then slowly shook her head.
"That… won't happen Complica," she said slowly. Complica looked down with worry as Moka glanced to the other girls with disbelief, the others watching Complica curiously as she closed her eyes.
"My heart beats faster when he's around, I feel as safe as can be when he's around, I… I don't want to be without him. If that's not love what is it?" she asked before looking back to Moka. Moka slowly stammered something for a moment then looked over to the other girls.
"It just means… you love him, but in more of a brother sister way. Yeah, that's it, you love him like a brother," Ruby said with an eager nod. Complica looked at her curiously then down.
"Yeah, like siblings, not in a romantic kind of way," Kurumu added. Complica thought about it for a moment then looked back to Moka puzzled.
"But I dreamed about kissing him, brothers and sisters don't do that, do they?" she asked curiously. Moka just stared at her as silence filled the room, all the girls looking at Complica with wide eyes.
"Um… well, no…" Moka said, slowly shaking her head with a careful expression.
"Then doesn't that mean I love him? I can't love him though, I just can't do that to him and Falla. Not to mention I'm dead, he can't have a dead girl for a girlfriend. Oh god why is this happening to me, why am I feeling this way about him?" Complica said looking down embarrassed.
"You're just… confused about your feelings. I mean you are young, so… such things may be a bit… different for you," Ruby reasoned carefully.
"She's right, maybe you need to just relax and calm your mind down, then you'll be able to think clearly," Ran said hopefully.
"But I can't calm my mind down, I've never been able to calm my mind down. I can't control my train of thought, it's so hard to remain focused on anything I do," Complica whined while shaking her head.
"You managed to cast the Chrono Displacement spell on your own, I'd say if you put your mind to it you can do anything you wanted," Yukari said hopefully.
"Yeah, casting that powerful of a spell at your age, that was simply incredible Complica. I'm sure if you tried to think this through carefully you'll be able to reach a sound answer," Ruby said in agreement. Complica looked over to them curiously then down in thought. Sun moved over to the other side of Complica and wrote down something to show her.
I know Ceal's been protective of you, he cares about you because you're Falla's little sister. With what you're describing, it sounds like you do love him, but like a brother. That dream you had may have been your mind trying to make sense of this new feeling, and was confused on what to show you.
Complica read the pad then looked at her curiously.
"You think so?" she asked softly. Sun nodded then wrote down something else.
Another thing about love Complica, is that it has many different forms and can feel different at certain times.
Complica read the writing then looked at Sun again.
"Like with how you love Gin?" she asked curiously. Sun smiled nervously and glanced to Kokoa, the vampire narrowing her eyes as she growled with annoyance. Moka and the other girls looked over to her then to Sun as the siren quickly wrote down something else.
Yes, but that's not the point here.
Moka looked at the pad with a dull expression then to Sun with a raised eyebrow. After a pause she shook her head then looked back to Complica with a gentle smile.
"Anyway, what she means is that you do love Ceal, but only like a brother. Doesn't that make sense to you if you think of him like that?" she asked calmly. Complica looked at her curiously then down.
"I guess so. I never had a brother before, I kinda always wanted one actually," she said with a small smile. Breathing out with relief she rested her head on her arms once again on the edge of the bath.
"That's a relief, for a while there I was worried I was falling in love with Ceal," she said closing her eyes in content. Moka and Sun smiled a bit and glanced to each other. The other girls looked to each other then breathed out in relief, all thankful that issue was put to an end quickly.
"I hope… I can spend at least one day with my new brother… and my sisters when we see them again, all of us… together like a real family," Complica said softly, whimpering quietly afterwards then looking down while burying her face into her arms. The other girls looked at her worriedly.
"We'll rescue Luna and bring her back safely Complica, I promise you that," Moka said gently.
"We'll all help bring her out of the darkness. And I'm sure your new big brother will personally see to it that she's brought back," Kurumu said in agreement. Complica nodded then looked up at the ceiling with teary eyes.
"Please let her be ok," she said before looking down and wiping her eyes. Sun looked at her with sympathy then glanced over to see the other girls exchanging worried looks. Moka looked over to see Sun watching her cautiously, the siren then writing down something and showing her.
Her sister is going to be ok, right?
Moka slowly glanced down to Complica then back to Sun while remaining silent, the siren's eyes widening a bit before she wrote down something else.
Her sister is just alone in the darkness, right?
Moka slowly shook her head with remorse. Sun looked at her with surprise then to the others, all of them looking at her with worried eyes. Slowly Sun shook her head and wrote down something more while Complica buried her face into her arms again, the chronofly not seeing the other girls or their expressions. Sun glanced down to her then back to the other girls with a cautious expression.
What exactly is going to happen to her?
Ran glanced to Complica then back to Sun with concern. Moka quietly reached over and took Sun's sketchpad, writing down something before handing it back to her. Sun read the pad then looked to Moka with a hand over her mouth, the vampire nodding slowly with remorse. Sun slowly looked down to Complica, stunned to hear what the girl's sister would be going through in the dark world above.
'Oh my god, Complica… I'm so sorry.'
"We'll get her back Complica, I swear it," Moka said before looking up at the ceiling with cautious eyes, the other girls all looking to each other while they worried about the fate of the captured chronofly.
Parked along a deserted road which made its way through a small forest a dark blue car was near a small abandoned shrine, with two girls seen sitting on the edge of a small pool next to an old fountain. Luna was lying back against Felucia as the doll demon gently scooped some of the water from the pool next to them and used it to wash the chronofly's body, the naked girl remaining motionless while her eyes were partially closed. Felucia washed her friend the best she could while watching her with a worried expression, cleaning and washing away the crusted spots of semen that remained on her skin.
"I'm so sorry Luna, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you," Felucia said quietly as she held her friend gently, the chronofly's wings limp at her sides still while her bracelet remained dark and void of all magical energy. Luna had yet to say a single world, or even make a sound after her rescue, the girl staring off into space with half closed eyes just as she had done ever since being brought back into the human world. When Felucia had stopped to help clean the girl off she had carried the chronofly in her arms towards the shrine, and tripped on a stone causing them both to drop to the ground. To Felucia's surprise Luna didn't make a sound when she both hit the ground and when a rock cut her leg. The chronofly seemed completely unresponsive to all manner of contact as she continued to have a lifeless gaze in her eyes.
"It's going to be ok, I promise. We'll get you someplace safe, somewhere that we can hide until I can find our friends. Rason will be with you soon, you'll see, he'll be with you soon," Felucia whimpered as she held her friend with a remorseful hug. Luna remained silent as Felucia shook her head slowly near the girl's neck.
"Luna, please, say something. Anything," Felucia said softly. Hearing no response she looked down towards the water, seeing a few faint ripples that were bouncing around inside the small pool.
'They broke her… they completely destroyed her mind. Luna, please come back to us.'
"Please Luna…" Felucia said softly as she closed her eyes, holding her friend as a gentle breeze rolled by. The leaves in the trees rustled slightly, the only noise that was heard as Luna remained perfectly silent and still. Felucia held back her tears then resumed her efforts to bathe the chronofly.
"It's going to be ok Luna, I won't anything happen to you again. I swear on my soul's existence that I'll see to your safe return back to our friends, you can count on that," she said hopefully as she washed Luna's leg. She paused then slowly drew her hand over to just below the girl's stomach. After a moment Felucia shook her head and looked up with worried eyes.
'Please, don't let her be pregnant with one of those horrible demons. Just please, don't let what that monster said be true.'
Sunlight began to slowly creep across the old rotting forest around Yokai Academy as another day was starting anew, with bats flying around the trees, a few clouds drifting by overhead, and a girl's loud cry echoing out from the girls dorm building.
"WHO ARE YOU TWO?" Rin screamed out as she shakily pointed to two girls in her room, sitting up in her bed with her blanket being held tightly to her chest as she looked from one girl to the other. Kyouko and Falla were looking at her with disbelief as they slowly came to their senses after being woken up by the siren's loud cry, both sitting up from their sleeping mats on the floor of the girl's dorm room.
"What the hell, it's us Rin, Kyouko and Falla," Kyouko said shaking her head. Rin looked at them for a moment then blinked, tapping her headphones a few times before looking down with remorse.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I… forgot again," she said softly. Falla groaned and dropped back down onto her pillow.
"That's it, if I have to stay here another night I'm getting my own room in the dorm again," she muttered into her pillow. Rin looked at her with remorse then down again.
"I'm sorry, really," she said softly. Kyouko sighed then slowly got up onto her feet.
"It's ok Rin, it's not your fault," she said looking towards the window.
"Yes it is, it's all my fault I have to wear these stupid things all the time. I did this to myself," Rin said with closed eyes. Falla glanced up to her then sighed.
"It's ok Rin, we're not mad," she said before she too got up. Rin sat at the edge of her bed and looked down while holding her hands to her headphones, listening to a quiet melody from her player while she kept her eyes closed. Kyouko and Falla looked at her with sympathy then to each other. After a while Rin got up and walked over towards her dresser, pulling out some new clothing for the day while the two girls watched her. They watched as she got dressed in the school uniform again she had to stop a few times to tap her headphones, shaking her head with frustration before continuing to change.
"Poor girl," Kyouko said quietly. Falla nodded then looked at Rin carefully as the girl was facing away from them, the image of the siren seeming to poke at her again. For a brief moment she saw Rin flying with her wings, her hair covering the view of her eyes and face, with flames flaring around her wildly while thunder echoed above. A cold chill ran down Falla's spine before the image vanished, with a faint voice echoing in her mind.
"Heavy…"
The voice sounded familiar yet became a distant echo in her mind, with Falla watching Rin cautiously.
'Heavy? What does that mean?'
After Rin finished getting ready she glanced back to see Kyouko and Falla watching her still.
"What?" she asked. Kyouko smiled slightly and walked over to her.
"Nothing, I just hope when the others get back they can fix those things for you," she said kindly. Rin smiled a bit and looked down, a few strands of her hair falling before her face. Falla smiled slightly at the siren as well before another vision flashed before her eyes, this one of Rin lying down on a bed inside a dark room, the girl appearing to be much younger while looking around at dark figures with worried eyes. The vision appeared to be through Falla's eyes as she walked closer to Rin, the siren looking to her curiously with a few strands of her hair before her face. Falla rubbed her eyes and looked at Rin again, seeing her standing there normally.
"Yeah… me too," Falla said before looking down with concern.
After Falla and Kyouko got dressed again with their school uniforms the three girls walked out of the dorm building, looking around as only a few other students were walking about. Classes were obviously canceled for the day while a few students and faculty remained on the campus grounds, either waiting to be picked up by family members or having nowhere else to go.
"So what do we do now? We're stuck here until the gateways are opened again, and Tsukune is stuck in Paradise until he can gain control over his bloodlust. What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Kyouko asked looking around at the sky.
"I'm not sure, but for now I could go for something to eat," Falla said looking up at the sky. She glanced over to Rin, the siren looking around with a calm gaze. As she walked her headphones bobbed slightly on her head, the device seeming to draw Falla's attention.
'This is going to drive me crazy, who is this girl? I know I've seen her before, somewhere…'
Rin glanced over to her then looked at the girl curiously.
"How come you keep staring at me?" she asked. Falla smiled weakly then looked down.
"Sorry, I don't mean to stare. It's just… I can't figure out where I've seen you before. It's been stuck in my mind ever since I saw you," she admitted. Rin nodded then looked down curiously.
"Maybe it was when we were little. Everybody says the chronoflies made these headphones for me, when my father took me to see your people while I was still young. I remember seeing butterfly wings, but not much else, maybe you saw me then," she said with a shrug. Falla glanced to her curiously then up in thought.
"Maybe," she said quietly to herself. She glanced over and saw Kyouko looking around at the sky with a distant gaze. She seemed to be tuning the other girls out as her eyes kept scanning across the sky slowly.
"Kyouko?" Falla asked. Kyouko blinked then looked over to her.
"Huh? Were you two saying something?" she asked. Falla looked at her curiously then glanced up to the sky. After a pause she looked back to Kyouko with a dull expression.
"You're thinking of the Fairy Tale killer again, aren't you?" she asked flatly.
"His name is Talon," Kyouko said looking ahead with a dull expression of her own.
"Just forget about him, he's just another reckless and bloodthirsty monster out there," Falla said shaking her head.
"He's not bloodthirsty, he's just seeking revenge on those that hurt him, those that took away his humanity," Kyouko argued.
"Right, and to him that would include Akua, Kahlua, and Dark, three of our friends which he wishes to slaughter in cold blood all without listening to reason," Falla said. Kyouko glanced away while Falla and Rin watched her while walking alongside the girl.
"Kyouko, if you want to meet some boy monsters I can introduce you to some of them here at the school, you know, ones that aren't looking to kill our friends," Falla said dryly. Kyouko scoffed at that while looking away still.
"You don't know for a fact Talon would hurt our friends, maybe he knows about what they did, how they helped save the world from Alucard and Fairy Tale. He can't hate them for that, they proved themselves to be good monsters," Kyouko said defensively.
"He came here looking to kill Dark!" Falla shouted out.
"You don't know that!" Kyouko shouted back at her.
"Right, of course. He came here to keep other boys from going near you, to sweep you off your feet and carry you off into the sunset. Wake up Kyouko, he's one of the bad monsters in the world, those that Tsukune and all of us have fought against to keep the peace," Falla scoffed with discontent.
"You don't know that, you don't know anything about him," Kyouko shot back.
"Yes we do Kyouko, Akua and Kahlua told us everything about him. He's a failed experiment from Fairy Tale, one that has gone on a killing spree against everyone that ever worked at the organization. That includes those that were truly evil and corrupted, those that had nothing to do with his violation and transformation, those that had no idea what Fairy Tale was really doing deeper inside its core, and those that are our friends now who, even though are good monsters, are still on his hit list because he can't move on with his life!" Falla shouted out. Kyouko looked at her with frustration as the girls all stopped walking, coming to a halt at a crossroad inside the rotting forest.
"He just wants to exact revenge against those that turned him into that monster, there's nothing wrong with that," Kyouko said sternly.
"If it involves killing our friends, then yes there is. Dammit, why are you so protective over this guy who you hardly know? So what if you had a dream about the guy, there's nothing good about him at all Kyouko," Falla said firmly. Kyouko growled with frustration then looked away. Falla walked over and turned the girl by the shoulders to face her again.
"If you want a boyfriend so badly then I'll show you other monsters around here who aren't murderous psychos!" Falla shouted out. Kyouko knocked Falla's hands to the side and backed up a step.
"Don't call him that, he just wants revenge for what that place did to him. He's not evil, he's just… in pain," Kyouko reasoned before looking down.
"He's causing pain to others, some of which who don't deserve it. He's not just after revenge Kyouko, he's after blood. He's killing again and again without being satisfied, not being content even with Fairy Tale already having been defeated. The guy's on a warpath, and our friends are next in his sights," Falla said shaking her head.
"Then we need to talk to him, to reason with him. There has to be a way to calm his anger, to show them our friends are good monsters," Kyouko reasoned hopefully.
"He doesn't listen to anyone, Akua and Kahlua already told us this. There's no reasoning with him Kyouko, he's going to come after our friends and try to kill them; he came here looking to kill Dark last night, remember?" Falla said expectedly. Kyouko continued to look down with worried eyes as Falla sighed before walking over to her with a sympathetic expression.
"Just forget about him, ok? You can do much better than him anyway," she said with a small smile. Kyouko sighed while closing her eyes, the girl then turning to walk away.
"Kyouko? Where are you going?" Falla asked.
"He's not a bad guy Falla, I just know it," Kyouko said softly as she walked away.
"Kyouko," Falla said softly.
"Should we go after her?" Rin asked. Falla shook her head then glanced back to her.
"She needs to get this figured out for herself. C'mon, let's grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria, we'll meet up with her later once she's had time to think it over," she said.
"But should we really leave her alone out there?" Rin asked looking towards where Kyouko was walking away.
"Don't worry, like I said before everybody here won't lay a hand on her, not if they want to avoid answering to Tsukune in person. If anything Rin, she's as safe as can be here at this academy. Nobody here will dare touch her," Falla said looking over towards her friend with worried eyes. The two girls then walked off towards the academy while Kyouko walked slowly through the forest along the path. As she did she kept thinking about the strange boy that showed up and vanished so quickly.
"Maybe he didn't come by to keep an orc from going near me, but he didn't kill anyone. He could have easily done it, but he didn't. He's not bloodthirsty, he's just… in pain," she said quietly to herself as she walked through the woods. After a while she came up to the bus stop near the cliffside overlooking the red sea. She walked up to the cliffs and looked around with a gentle gaze, her skirt fluttering slightly in the breeze.
"Why am I so fixated on him? Is it because he's a monster? Or because he did stand up for me? Or maybe… I feel sorry for him?" she asked herself quietly. Sighing she looked down with worried eyes, her mind still unable to take his image out of her head.
"I just know he's not evil, I'm sure of it. That dream did feel so real, and I never felt scared of him in person. He's just angry and hurt about what happened to him, it's not his fault he's like this," she reasoned to herself. Looking back out at the red sea she watched a few clouds drift by in the horizon over the water, her hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. She breathed out then turned to walk back, freezing with a gasp as her eyes widened. Over by the trees to the side she saw Talon, the boy sitting down against a tree with his wings behind him while his head was hung low. One of his arms was bleeding severely while his shirt had multiple cuts and wounds bleeding as well.
"Oh… my… Talon," Kyouko said under her breath. She quickly ran over towards him, looking at the injured boy with surprise. He remained motionless while sitting against the tree, his wings behind him slumped down while his arm looked like it was nearly hacked off by something.
"Talon, my god, what happened to you?" Kyouko said quickly kneeling down next to him. She looked over his body with sorrowful eyes then to him as she gently lifted his head to face her, his eyes half closed as he was breathing quietly. Slowly he turned his focus to her while she had a worried expression.
"What happened? Oh my god, you're in terrible condition," she said looking at his body. He didn't say anything as he kept his eyes on her. She shook her head then looked back to him.
"I'll go get help from the academy, I'll be right back, I promise," she said before standing up. Talon just looked back down again, not saying a word as Kyouko watched him with worried eyes. She whimpered as she saw his wounds, the boy appearing to have been seriously injured by something.
"I'll be right back Talon, we'll get you fixed up, just try to hold on," she said before running off towards the academy. Talon slowly looked out towards the horizon in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly as his hand flinched at his side.
'Next time we meet vampires, I'll be sure to drive my blade through your hearts. You won't get away with what you've done to me, I swear it.'