Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness Act VI

by A.G. Fanfics

Mankind has declared war on the monster world, Tsukune is struggling to control his vampire urges while kept in isolation, and a great evil is preparing to conquer everything. Moka and the group must now try to prevent war between the two worlds while defending against the growing darkness that approaches them all.

48. A Slayer's Weakness

In the world of Paradise there existed exotic and rare monstrosities that had been collected and created from around the monster world, demons and brutes that weren't by any means common in the monster realm. Some of them were above that of S-Class rankings in strength and power, others close to that level or just slightly below. Everything in this strange world was dangerous, having been brought here for study by the headmaster of Yokai Academy. Of course the man never intended for any of these monstrosities to be seen by those that attended the school, after all these creatures weren't for their particular studies. The students at the academy were taught to coexist with humans and be peaceful, something these demons and horrors of the other realm had no desire for. They were animalistic, barbaric, destructive, and all-around uncontrollable, having only simple instincts driving their sheer strength and energy. Some of these monsters were extremely difficult to harm as well, having armored skin and scales covering their bodies, making them extremely durable and able to withstand incredible strengths from attacks.

CRASH!

Except for that armored scaled behemoth which tumbled back through dirt and boulders before slamming to a halt against a cliffside, with dust and smoke billowing from the gash it had carved through the ground before stopping in place with smashed skull. As the dust settled a figure started to become visible in the smoke from the point of impact the behemoth had suffered, having feathered wings extended out in the back that were obscured in the haze. The fighter had managed to send the behemoth hurtling away with a powerful kick, her legs becoming visible as the haze cleared around her while she leisurely tapped a foot on the ground to get the dirt off of it.

"That was kinda fun," Ren said as the dust settled around her. She smirked then looked back as a long reptilian tail whipped around her and threw her back into a boulder, the girl hitting against it with a grunt as a large scaly demon hissed at her. Ren blinked then looked at the monster with a bitter smile as she clenched her fists at her side.

"That it?" she taunted before breaking free from her binds, her arms ripping up and apart the tail that was around her as she dropped onto the ground. The demon roared out in pain as its tail dropped to the ground in pieces while Ren arched her wings back behind her. In a flash she darted towards the demon, the girl using her wings to then shoot up at high speed where she connected an uppercut to the monster's head, breaking through the jaw and front part of the skull with a crunch. The siren flew up and watched as the monster wavered before dropping down with a thud, blood pouring out of its fatal wound while some of its blood dripped from Ren's hand. She looked to it with a dull gaze as she held her hand in front of her, watching as a few drops trailed down along her fingers before she flicked them off.

"All the years I used to hide from fights, charming my way out of confrontations, being afraid of getting dirty, and nobody told me just how good it feels to actually strike down those that bother you with your own hands," she said before looking to a nearby four legged brute with a cold glare.

"Maybe if I had this power before I wouldn't have let my old master lay a hand on my sisters," she said with a bite before flying down to the demon, slamming into the head of the monster with a kick that sent the large beast down into the ground with a crash. The dust swirled around and slowly settled as Ren looked down at the monster that was struck into the dirt, one of its arms flailing around weakly from nearby while she was standing on its bruised and bleeding head. Ren scowled at the demon then looked up to the sky with a glare.

"I'm not a little siren that can be pushed around anymore. If I ever see my old master again…" she cursed before she stomped down with her foot, smashing in the skull with a crunch that splattered blood out to the sides of the girl, some of the spurts hitting her wings with fresh blood.

"I'll kill him myself," Ren said with anger. She chuckled then looked back behind her as two large three legged demons were shambling towards her, their yellow skinned hides having dull and worn armor fragments on them while they were dragging large morning stars in their hands.

"Maybe it's the vampire in me, maybe it's the raw power I feel, maybe it's the smell of fresh blood, I'm not sure; but I'm starting to feel better than ever doing this," she said as her eyes gave off a faint crimson glow. Her aura flared up around her, her eyes turning colder as they focused on the demons that were approaching her.

"Haha, who would have thought? I bet my parents never would have guessed, never would have imagined that a fighter was lying in wait inside their little girl," she said as she smiled confidently at the demons. One of them geared back with its weapon then swung down at her, the girl darting to the side then up into the air as the spiked ball slammed into the ground with a fierce crash.

"To be honest… I don't feel like my old self anymore. This power, this strength, this feeling… maybe I did die before, maybe Tsukune brought me back from the underworld," she said looking to her hand, clenching her fist and watching a few drops of demon blood drip off of it.

"Maybe Ren died then, maybe that weak siren perished and I came back in her place, I hardly feel like her anymore," she said softly. She smiled lightly and opened her hand, looking at it with wonder as she slowly turned and eyed the blood on it.

"I don't feel scared anymore, I don't feel insignificant anymore, and I don't feel detached anymore," she said softly, images of Tsukune flashing before her eyes with the boy smiling at her. She closed her eyes and breathed out, feeling her heart fluttering again at the thought of the vampire.

"I feel reborn… there is no downside to this. There is no negative point to this; it's all… too perfect. It's better than perfect. I feel… I feel…" she said before she smiled coldly down at the demons. In a flash she darted down and landed next to one, the ground below her cracking apart severely as her feet touched down with incredible force.

"I feel like a new woman," she said before she darted forward and jumped into a kick, striking one of the demons and blasting him back towards the cliffside like a rocket. As the monster slammed into the rocky wall and splattered against it Ren shot up with her wings, missing a swing from the other demon before she banked around and landed down behind it. The beast roared and swung around with its weapon, the siren then catching it by two of the spikes and stopping it in place as the ground shattered under one of her feet from the kinetic energy. The monster stared at her with surprise as the girl smiled coldly at it, her grip on the weapon holding strong as her physical strength was far above what would be assumed for her.

"I feel ready for anything," she said before she swung the weapon around by the spikes, throwing the mace away before she jumped into the air and flew above the demon that watched her with a vicious snarl. She looked down to the beast before she started singing an energetic song, her words flowing quickly in a foreign tongue as she flew in place above the demon. The wind began to pick up with a fierce burst of power, forming a tornado that spun around the girl and began to spin the demon in circles. The monster dug its feet into the ground and grabbed onto the dirt with one hand while the wind picked up and tried to suck it up into the funnel. Ren spun around gracefully in the twister while singing her song, her eyes remaining locked onto the demon while her words filled the air. With a mighty flap of her wings she shot up into the torrent of wind and dust, with the demon below struggling to hold onto the ground as its legs gave out and it was starting to be pulled up into the twister. It roared as it clung to the ground with both hands, the monster looking up the funnel with wide eyes as its legs dangled above it. A streak of motion was seen flying down through the twister, a sharp whistling sound being heard as something raced down through the spiraling winds at high speed. The demon let out another roar before Ren slammed down onto it with a powerful kick, striking the monster into the ground with incredible force as the dirt around her erupted up into the air and spun around in the circling winds. The tornado wavered then broke apart with dirt and debris from the ground flying off in all directions as the siren stood atop her kill, her wings arched back while she had one foot pressed down into the dirt where the monster's remains were now lodged. She smirked down at the bloodstained ground then looked around the area as the winds settled down along with the dust and haze.

"I feel pretty awesome right now," she said with a shrug. She looked down to the bloody dirt then stepped off of her kill and started walking away, casually flicking her hair behind her while having a cool smile on her face.

"Boy are my sisters going to flip when they see me again. New vampire blood, new strength, new speed," she said before looking ahead to seeing an explosion erupting out further away with a loud feral roar being heard as well. Ren giggled as she felt a powerful boom of vampire energy radiating from the fight in the distance then showed a coy smile while casually twirling a lock of her hair with one finger.

"And hopefully a new mate as well," she purred before extending her wings out, the siren then taking off into the air with a mighty flap of her wings. The girl soared into the air and over what looked to be a large brawl between three monsters of Paradise and a boy with an immense vampire aura surging around him. Ren sighed happily as she watched the standoff, with Tsukune being surrounded by giant demons that weren't looking to make friends with him.

"I hope he's working up a good appetite," she said as she gently rubbed the side of her neck.

Down below Tsukune was glancing around at his foes with his black and crimson eyes, his rosary having been removed as he focused all his vampire power to come forth. Standing before him was a large two headed brute that had enlarged hands which were formed into fists. To the boy's right was a long serpentine demon that had its large jaws opened to show the razor sharp teeth within. And to his left was a multi headed wildebeest that had several long necks with pig heads on them. All of the large demons were growling and hissing at the vampire as he stood his ground, his shirt fluttering a bit in the wind while he had one hand down at his side which flexed slightly.

'Stay focused…'

The world around him shifted to a dark cloudy haze, with only the demons' blood lighting up for his eyes to see. After a moment the world shifted back to normal, with Tsukune feeling his thirst for blood growing even stronger. He shook his head as a few drops of sweat formed on his forehead, focusing with all his might to remain in control.

'Nearing my limit, need to take care of this quickly.'

In a flash Tsukune dashed towards the two headed brute, jumping up into the air and just avoiding the monster's hands as they smashed together where he just was. The boy leapt up into the air and swung a powerful punch at one of the heads, destroying it and sending the remains flying back in bloody chunks as the demon roared out in agony. Tsukune grabbed onto the neck of the monster then launched himself up into the air, avoiding the serpentine demon that howled as it lunged over and snapped its giant jaws shut on the brute's body. The wounded monster roared and tried beating the snake demon away with its free hand before Tsukune flew back down and struck his fist through the skull of the brute and followed through, plowing his arm and downward punch through the body of the monster. Ren watched with longing eyes as Tsukune then dashed forward in the blink of an eye and punched through the serpentine demon's body, sending the bloodied remains tumbling off onto the dirt while the remaining monster roared with its seven heads and raced towards the boy. Tsukune landed down from his strike through the snake demon then held his hand back out towards his remaining foe, the pig demon halting in place and howling in pain with its heads as its body trembled. Tsukune glared at the monster as his aura suddenly spiked, his hand then flinching downward before the pig demon's body seemed to explode and splatter down onto the ground. Its heads flailed around before dropping onto the bloodstained soil while Tsukune's eyes were locked onto his kill. Slowly the boy looked to his hand as Ren gracefully landed down behind him.

"Amazing as always Tsukune, it's just incredible how you can use your sheer monster energy to take down your opponents," Ren said while looking around at the slaughtered demons. Tsukune just stared at his hand, feeling the raw vampire power of his surging through his veins. After a moment he closed his eyes as he trembled a bit, taking a ragged breath as he felt his hunger spiking. Not only that, but Ren's scent nearby seemed to make his mouth water even more, his body knowing that her delicious blood was very close to him. Ren looked to him with a curious eye then smiled as she walked around in front of the boy.

"Tsukune, are you getting hungry again?" she asked knowingly. Tsukune held a hand over his eyes and looked down, nodding slowly as he tried to control himself.

"Yeah… I'm at my limit again," he said as he tried to hold in his animalistic growls. Ren giggled and walked closer to him.

"Well, you've been at this all morning, it's no wonder you're getting so hungry again," she reasoned. Tsukune slowly looked back up to her while removing his hand, his black and crimson eyes staring into hers as she felt her world grow hazy around her.

"Tsukune…" she said softly, feeling her mind starting to go blank as she couldn't move. She couldn't remember anything for a moment, seeming to fall into a daze merely gazing into Tsukune's eyes. After a moment a small smile formed on her face as the boy walked closer and held her close with one arm.

"Tsukune, you don't… need to charm me… into submission. You already have… me," she said softly. She felt her mind turning to thoughts of him and only him, however even though she knew his power was charming her like this, she was already smitten with the vampire regardless. She smiled then slowly took hold of the boy's arm as it held her by the waist.

"You want my blood? Well I'm giving it to you, you don't need to use any tricks, just take it," she said softly. She closed her eyes and let the boy hold her closer, his mouth moving towards her neck as she slowly folded her wings around them with a gentle hug.

"It's all yours Tsukune," she said softly. Tsukune hesitated for a moment then bit down into her neck, the girl not flinching as she felt him drinking her blood once again. She didn't feel afraid or leery about the act at all, if anything she relished the fact that she could provide him this and nobody else could. She felt special to him, important, needed, wanted.

"Tsukune…" she said quietly. She could feel his hold on her, the girl's body unable to move while her mind was going blank. Her mouth quivered a bit before her head rested against his while he continued to drink her blood.

"Take… all that you… need… from me…" she said before losing consciousness. Her body slumped in his arms as her legs gave out, the girl's head rocking back as Tsukune continued to feed. Her wings slowly dropped back behind her while her hands fell to her sides, her breathing becoming quiet and slow as her strength left her body. Tsukune let out a low growl as he continued to drink her blood, his black and crimson eyes locked onto her body as her illuminated blood was all he could see and think about.

---

Slowly Ren's eyes opened, the siren lying down on the ground with Tsukune sitting next to her and looking down with closed eyes.

"Tsukune?" she asked quietly. The boy looked to her with a jump then smiled with relief, his eyes having returned to normal as he was wearing his rosary again.

"Ren, you're alright," he said as the girl slowly sat up. She blinked a few times then rubbed her neck while smiling softly at him.

"What happened?" she asked. Tsukune showed a remorseful expression and shook his head.

"You almost died Ren, I nearly drained you dry of your blood. Why didn't you sing me to sleep, you could have been killed," he said worriedly. Ren merely rubbed her neck a bit then looked around with a calm expression, seeing they were still in the battle scarred wastes from before along with the remains of the demons.

"I didn't need to sing you to sleep Tsukune, I trusted you would regain control," she said looking to him with a shrug.

"What? Ren how could you do that, you know that if my hunger gets to strong I can't control myself, that's why you're here, to sing me to sleep in case I lose control like that," Tsukune said with disbelief.

"But you did control yourself; I'm still alive, see?" Ren said with a cheery smile.

"Just barely, I felt your lifeforce fading before I regained my senses, if I hadn't stopped feeding when I did you would have been a goner," Tsukune replied with concern. Ren giggled and looked at him with a caring smile.

"I trust you with my life Tsukune, I had faith that you wouldn't let me die," she said softly.

"But Ren, why would you risk your life with that, you know that if I lose control like that I can't stop myself," Tsukune asked worriedly.

"Yes you can, and you did, just like I knew you would. You're strong Tsukune, both in body and spirit, I knew you wouldn't let me die, I believed in you just like I do now," Ren reasoned. Tsukune looked at her with wonder as she smiled gently at him, the girl then showing a curious smile with a raised eyebrow.

"So, did you get your fill of my blood? Or do you still need more?" she asked. Tsukune gave a weak smile to that and shook his head.

"No, I'm fine now, besides even if I wasn't I wouldn't take more from you, you need-" he started before the girl slowly got back on her feet, with Tsukune watching with wonder as she stretched out her arms and then her wings, looking at the feathers that had blood on them with a curious eye.

"Your rest," Tsukune finished softly, feeling slightly stunned that Ren was on her feet again so soon after losing so much blood.

"I feel fine Tsukune, I do have your blood in me after all, you wouldn't believe just how good I feel right now," she said casually as she ran a hand along her feathers. She giggled then looked to him as he slowly got back up on his feet.

"I feel like a new person Tsukune, I feel better than ever like this. I was handling myself just fine before I came over to see how you were doing, I don't think I've ever killed a demon with my bare hands before," she said looking to her hand as she formed it into a fist. Tsukune looked at her with wonder as she smiled at him again with a shrug.

"I have to say, it felt pretty good, I think I see where you and your friends are coming from with this whole fighting thing," she admitted. Tsukune smiled at her curiously at the girl looked to her bloodied wings again.

"It felt really good," she said softly before looking to her hand which had dried blood on it as well.

"Look at you, you're covered in blood," Tsukune said shaking his head. Ren giggled then looked to him with a coy smile.

"So? I think I like this look, it suits me very well," she said proudly.

"A siren covered in blood?" Tsukune questioned with a raised eyebrow. Ren nodded and looked to her wings as she extended them out.

"I think blood looks rather sexy," she said glancing back to him with a twitch of her eyebrow. Tsukune looked at her curiously as she stood there, the image of her with bloodied wings seeming to give her appearance more of an edge. After a moment he smiled a bit and shook his head.

"I don't know, I think the Ren that wasn't covered in blood looked more natural," he said playfully. She let out an intrigued murmur then walked towards him, her hips swaying gently while she held a hand up that had blood on it and moved the fingers around slowly.

"I'm not a weak little siren anymore Tsukune, I am part vampire now thanks to you. Who's to say being a fighter isn't my 'natural' self now?" she mused. Tsukune looked at her curiously as she walked up to him and leaned closer to his face.

"But if you prefer, when we fly back up to our island I'll get undressed and bathe in the lake, I promise I'll get all cleaned up for you," she said softly. Tsukune blushed a bit with a nervous smile, leaning back slightly while the siren tilted her head slightly.

"Would that make you happy Tsukune? Me getting all naked and wet like that for you?" she asked playfully.

"Now you're just trying to tease me again, aren't you?" Tsukune asked knowingly. She giggled then leaned back with a shrug.

"I told you before I'm not being a tease Tsukune, I never was," she reasoned. Tsukune shook his head with an amused smile at her as she watched him with a coy expression.

"You really have come out of your shell here Ren, I don't remember you being so… outgoing before," Tsukune commented.

"I suppose I have you to thank for that as well," Ren said with a wink. Tsukune chuckled and looked up at the sky with a calm gaze.

"You're just like her in some ways," he said with the realization.

"Her?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Moka. She was once very shy and timid, like a delicate flower. When others harassed or bothered her, she had to rely on her friends to help her out, she didn't like confrontations either," Tsukune explained. Ren just watched him with a blank expression while remaining silent. Tsukune smiled softly and looked back to her.

"But she changed too; she became a capable fighter by herself and stepped up to protect others with her new strength. She turned into a fighter as well," he said with a shrug.

"Did she," Ren said glancing away. Tsukune nodded and looked at her bloody feathers.

"You're just like her, you grew stronger and learned to fight for yourself, and changed a bit from it, in a good way," he complimented. Ren paused for a moment then looked back to him with a slight smile.

"Yes, I guess we are similar in some ways," she said reluctantly. She then glanced to the side, seeing a shambling demon with a contorted body and upside down head slowly walking towards them, dragging a large dull sword behind it in the dirt as it snarled and drooled.

"Looks like you missed one Tsukune," she said glancing to the boy with a smirk. Tsukune chuckled and looked back to the demon before Ren started walking past him towards the monster.

"Don't trouble yourself, this one looks rather weak. I'll get rid of it for you," she offered.

"Ren, you don't need to push yourself, you just recovered from…" Tsukune said before trailing off, watching as a powerful vampire aura appeared around Ren, the siren walking towards the demon while her wings retracted slightly behind her.

"Um, never mind," he said rubbing the back of his head with a small smile. Ren's aura flared up around her, showing that she wasn't fatigued even though she just recovered from having too much blood taken from her. Her walk was calm and even, her hair swayed gently behind her, her power was coming forth showing just how strong she had become.

However, unseen by Tsukune, her expression was that of a cold glare, the sudden rise in her power being from her aura flaring up from anger about hearing Moka's name, not out of necessity to dispatch the lone demon. Her fists clenched as she walked towards the monster, the girl envisioning approaching Moka while the world around her shifted to a dark color.

'Moka.'

The demon howled at her before Ren reached out and grabbed its throat, applying pressure while baring her teeth. The monster dropped its sword and grabbed her arm, struggling to free itself as it screeched and hissed at the siren. Ren's grip slowly crushed in the throat of the monster as her anger built up inside of her.

'You don't deserve Tsukune, you don't deserve him at all, you're not worthy of him.'

She envisioned holding Moka by the throat, the vampire dropping to her knees and grabbing the siren's arm while choking with tears in her eyes.

"Ren… please…" Moka coughed out.

'You took the best guy in the world, the most sweetest, generous, caring, sexiest guy there is out there, and you cursed him with a vampire's bloodlust! You bitch!'

"I'm sorry… I just… wanted to save him…" Moka coughed out as she started to cry.

'Save him? SAVE HIM? Look at what you did to him! You monster!'

Ren felt her anger boiling to the top thinking about it again, how Tsukune was cursed with his bloodlust because of having vampire blood infused into him by Moka. Even though Tsukune became stronger because of it, was able to save the world because of it, and didn't blame Moka at all for what came of it, Ren didn't care. Once again she was only able to focus on the negative side of things, with the fact that Tsukune was cursed with his bloodlust because of Moka being the only prominent point she was thinking about, fueling her anger for the vampire even further by the moment.

'You… won't be corrupting him… ever again…'

Ren geared back with her other fist, poised to strike the demon's head as the monster was choking and struggling to free itself from her powerful grip. The siren only saw Moka staring at her with pleading eyes while gasping for air, the vampire's hands trembling as she was growing weaker from being strangled like this.

"Please Ren… he's my mate…" Moka coughed out before her eyes started to roll back into her head.

'He'll never be your mate Moka, you're not good enough for him, you're nothing but a curse for him.'

"Ren…" Moka said before her arms dropped to her sides, her eyes starting to close as she twitched a bit.

Ren felt her anger grow for the vampire as she narrowed her eyes, her grip over the demon's neck nearly crushing it in all the way as she kept her other fist back and ready to strike.

'The only way you're getting him back, Moka Akashiya, is over my dead body!'

Ren yelled out and swung her punch at the demon's head, the attack blasting the skull to pieces as she followed through with the powerful strike. Blood and fragments of the head splattered back across the ground as the body of the demon tumbled back and collapsed, twitching once before remaining motionless in a growing pool of its own blood. Ren held in her growls and snarls as she glared at the corpse, her fists clenched at her sides while she cursed Moka's name in her head.

"You bitch," she said quietly.

"Haha, I think you got him," Tsukune called out from behind. Ren glanced back behind her with a peek to see the boy smiling amusedly at her.

"Not bad, glad to know you're here to protect me," he jested with a laugh. Ren smiled coolly and looked back to the corpse, envisioning Moka's body lying on the ground headless instead of the demon's.

'Moka, you won't be taking Tsukune away from his real mate, I won't let you touch him ever again.'

---

Driving down the streets of a human city Dark and Ceal were making their way towards the slayer's home, moving at a casual pace so not to attract attention. As they drove down the streets they saw HDA patrols and vehicles around every corner, all on guard and sweeping through the area while civilians were keeping clear and trying to get on with their lives after the recent monster attacks.

"And the reason you're not cloaking us now is because?" Ceal asked flatly as they came to a stop at a traffic light.

"I'll do so only if needed, right now we're not doing anything suspicious to attract attention. Besides, if any of the HDA patrols are using thermal sensors then we'll definitely stand out to them then," Dark reasoned while glancing around.

"If they're using thermal equipment what good are you going to be if we are spotted?" Ceal questioned.

"At least with me you'll have some camouflage if they are, and if they're not then you'll be just fine. Relax, nobody's going to notice us like this," Dark reasoned calmly.

"Oh my word, are you ok?" a woman called out from next to them. They looked over to see two women sitting in a car and pointing to Dark.

"You're bleeding, are you alright?" one of them asked. Dark looked to his pant leg which had some red stains from his blood then to Ceal with a dull expression, the mage just glancing back to him.

"That's your fault by the way," Dark said flatly.

"Don't blame me for what came of your actions and words shadow demon," Ceal said looking back ahead. Dark rolled his eyes then waved to the women with a nod before the light turned green, with the boys then taking off down the road while the women watched them worriedly.

"I swear, those kids hurt themselves on those damned motorcycles," one of them said shaking her head.

Dark and Ceal drove down the street further then turned into a back road, traveling along it behind buildings and out of sight from humans. After a while they pulled into a small parking lot across from an apartment building, the tall structure standing among other large buildings nearby. As they did they saw more HDA SUVs and patrols moving along the streets nearby.

"We don't need them noticing your leg and asking questions, just hide in a dumpster or something until I return," Ceal said as he got off the motorcycle.

"You could have healed what you did to my leg earlier, but you chose to leave it this way. Since I will not be hiding in the trash as you suggested I suppose I'm coming with you to stay out of sight," Dark said as he got off the bike as well. Ceal looked to him with a glare as the shadow demon raised an eyebrow at him.

"As much as I'm sure you'd love to start another fight with me, I'd highly recommended against doing so out here," Dark said plainly.

"I don't know, I'm thinking Xarai could devour you quickly enough," Ceal said dryly.

"If he's as tough as his master, I doubt it," Dark said with a smirk. Ceal held in his growl of annoyance then glanced to seeing a police car slowly driving down the street near them.

"Your choice shadow demon, if you wish to follow me up to my home alone and out of sight, so be it," he said before walking toward the building. Dark showed a dull expression as he walked after him, the two boys heading into the building as the police car drove by on patrol. The two boys made their way up to the fifth floor then down a hall, with Ceal flexing his gloved hand slightly.

"Thinking about killing me now?" Dark asked as he glanced to the hand.

"If I wanted you dead you then would have been so in the lobby," Ceal said dryly.

"Something troubling you then?" Dark questioned.

"You mean the fact that I should be slaying Fafnir now, and instead I'm playing doctor to you and your friends while stuck here in the human world? No, I'm living the dream shadow demon," Ceal said with a tone of annoyance.

"You chose to stay to help protect Falla, isn't that worth putting Fafnir on hold for?" Dark pointed out.

"That was enough of a distraction, but now I have to help and protect you all from both your enemies and yourselves. This is not what I had in mind with keeping Falla safe," Ceal said while looking ahead still.

"Is that why you saved Apoch and Astreal when nobody expected you to? Or when you healed Mizore, Kurumu, and even myself when we were seriously injured? When you healed Arial after the trouble she caused, did you do all that for Falla's sake as well?" Dark asked. Ceal stopped in front of a door while not looking back to the demon. Dark glanced to the boy's gloved hand then to him again.

"Is that why you mentioned this chance to save Sun, not because you wanted to help her in the least but only because it would please Falla and Complica?" he asked. Ceal paused for a moment then glanced back to the boy while remaining silent.

"I know what it's like to keep to yourself, to stay focused on your mission, to close others off from your world. And I also know what it's like to have a beautiful girl waiting back home for me, friends who in all honesty aren't really so bad to deal with every day, I know what it's like to not be alone anymore. Knowing this, I'd much rather choose a life with others than a life in solitude," Dark said, with Ceal just watching him with his cold blue eyes. When that got no reaction from the mage Dark smirked and shook his head.

"You're not heartless, even though you seem to want to be that way. Falla loves you for who you are, Complica adores and looks up to you, and I know the others are grateful for all that you've done. Why do you insist in trying to keep everyone as far away from you as possible, why choose to be alone like this?" he questioned. Ceal narrowed his eyes then walked into his place, with Dark following after and closing the door behind them. Ceal walked into his living room and grabbed hold of one of the framed pictures on the wall, throwing it down onto the table and shattering the glass loudly. Dark looked to the scroll that had shards of glass on it then to Ceal as the mage pointed to it.

"There's your damned scroll to save the siren," he said coldly before walking over to his room and barging through the door. Dark shook his head and walked over to the scroll, wiping off the glass then picking up the worn drawing. It had strange casting circles and letterings written on it, with Dark eyeing it over before glancing to the mage's room while rolling up the scroll carefully. After a while Ceal came out of his room, dressed in clean clothing again, and threw a pair of blue denim jeans at Dark, the demon catching them as the mage looked around the room with discontent.

"Those should fit you, I don't need your bloody leg to cause yet another distraction for me on this day," he said with a bite.

Dark looked to the pants then started undoing his while Ceal walked over to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water.

"Why all the hate?" Dark asked as he changed into a new pair of blue jeans, this pair being roughly the same size for him. Ceal finished his drink then dropped the glass into the sink with a clatter, still looking ahead with a dull glare. Dark finished changing then looked at Ceal carefully.

"You hate the idea of being nice, you hate the idea of helping others, yet you're a dragon slayer, one who kills dragons to ensure the safety of the world around him. You have a noble purpose in life, what you do is a great service to many, and yet you seem to hate the idea of being a good soul to those around you," he said accusingly. Ceal merely glanced back to the demon while his gloved hand clenched tightly.

"I may be made of hatred and fear myself, born from the fires of hell, created to kill those around me, but I like having a heart more than being a bloody killer, I like having a soul. Why is it you despise being good so badly?" Dark questioned.

"Being good?" Ceal said bitterly as he turned to face Dark. The mage's eyes were formed into a harsh glare while dark tentacles started to creep up around the room and move about. Dark looked around the room then back to Ceal as the mage started walking towards him.

"I have a job to do shadow demon, I have a purpose as you said. I need to slay dragons, that's what I was born and raised to do, what I was trained to do, what I must do. That is the only 'good' I have to aspire for, the only thing that I should be concerned with. Being a good soul leads to weakness, being compassionate to those around you leads to becoming attached to them, setting yourself up for pain and suffering when they are taken from you. Giving in to those feelings never ends well for a true dragon slayer. Having a heart in our lives only leads to heartache!" he shouted out, being clearly angry with the topic. Dark looked at him carefully and shook his head.

"But you love Falla, don't you?" he asked.

"I do, and at the same time I cannot," Ceal said sternly. Dark looked at him cautiously as the slayer looked to his gloved hand.

"I can't say those words to her, I can't become even more distracted from my quest, I cannot lose sight of my purpose in life," he said with anger. He shook his head and looked back to Dark with a cold glare.

"I will not become weak and give in to my feelings, I will not drift further away from my cause, I will not let that happen. Giving in to those emotions, allowing the mind to become cloudy with being a 'good' soul, I will not suffer that fate," he cursed.

"How is being a good soul suffering? How is having love in your life going to hurt you?" Dark questioned.

"Because being a good soul and caring for others got my sister killed, and that accursed spell in your hands did nothing to bring her back to me!" Ceal yelled out.

Silence.

Dark looked to the scroll in his hands then to Ceal as the boy was now glaring at the parchment.

"It doesn't work, it's supposed to but it doesn't. And as such my sister could not be saved from her fate, could not be brought back after her heart led to her death," Ceal said with anger. Dark watched him carefully then glanced behind the boy towards the front door, seeing something before looking back at Ceal.

"Your sister died because she cared about others?" he asked.

"She died because she wished to help others, to be kind and generous to them. The women of our families are not trained to fight dragons, that is the men's job. But she still wished to help others, so much that she pursued a life of medicine, and what race has more effective medicine than humans?" Ceal said before looking at the demon with a frustrated glare. Dark kept his eyes on Ceal while holding the scroll in hand, watching as the mage shook his head.

"She wanted to go to a human school, to learn, to become an accomplished doctor. She wanted to help everyone around her, she would never turn anyone away that needed her help, she was a 'good' soul," Ceal said coldly. He then growled and narrowed his eyes at the demon.

"She liked the humans, said they weren't really so bad, that some of them were very friendly with her. And it was her compassion for others that got her killed. She tried to save a human child from being hit by a truck in the street. Instead they were both hit, the child died instantly, and my sister was left in a terminal condition. My sister could have become a renowned doctor and made a difference for both the human and monster realms with her medicine, instead she gave it all up in a vain attempt to save a single human child!" he said with anger. Dark glanced to the scroll then back to Ceal as the mage stepped back from him.

"I could heal her flesh and bones, I could give her crimson hair its lovely sheen, I could restore her delicate skin to a healthy state, but I could never bring back the person she was. Even with that spell, the supposed cure for healing a dead mind, I could not hear my sister's voice ever again," Ceal said coldly. He looked to his gloved hand which was trembling a bit before it settled down, then back to Dark again with a cold stare.

"With her death came heartache from losing another of my kin, my attachment for her led to pain that I could not heal. Her feelings for humans and life led to her death, her emotions and heart got her killed. My kind is not meant to love and care for others, we are only here for one purpose, to slay dragons," he stated firmly. Dark looked to the scroll again, remaining silent while Ceal watched him as he held back his scowl.

"There's your answer shadow demon. Whether I have a heart or not is irrelevant, I will not give in to my emotions about others, I will not become attached to those around me, I will not be distracted from my quest. I am a dragon slayer; this is my job, my life. I exist to use my blade against the dragons, that is all!" Ceal yelled out. Dark looked at him carefully as the mage glared at him.

"She wanted to go to school in the human world, just like you did. Is that why you were in Render and Leon's school, because your sister went there?" Dark asked.

"I enrolled merely to keep her happy while she was staying there, she didn't want to be so far away from her family during her education. After her death I remained so that I could be as close to her memory as I could while I had it," Ceal explained with a cold tone. Dark nodded slowly while watching the mage with a careful eye.

"But you did give in to your feelings, first for Falla and then her friends, you've helped us all out regardless of your wishes to be distant from us," he pointed out.

"And look what came of it. I'm stuck here in the human world helping you save a stubborn siren instead of being in the monster realm where I could be completing my quest. I've had to play the role of your medic to keep you all from dying the last couple of days alone, and I'm quite certain you're going to pester me again to help save another of your friends who will undoubtedly shoot their own foot off in their stupidity. Because of my feelings for that girl my life has gone way of course, and at the rate things are going now I may never get a chance to slay Fafnir, this is not what I wanted in my life," Ceal said harshly, with the tentacles around the room tensing up and gripping the furniture in his anger.

"But you're what I wanted in mine," Falla said from behind, with Ceal looking back to seeing Falla, Moka, and Complica standing inside the front foyer. Falla slowly walked up towards the mage with teary eyes as Ceal turned to face her, with Xarai's tentacles slowly slinking down and vanishing into the floor.

"You have a heart, you care about me and the others, I know you do. I love you Ceal, please, don't say you can't love me back," she whimpered.

"Big brother, you said you loved my sister, you said you did," Complica said sadly.

"What are you two doing here?" Ceal asked looking between them.

"Moka?" Dark asked as he saw the vampire. She smirked at him and shrugged.

"Hey, we came to pick you up," she said simply. Dark looked at her carefully then out the window, then walked over to it and saw an HDA helicopter parked in the lot across the street along with soldiers standing guard around the front entrance of the building. He looked back to Moka with a raised eyebrow as she nodded while leaning against the side of the doorway.

"Don't worry, they're on our side now," she assured.

"That just raises more questions," Dark said simply.

Falla walked up to Ceal and rested her hands on his chest while leaning closer to him with worried eyes.

"I know you can't say those words back right now, I know you can't say you love me until you're ready to marry me," she said softly.

"Wait, what?" Moka said looking to her with a jump.

"I know you can't say it yet, and I understand Ceal, I really do. But please, don't let me go; don't reject my love for you. I love you so much, I mean it, please don't say you can't love me anymore," Falla begged. Complica ran over and hugged Ceal along with Falla, the young chronofly looking up to him with watery eyes.

"Please don't leave us big brother we need you Falla needs you please don't say you don't love her you know you do you love her you even said so we know you care about us you're not a mean scary monster you're a great guy please don't let my sister go," she whimpered quickly before taking a few deep breaths. Ceal looked between them then to Moka as the vampire walked over to them.

"Ceal, you are a good soul, just like your sister was. I'm sorry you lost her like that, I really am. But please, don't become a heartless monster in life; your sister wouldn't want that for you, we don't want that for you. You care about Falla, you care about Complica, you care about all of us, even if you're afraid to admit it we can all see it, you have a heart. There's nothing wrong with that, it doesn't make you weak," she said gently. Ceal looked back to Falla as she nodded with watery eyes.

"You're not alone Ceal, we're here with you. And I swear, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you find and kill Fafnir, I promised I would and I meant it. I won't let you be distracted from your quest, I'll nag you every day to get out there and be the best dragon slayer you can be, just like a faithful wife for you should," she said before she started getting choked up with her tears. She shook her head then hugged the boy close while breaking down.

"I promise, you'll have your dragon, just don't let me go Ceal!" she cried out. Ceal held the girl as she cried on his shoulder, with Complica looking up at the boy with worried eyes while holding onto his side.

"You're not a bad person big brother, I know you're not," she said softly.

Ceal breathed out quietly then held Falla back a bit while she held onto him, the girl sobbing while looking at him with watery eyes.

"I love you," she said shakily.

"Falla, calm yourself," he said wiping a tear from her cheek. She whimpered and wiped her eyes before looking at the boy with growing concern still. He then gently brushed a few hairs away from her face.

"I'm not letting you go, I'm not abandoning you or Complica," he said, with Falla's eyes lighting up from that.

"You're not?" she asked. Ceal shook his head as the girl took hold of his hand with both of hers.

"I'm not going to leave you Falla. As much as I'm annoyed by all these distractions, as much as I hate having to help your friends with their little problems in life, as much as I do blame you for dragging me into all of this…" he said, with Falla showing a nervous expression to that before Ceal smirked lightly.

"I don't want to let you go. You followed me home, so now I'm going to keep you," he finished, with Falla looking at him with wonder.

"Ceal… does this mean… that you…" she said softly. Ceal glanced to Complica then to Falla while remaining quiet. A while of silence passed before Xarai's groan was heard, with the group looking down to seeing a tentacle coming up from the ground and pulling on Ceal's leg towards Falla. Falla smiled lightly at the gesture then looked to seeing Ceal staring at the necro limb with a dull expression.

"Xarai, don't you start with that as well," he said coldly. The limb slowly let go of the boy and retracted into the ground as the group, minus Dark, smiled at Ceal. The mage shook his head then looked back to Falla.

"Don't rush me on that Falla," he said simply. Falla calmed herself down and nodded with a smile at the boy.

"I understand, you're not ready for that yet, that's fine. As long as I can stay by your side, I'll wait as long as it takes to hear those words from you," she said softly. She hugged the boy again, holding onto him tightly as Complica did as well. Ceal just looked ahead at Moka with a dull expression as the vampire smiled amusedly at the boy.

"You really are a nice guy Ceal," Moka said kindly.

"Shut up," Ceal said flatly. Falla and Complica giggled while Moka shook her head with a smile still. The vampire then looked back out into the hall then to the others while clearing her throat to get their attention.

"We should get going, we need to meet the others at the HDA base soon," she mentioned.

"What?" Dark asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We're traveling to the HDA base?" Ceal questioned. Complica looked up to him with a bright smile.

"Yeah big brother they're on our side now it was so cool they gave us all rides in helicopters I flew here in one with Moka and Falla and it was so high up in the sky I still don't know how they do that it's like some weird kind of magic I mean they have no wings or anything yet they can fly and they make this really loud thumping noise with some spinning things they're just so cool and we get to ride in one now and go see-" she said before she wavered off-balance while gasping for air, stumbling about before falling back as her world was spinning. Before she hit the ground Ceal reached down and caught her, lifting her up into his arms and carrying the dazed girl. Complica shook her head then looked to him with a cute smile while Falla watched her boyfriend with loving eyes. Ceal shook his head a bit then glanced to the scroll Dark was holding, the group looking to it as well.

"Do you think it can save Sun?" Moka asked.

"If it didn't work for your sister, what are the odds it'll work for her?" Dark asked.

"Big brother?" Complica asked worriedly as she looked up to him. Ceal looked to her then to Moka.

"It's all we can try. Perhaps fate will be kinder to the siren than my sister this time around," he said skeptically. Moka nodded then waved them out.

"Alright, let's get going then, our ride is waiting for us," she said. The group made their way out of the room and down the hall, passing a few HDA soldiers that were standing guard for them. As they did Falla glanced to see Ceal still carrying Complica in his arms, the young chronofly voicing no complaints on the matter.

"She can walk now you know," Falla said amusedly.

"Are you saying you want me to drop her?" he asked while still looking ahead. Complica clung to his chest and smiled smugly at Falla.

"Aw, sister, don't be jealous, I'm just his little sister is all," she said innocently with a giggle. The elder chronofly gave her a small sneer before looking at Ceal with a curious eye.

"Um, Ceal? What was your real sister's name, if you don't mind me asking," she asked. Ceal glanced to her then looked ahead again.

"Tonya," he said softly. Complica looked to him with gentle eyes then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, the boy looking down to seeing her snuggling against him while smiling gently at the boy.

"Were you protective of her too?" she asked.

"I was, or at least I tried to be," he said looking back ahead.

"Don't blame yourself for her death Ceal, she died trying to save someone, you had no control over it," Falla said softly. Complica nodded and held onto the boy's shirt.

"You're the greatest big brother ever, I'm sure she believed that too," she said softly. After a moment he glanced down to her with a smirk.

"Funny, she always said I was bothersome brother to have," he said simply.

"I'm shocked," Dark said dryly as he walked past them. Ceal looked to the demon with a dull stare as they got to the stairs, the mage then kicking Dark's leg from behind and throwing him off-balance. The group watched as the demon fell down and tumbled to the lower level before crashing into the wall.

"Ceal!" Moka exclaimed.

"Um, I think Dark had that coming to be honest," Falla said with a weak smile and shrug.

"Correct answer Falla," Ceal said as he set Complica down on her feet then walked down the stairs towards Dark who was rubbing his head with an annoyed growl. Falla blushed and glanced to Moka with a small smile while Complica watched the boys curiously. Ceal got to the lower floor and knelt down next to Dark, taking hold of the demon's wounded leg as Dark glared at him.

"Huh, it appears you've hurt your leg," Ceal said dryly. Dark looked at him cautiously then to his leg.

"That's a funny way of apologizing for-"

"Just shut up and I'll take care of it, this time," Ceal said glancing to him, his hand giving off a small glow as Dark's wounded leg started to heal at a faster rate. Dark looked to his leg then to Ceal carefully as the mage used his magic to restore the boy's leg to normal. The girls walked down the stairs to them as Ceal finished, the mage then standing up and looking down at the demon with a blank expression.

"Don't mention it," he said before walking off, with Falla and Complica smiling weakly at Dark before following after the mage. Dark stood back up with Moka, looking at his leg which felt completely fine again.

"What was all that about?" Moka asked. Dark glanced to her then ahead as the others vanished from sight down the stairs.

"He was just apologizing for something, in his own way," he said with a shrug. He started walking off while Moka looked at him with confusion, the vampire then following after him. They all headed out in front of the building, with Moka leading the way while HDA soldiers kept guard around them. Ahead the chopper started up its rotors and engines, with dust flowing away from the craft in waves as the doors were opened for them.

"We have our friends and a possible cure for our friend, we're ready to head back," Moka called out as they started to board the craft. The pilot nodded and radioed in to his superiors while the group got into the chopper and took their seats. Ceal sat back against the rear wall, with Falla and Complica sitting at his sides while holding onto his arms. The boy glanced between them with a blank expression then looked ahead to see Moka buckling in and smiling amusedly at him.

"It's not so bad being loved, is it Ceal?" she asked playfully.

"I said shut up," Ceal said flatly. Moka chuckled then looked to Dark as the demon buckled in next to her, the boy looking at her curiously now.

"Care to explain?" he asked.

"Once we get there we'll play catch up with the others, it looks like we all have a lot to talk about," she said looking to Falla with a curious eye. Falla giggled and looked to Ceal with loving eyes, the boy just watching the HDA soldiers getting into the craft and closing the doors with a careful eye.

"We're all set, take off," one of the men called out as they got buckled in as well. The pilot nodded and the chopper lifted off the ground, taking off over the city while the other HDA personal boarded their vehicles and left the area.

"First the HDA tries to kill us, then their chauffeuring us around with armed escorts. I feel as though I'm missing something here," Ceal mentioned while glancing to Moka.

"Falla and Kyouko were supposed to be trapped in the monster world, and yet Falla's sitting next to you right now. I think we're all missing something here Ceal," Moka replied with a raised eyebrow. Ceal just looked at her for a moment then to the soldiers near them, the humans watching the group curiously as the chopper flew over the city towards the HDA HQ. Complica watched the scenery passing by her window then looked to Ceal with worried eyes.

"I hope that spell helps Sun come back to us," she said softly. Ceal glanced to her then to the scroll in Dark's hands.

"I'll do all that I can for her Complica, here's hoping that spell does indeed work this time," he said as the craft flew off on its course to meet with the others and the catatonic siren.

---

Flying over a human city Ran was looking out the window of the helicopter while having a nervous expression on her face. Sitting next to her was Ahakon, the boy feeling the siren holding onto his hand very tightly as she whimpered quietly to herself. Sitting across from them Yukari was looking at Ran with a raised eyebrow as she saw the girl squeezing Ahakon's hand in her fearful state.

"Why are you afraid of flying, you're a siren, you can fly on your own," Yukari questioned, with the soldiers sitting back with them watching the siren curiously. Ran glanced nervously to the witch and shook her head.

"I've never flown in one of these things before, and just how is it flying anyway? There are no wings, no magical lights, nothing, what's keeping us in the air like this?" she asked shakily.

"Seriously? It's a helicopter, the rotors above spin and spin and spin and keep us up in the air," Yukari said pointing up.

"It's ok Ran, flying like this is perfectly safe," Ahakon said as he tried to free his hand that was starting to lose feeling.

"Safe? We're strapped into a metal car that's flying up in the sky and making a weird sound, how is this safe?" Ran said looking around at the roof nervously as the thumping of the rotors remained constant. Yukari rolled her eyes then looked to the soldier next to her.

"Could you please calm her down before she crushes my boyfriend's hand?" she asked dryly. The man glanced to her then to Ran.

"Um, you can relax miss; you're perfectly safe flying in the air like this. There's no magic involved or anything, it's just modern human technology that makes this possible," he reassured.

"There, you see? It's ok, let go of my hand now Ran, I can't feel it anymore," Ahakon said as he struggled to free his hand from her vicelike grip.

Flying in another vehicle Kurumu and Rason were looking out one side of the helicopter they were in, watching as the sights of buildings and the city were gradually turning to more urban and rural areas. Sitting next to Kurumu was Luna, the chronofly buckled in and holding onto Gabriel's hand tightly while she had her eyes shut. Gabriel was looking at her with concern while the soldiers in back were watching the monsters curiously.

"Luna? What's wrong?" Gabriel asked. Kurumu and Rason looked to seeing Luna trembling a bit while keeping her eyes shut. Kurumu blinked then laughed a bit.

"What's wrong Luna, afraid of flying?" she asked.

"I'm not afraid of flying, I'm afraid of being fastened into something that is staying up in the air by means I can't even understand!" Luna cried out.

"It's ok Luna, it's just a human helicopter, they're made to fly in the air like this," Rason said while gesturing around at the interior of the craft.

"How? There's no wings or anything, and what's with that sound? Is that normal? Is it?" Luna asked franticly while looking around.

"Relax Luna, it's just the rotors spinning, that's normal," Kurumu said with a worried smile.

"What in the world is a rotor?" Luna asked her while shaking her head.

"They're the blades that are spinning above us, they're keeping us in the air," Rason said pointing up. Luna turned pale and stared at him with a nervous expression.

"Blades? There are spinning blades above us?" she asked shakily. She screamed and clung to Gabriel's arm while burying her face in his shoulder, the boy looking at her with concern then to the others.

"I don't think she's a fan of flying like this," he reasoned shaking his head.

"It's ok Luna, we've ridden in these things before, nothing bad is going to happen," Rason said assuredly. Luna continued to tremble while holding onto Gabriel's arm out of sheer fright.

"Yeah, just relax and enjoy the ride, you've been in human buses and cars before right? This isn't any different," Kurumu reasoned hopefully.

"Those things were on the ground with moving wheels, this thing is up in the freaking air and making a loud strange noise, this is completely different!" Luna cried out. Gabriel looked around at the cabin then to Luna while gently holding her with his other arm.

"It's alright Luna, I've seen humans riding in these vehicles before while I was up in heaven, they're perfectly safe to be in," he said gently. Luna whimpered and glanced up to him while trembling still.

"Really?" she asked nervously. Gabriel nodded and looked to the soldiers in back with them.

"Of course, please tell her that there's nothing to be worried about," he said hopefully. The men just stared at him as the sounds of the rotors above were all that was heard in the cabin. After a while one of them pointed to him.

"You're really an angel kid?" the man asked. Gabriel blinked then looked at him with a dull expression.

"Yes, I'm an angel, so is my friend here, and these two girls are monsters. Now that that's cleared up, would you mind putting this one's fears to rest?" he requested dryly. The men jumped a bit then smiled weakly at Luna.

"Um, they're right miss, you're safe and sound in this ride," one of them said with a nod.

"Flying is actually one of the safest forms of human travel," another added with a shrug. Luna looked to them worriedly then to Gabriel while holding onto his arm still.

"You're sure it's safe?" she asked softly.

"Yes, and you're safely secured in your seat, with your friends and me back here with you, along with an armed escort. Luna, you're as safe as can be right now," Gabriel said gently. Luna rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling the bond flowing through the contact and calming her mind down.

"If you say so, my angel," she said softly. Kurumu and Rason smiled at her then looked to Gabriel who was blushing from that comment. He smiled a bit and glanced to the others before looking back to Luna.

'I'm actually her angel. I'm Luna's angel; it's almost too good to be true. I just have to earn my place as her angel, she deserves a real knight in-'

The ride bumped a bit as the chopper turned slightly, with Luna instantly screaming and clinging to Gabriel for dear life.

"AHHH! Don't let me die my angel!" she screamed out while burying her face in his shoulder. Gabriel smiled weakly at her then looked to the others, with Kurumu holding a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter from slipping out and Rason shaking his head amusedly at the chronofly.

In another ride Kyouko was looking down with a dull expression, having her arms crossed while she was strapped into her seat, and grinding her teeth a bit as the soldiers next to her were watching her carefully.

"For the last time, I'm not going home," Kyouko muttered.

"We only have orders to bring in all monsters that were at the villa, you're human, you shouldn't be here," a soldier said shaking his head.

"This is not a joyride, the HDA is only bringing in those that were involved with the monster attacks to speak with the director," the other said.

"I was involved in those monster attacks, and I'd like to give your boss a piece of my mind as well. You people shot at me the other day, what the hell?" Kyouko yelled out at them.

"If you were caught in the crossfire that was unfortunate, however that doesn't mean you should be getting yourself tangled up in this conflict. As soon as we land at the base we'll have you returned to your parents," one of the men said.

"Crossfire my ass! You were all shooting at me and my friends without even asking for our side of the story!" Kyouko yelled out at them.

"Your side of the story?" one of the men asked.

"And just what was your side of the story?" the other asked dryly.

"I told you, monsters came and attacked my friends who are also monsters, the fight escalated and the school was destroyed before my friends and I stopped the evil ones ourselves, and that's when you people started shooting at us thinking we were the bad guys! For god's sake I killed one of those monsters myself and all I got as thanks were bullets flying at me!" Kyouko yelled out.

"You killed a monster?" a soldier asked questionably.

"You're damn right I did," Kyouko said proudly.

"How?" the other man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I cracked the bitch's head open with a baseball bat," Kyouko said with a grin. The men just glanced to each other then back to the girl.

"A baseball bat. You killed a monster with a baseball bat," one of them said dryly.

"Yeah I killed her, I beat her lousy corpse to a pulp after all she put me through," Kyouko said with discontent.

"Alright, you're heading home as soon as we get back to base, end of story," one of the men said crossing his arms. Kyouko looked to him with disbelief as the other soldier was shaking his head.

"It's hard enough to believe that actually want to fight against monsters like you say you are, but killing one with a baseball bat is just plain unbelievable," he said before rolling his eyes.

"But I did! I killed that stupid bitch and helped put a stop to that fight, it's the truth!" Kyouko said desperately, and then looked ahead of her at Ruby and Razico who were just watching the girl while remaining silent.

"Tell them, you were there Razico, tell them I'm not making this up," she pleaded. The soldiers looked to Razico as he raised an eyebrow at Kyouko for a moment before he shrugged with a casual smile.

"Gentlemen, she's telling the truth. I was there myself on that day, and she did indeed land the final blow on one of the monsters that was attacking the school, I saw it with my own eyes," he said assuredly. Kyouko smiled brightly at him as the soldiers looked at her curiously.

"She did?" one asked.

"With a mere baseball bat?" the other questioned. Razico nodded and looked up in thought.

"Yes, she killed the monster with a baseball bat, after the monster had been worn down by the fight, detained by necro magic, had its remaining eye ripped out in front of it, and left to wallow in the shame of defeat while being utterly helpless. Yessir, Kyouko here really let that defenseless monster have it with a baseball bat like you wouldn't believe," he said with a nod. Kyouko twitched at that then looked at Razico with an annoyed smile while Ruby giggled a bit.

"Did you have to put it like that?" Kyouko snapped.

"I'm just telling the truth Kyouko, I'm sure you just forgot to mention all those details about your 'kill'," Razico said with a smirk at her. The soldiers just looked at Kyouko with raised eyebrows as she glanced between them with a worried expression.

"That doesn't change anything, I'm not leaving my friends and that's that," she said somewhat firmly.

Inside another helicopter Fang Fang was watching the scenery pass by through his window with Arial sitting across from him and looking out the window as well. The snow angel however was holding onto her safety harness with a tight grip while she was trembling. She had her music playing again, although she could hear her own teeth chattering from her fright. Her frosted wings were pressed back against the seat, cutting them up slightly as she whimpered while her eyes darted around at the passing sights of the earth down below.

"How is this thing flying anyway?" she asked nervously as she took her earbuds out, the music doing nothing to calm her down. Fang Fang looked to her with a curious smile.

"It's quite alright, this is one of the many different flying machines humans use in their world, it's perfectly safe," he reassured.

"I'm strapped into a flying tin can high up in the air, how is that safe? What was that? Is that noise normal?" Arial asked looking around nervously as the sounds of the rotors and engine were heard above them. Sitting next to her Felucia was leaning back in her seat with her arms resting behind her head, having a calm expression while she didn't even bother to fasten her safety belt.

"Relax Arial, nothing to worry about. Hey, did you know Dark knows how to fly these things?" Felucia mentioned with a glance at the angel. Arial looked to her with wonder as Mizore was watching the frightened snow angel with an amused expression while sitting next to Fang Fang.

"He does?" Arial asked.

"You bet, he can pilot anything. Cars, tanks, helicopters, you name it, the guy was trained to be the best after all," Felucia said with a wink at her. Arial looked at her with wonder as the soldiers next to them watched the monsters curiously.

"Wow, he can really fly something like this?" Arial asked. Mizore smiled and nodded at her.

"Yes, I've flown with him before, he's-" she said before a shard of ice struck her forehead, the girl lurching back with a yelp while the soldiers watched with wide eyes.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Arial snapped at Mizore. The snow maiden yanked the shard out and held a hand over her bruise while struggling not to scream at the angel while Fang Fang watched with a nervous expression. Felucia looked at Mizore worriedly then to Arial as the snow angel was again watching her with eyes of wonder.

"Do you know how to fly these things too?" she asked. Felucia hesitated then shook her head.

"Um, no, I wasn't trained to operate vehicles like this," she said with a shrug.

"Trained? Were you in some form of monster army or something?" a soldier asked. Felucia glanced to him with a smirk.

"I guess you could say that, but I'm more of an ex-agent with that group, working with them just wasn't for me," she said simply. Arial then clung to her as the vehicle rocked a bit, with the group watching as the snow angel held onto Felucia's waist and breast while burying her face into the demon's side.

"Is it supposed to do that? Why is it shaking like that? When can we get off this thing?" Arial cried out. Felucia tried to remove the angel's grip on her with a weak smile.

"It's alright; it does that sometimes, just relax- AH! Damn, your hands are cold," Felucia said as she tried to get the angel's hand off her breast. Arial let go then promptly held onto the demon's waist while burying her face in Felucia's side.

"Make it stop, I don't like it! I don't like this!" Arial cried out.

"The poor girl," Fang Fang said sympathetically.

"Oh yeah, poor Arial," Mizore muttered while glaring at the snow angel as she rubbed her forehead. Felucia looked around at everybody then to Arial, hesitating for a moment before she gently brushed the angel's hair.

"Um, there there, it'll… be ok. Won't be much longer, just… calm down," she said unsurely. Arial looked up to her with gentle eyes.

"Don't let me go, ok?" she said softly before she put her earbuds back in and nuzzled against the demon's side again. Felucia held her arm over the angel while looking to Mizore with concern then to Arial as she reluctantly held the snow angel gently, the frightened young girl trembling still while shutting her eyes.

"Um… yeah, sure," Felucia said softly. She sighed quietly then glanced to Mizore.

"Crap," she muttered.

"Would you stop showing me up like this?" Mizore said with annoyance.

"I'm not trying to, honest," Felucia whined.

"Stop getting on her good side then, she's falling even more in love with the idea of you and Dark being together," Mizore said shaking her head.

"What am I supposed to do, be a total bitch to her? You know this girl means a lot to me too, she gave Dark life, hell I was praying to her at night as well," Felucia said worriedly. Mizore groaned with annoyance as she slumped back in her seat, looking at Arial with a dull stare as the angel calmed down slightly while holding onto Felucia.

"She hates me still, how am I supposed to get on her good side before we send her back?" she said tiredly.

"Perhaps you just need to be nicer to her," Fang Fang suggested. Mizore looked to him with a dull glance.

"I've been on my best behavior with her, I even saved her ungrateful soul's life earlier; how could I possibly be nicer to her?" she said with a bite. Fang Fang opened his mouth to speak, paused, and then looked up thoughtfully. Mizore nodded and looked back to Arial.

"Yeah, exactly," she said as Felucia reluctantly brushed the snow angel's hair.

Riding in another HDA chopper Gin and Kokoa were watching Sun as the siren remained on her stretcher at their feet. On Kokoa's shoulder Kou was looking down at the siren as well while the soldiers were watching over the monsters.

"Please big sis, hurry and find them," Kokoa said quietly.

One of the soldiers looked out the window then to the monsters again.

"We're almost at the base, we'll move your friend here into the medical wing to await your friends' arrival once we land," he informed. Gin and Kokoa nodded as they kept watching Sun, both hoping that Ceal would be able to bring the girl back from the brink.

"Any word from my sister? Have they found our friends yet?" Kokoa asked looking to the soldier.

"I'm not sure, I haven't heard anything yet," he said shaking his head. Kokoa looked down to Sun then to Gin with worried eyes.

"What if that spell doesn't work? What if… I really did… kill her?" she asked shakily.

"Don't give up hope Kokoa, I'm sure not giving up yet. Ceal's done the impossible for us before, he can do it again," Gin said while holding onto her hand. Kokoa looked down to Sun with concern, hoping that the catalyst mage could indeed fix this.

"We're approaching the base now, we'll be landing in just a few minutes," the pilot called back. Kokoa closed her eyes and rested her head on Gin's arm.

'Sun, I really am sorry; I hope you come back to us. I never meant-'

Suddenly a loud bang was heard along with a squealing engine, with Gin and Kokoa looking to the window and seeing one of the choppers flying nearby wavering off-balance while smoke was coming from the engine. The helicopter then started dropping altitude and tipping around as the main rotors whirred and clunked with each spin.

"What happened?" Gin called out.

"Oh my god, it's on fire!" Kokoa screamed as the top of the other chopper burst into flame.

"What the hell is happening? Unit 5, report!" the pilot called out.

Inside the damaged helicopter the pilot was struggling to keep his vehicle from spinning out of control.

"This is Unit 5, we've had an engine malfunction, I can't keep it steady," he called out as the soldiers in the back were holding onto their seats. Next to them Render and Leon were holding onto their harnesses while the witch sisters were holding onto each other and screaming.

"AHHH!" the sisters yelled out in unison.

"What do you mean an engine malfunction?" Render shouted out.

"I think he means we're going down!" Leon said as the craft started to spin out of control and descend. The passengers in the other rides looked to their windows to seeing the burning chopper spiraling and dropping towards a small forest below them.

"Oh my god!" Kurumu yelled out.

"What happened?" Yukari cried out.

"Oh shit, they're going down!" Felucia yelled out.

"I can't hold it, brace for impact!" the pilot in the damaged helicopter called out. The soldiers in back secured their rifles then held onto their harnesses while Render and Leon were feeling the force of the spin pushing them towards the side of the cabin. Apoch and Astreal clung to their harnesses as they screamed, with the whirring of the engines and squealing of the gears growing louder as the girls shut their eyes out of fright. As they did a ghostly skeletal hand crept along their seatbelts and harnesses before fading from view. The chopper spun around before crashing down into the woods, the rotors slicing through trees before the craft tilted and hit the ground on its side. The spinning blades chopped up the ground before breaking off, with the downed craft tumbling and sliding across the ground before crashing through a few trees. The chopper cracked open, with the front cockpit smashing against a tree and the passenger seats behind it breaking apart and flying out the side of the hull.

"Not cool!" Render cried out as he was thrown out of the chopper, the two boys and soldier next to them crashing into the ground and sliding further away as they remained buckled in to their seats. They slammed to a halt against a tree, with their seats facing the broken lumber, as the helicopter spun a bit before crashing into a boulder, coming to a swift stop as the engine caught on fire. Inside the cabin the remaining soldier was limp in his seat next to the sisters, his head dangling with a broken neck as he was slumped forward in his harness. Apoch and Astreal groaned as their world slowly stopped spinning, each having some blood dripping from their heads as they struggled to move.

"Sister… sister, are… you ok?" Apoch said weakly.

"I think… so…" Astreal said with a cough as smoke started to fill the cabin.

Outside Render and Leon were trying to get their seatbelts off while the soldier next to them was groaning in pain, the man unbuckling his belt before dropping onto the ground next to the seats with a grunt.

"Holy shit, you ok man?" Leon said as he finally got his belt unbuckled.

"Worst… ride… ever…" Render groaned as he undid his belt, the boy dropping back with a roll onto the grass as Leon tried to stand back up again. He shook his head then looked to the chopper as it was still on fire with the sides of the hull broken apart.

"Oh god, Astreal! Apoch! Are you two ok?" Leon called out.

"Apoch? Apoch!" Render cried out as he stumbled to his feet, his world still spinning as he grew worried about his girlfriend's health. The two boys looked to the soldier who was coughing and slowly getting up then started running toward the downed chopper.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Leon called out.

"Say something!" Render shouted as he stumbled a bit.

"Leon?" Astreal called out weakly.

"We're fine… I think…" Apoch added. The two boys ran to the side of the cabin and looked in, seeing the dead soldier next to the sisters and the very dead pilot in the remains of the cockpit.

"Dude, bogus," Render said shaking his head.

"C'mon, we need to get you out of there," Leon said as the two boys jumped into the cabin with the sisters. The roof sparked and crackled as flames flared up along the side of the hull. The casters looked around to seeing the engine sparking and catching on fire in front as a hissing sound was heard above.

"Get them out of here, now!" Leon said as he tried to unfasten Astreal's belt. Render was yanking on Apoch's as the sisters were frantically trying to undo their shoulder harnesses.

"What the hell, it's stuck!" Render grunted as he couldn't undo Apoch's seatbelt.

"Get us out of here! Get us out!" Astreal screamed as she thrashed around in her harness, the latches not coming undone as Leon struggled to undo the one over the witch's lap.

"Help! Do something!" Apoch screamed as fire flared up along the ceiling.

"This thing's going to blow! Get them out now!" Leon yelled out.

"I'm trying, it's not coming off!" Render cried out as his hands frantically tried to undo the seatbelt.

Outside the soldier was slowly getting up as a few others landed down nearby. He saw the vehicle burning and also some movement inside the hull through the cracked and smudged windows.

"Hey… hey! What are you doing, get out of there!" he called out as he ran over to the site. From the other choppers the group members quickly disembarked and ran over to the scene as they saw a large flash shot off from the burning engine.

"Oh my god," Kyouko said holding a hand over her mouth.

"I thought you said these things were safe!" Ran cried out at Yukari.

"They are, I mean they're as safe as can be for something that flies in the air like they do," Yukari reasoned nervously while shaking her head.

"Holy shit, who's in that thing?" Rason asked. Mizore looked around at the group then to the chopper with fright.

"Apoch and Astreal were on that, Render and Leon too!" she called out.

"What?" Ruby said with a jump.

Inside the chopper Render and Leon were struggling to free their girlfriends, both sisters trapped in their seats as their harnesses and belts just would not come undone.

"Get us out of here, please!" Astreal shrieked as the fires started burning near them.

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe," Apoch coughed out as she shut her eyes, struggling to breathe with all the smoke filling the cabin.

"What the hell is this, the damned thing's not coming loose!" Render yelled as he couldn't get the belt off of Apoch.

"We have to get them out now!" Leon yelled as he kept trying to get the harness off of Astreal, the witch thrashing around frantically now while Apoch was holding her hands over her mouth.

The HDA soldier ran around the burning vehicle and over to them as the engine above started sparking and flashing with bursts of flame.

"What are you doing, get away from this thing now!" he yelled as he grabbed Render and Leon by the shoulders and started pulling them away.

"No! No, I can't leave her like this!" Leon yelled as he freed himself and ran back to Astreal.

"Apoch! Apoch!" Render yelled as the boys were desperately trying to free the girls.

"Render!" Apoch coughed out before she started choking on the smoke.

"Leon! Help!" Astreal screamed as the fires burned closer to her head. The soldier looked to the girls then rushed in and struggled to undo the straps, not being able to as they refused to unhook.

"What the hell, they're not coming undone," he grunted.

"We noticed, do something!" Leon yelled out. The man struggled to undo the straps then pulled out his combat knife. He started cutting the belt over Apoch while the fires flared up overhead, the engine making a loud squealing sound as the human tried to cut the strap. He sliced through it then started cutting on Apoch's harness while Astreal was thrashing around in a panic.

"Get us out! Hurry!" she shrieked.

"Help us!" Apoch screamed out as she struggled to move. The soldier cut apart her harness, the girl then stumbling forward as she tried to breathe through the smoke. The man handed her off to Render then started to cut the harness holding Astreal.

"Get her out of here, go!" the soldier called out. Render quickly helped Apoch stumble out of the chopper, the girl gasping for air as the hissing and squealing sound from the burning craft grew louder.

"It's going to blow, save yourself!" Astreal cried out.

"I'm not leaving you!" Leon yelled out as he kept trying to pull free the witch's harness.

"Dammit, get out of here kid, go!" the soldier said pushing Leon away.

Apoch caught her breath then looked back to the chopper as a small blast ruptured from the roof.

"Sister!" she cried out. She quickly formed her barrier sword and ran back in, pushing aside Leon then thrusting her blade forward across Astreal's lap, slicing the belt apart while the human stared with wide eyes at the glowing sword.

"What the hell?" he cried out.

"Move!" Leon said as he grabbed him and pulled him back, with Apoch then swiping her blade around her sister carefully, severing the harness straps from the wall before she grabbed her sister's arm.

"Run!" she screamed as they all raced out of the chopper. It started sparking wildly before it blasted into a fireball, with Apoch and Astreal turning around and forming their barriers before their boyfriends and the HDA soldier. On the other side of the burning craft Ruby held out her wand and erected a barrier in front of them as flaming bits of debris hit the shield, the group watching with shock as the helicopter exploded violently.

"Oh my god, Apoch, Astreal!" Kurumu cried out.

"Shit, Render! Leon!" Gin called out.

Luna clung to Gabriel's arm while watching the burning wreckage with fright, fearful her friends were killed in the blast. Arial clung to Felucia's side as she watched the fires flare in front of her, fearful of the deadly fires that were burning so close to her. And Ran grabbed hold of Ahakon, the mage's head being forced into her breasts as the taller girl whimpered and watched the burning vehicle explode again while Ahakon thrashed around in her grip.

"No!" Kokoa cried out. A soldier nearby shook his head then held up a radio.

"This is the monster escort unit; we have a bird down just outside the perimeter. I repeat, we have a bird down," he called out.

"What do you care about a bird for at a time like this? Our friends were just killed in a crash!" Gabriel yelled out at him.

"It's just a saying Gabriel, he's talking about the helicopter," Rason said shaking his head while Kurumu was holding back her tears.

"No, they can't be gone, they can't be," Yukari whimpered while watching the fiery crash site as she was also trying to pry free her boyfriend from the siren's bosom.

Razico looked to Ruby with remorse, the witch glancing back to him with sorrow then looking forward as she lowered the barrier. Fang Fang watched the fires burning with remorseful eyes then pointed to something with a jump.

"Look," he said, the group then seeing the five survivors of the crash walking around the burning wreck. The witch sisters' clothing was scuffed and blacked slightly while the boys were helping the girls walk as they wavered slightly off-balance. The soldier walking with them was looking at the girls with disbelief after he had seen them using their magic to block the explosion and fiery debris from killing them.

"They're ok!" Felucia said with a smile.

"Oh thank god," Gabriel said while breathing out in relief.

The casters and soldiers walked over to the group, with Apoch and Astreal then dropping to their knees as their legs gave out. Render and Leon knelt down beside them as the soldier looked to his comrades.

"You ok?" one of the other men asked. The soldier just nodded and looked to the witch sisters.

"Yeah, they saved us from the explosion with some very strange magic," he said with wonder. Apoch and Astreal caught their breath then looked to him with weak smiles.

"Thank you, for helping save us as well," Apoch said softly.

"Certainly a nice change from you trying to kill us," Astreal added. The soldier smiled a bit and nodded.

"Just following my orders miss," he said kindly.

"I'm glad you're all alright, you gave us quite a fright back there," Fang Fang said with a kind smile. Luna looked to Gabriel and shook her head.

"I'm not flying in those things again, not again. Please don't make me ride in them again," she said worriedly. Gabriel held her with a weak smile as the chronofly clung to his chest and tried to steady her breathing.

"I'm sure it was just an accident," Gabriel reasoned.

"Yeah, I'm not getting back in those things either, no way," Arial said shaking her head before she held onto Felucia's hand, the demon looking to her then to Mizore with a worried smile.

Yukari finally freed Ahakon from Ran's bosom, the mage gasping for air and stumbling around dazed as Ran held her arms around herself while trembling still. Yukari looked at her with a dull expression then sighed before she helped Ahakon stand upright again, not wanting to clonk the siren on the head with a washtub while she was still so shaken up about the crash.

The HDA soldiers started walking around the burning wreckage as sirens were heard approaching in the distance. As the group took the moment to calm their nerves and be thankful they were all ok again Apoch and Astreal held onto their boyfriends out of relief, the two mages holding them closely as well.

"Thank you, for not letting me go," Astreal said softly. Leon gently brushed her hair to help soothe the witch.

"I would never let you go Astreal," he said gently.

Apoch coughed and tried to catch her breath while Render held her close.

"Never a dull moment around you babe," he said with a small chuckle. Apoch smiled softly and looked to him as she shrugged a bit. She then hugged him again as the sisters tried to relax their minds after their near-death experience. The two girls then shuddered as they held onto their boyfriends, feeling cold chills running down their backs.

"It's ok, you're safe now, you can relax," Leon said gently.

"Yeah, we're right here with you, we won't let anything happen to you," Render added in agreement. The witch sisters remained silent as they held onto their boyfriends, both wanting to believe those comforting words. However they couldn't shake the fact that the cold chill they felt wasn't going away, rather it seemed to be lingering around them. It felt ominous, cold, and a bit frightening.

It was almost as if death itself was breathing down their necks.