I looked around the sandy desert, and the forever setting sun...

(Desert: h, t, t, p, s : / /academy off ra grance alchemy . ("com") / wp-content / uploads / 2017 / 04 / oasis-sunset-3 . jpg)

"Mom and Dad...they're pissed at you," I spoke in a less..."closed walls" tone.

Suri chuckled bitterly, "I know...but it seemed like..there was no other choice."

*Silence*

"H-Hey, let's take a look at your ancestors lives, during my time period, of course," she suggested in a nervous tone.

I looked away from the sun and at her, immediately understanding what she's trying to do.

I grabbed her outstretched hand with my right one, smiling at her.

"Sorry about squeezing you into a pile of black sand. I couldn't control the process of Nigh-"

"No, no. It's fine. Now..."

The sand around us had risen, the suddenly burst into dust, displaying a new scene before us...

There were people around Suri...the Suri millennia ago, around her throne, which she sat in, looking down at something..or someone?

(What Suri looks like: h, t, t, p, s : / / data . whic dn . ("com") / images / 133557219 / original . jpg

Her throne room: h, t, t, p, s : / / cd nb . art station . ("com") / p / assets / images / images / 000 / 589 / 787 / large / tomislav-bozic-throne-room-final-1 . jpg ? 1427752807)

But it wasn't a "I rule over you" looking down... Her face was gentle, she had a genuine smile, and her skin..was glowing metaphorically.

It was a "I watch over you" look.

"Māwiyya, what is it that makes you so gleeful today?"

Her lips trembled, refraining from showing a bright grin...full of happiness.

"I...I'm expecting a visitor today."

"My husband," she informed. "I wanted to marry for love. None of the suitors my close servants―especially Aminah, the woman who asked the question―kept telling me about were of my interest. He contacted me out of the nowhere, he sent me letters of his love for me, gifts, chocolates. So..you can say he was my mystic messenger," she said, placing her right index finger to her lips.

Raising an eyebrow at her in confusion, I looked on back at the scene.

"A visitor? You didn't tell me of this, Suri," an older woman commented next to her throne.

"That's my Mother, Sauda Ruby; she came from a upper class from Jeddah. She's dressed in black because my Father, Saleem—of royalty from Mecca—recently passed away, giving me the throne to which my Mother agreed it was best."

"Mother, it's kind of an surprise to you and all of my kingdom who don't know of this visitor."

Suri's mother narrowed her eyes at her from suspicion. "I don't approve of you keeping secrets from me, Suri."

"I never said it was a se-"

"Māwiyya! There is a strange man in a dark cloak at the gates. Your orders, my lady?"

That bright grin she had earlier finally broke onto her facial features.

"Bring him in. I've been expecting this person for a couple days now."

"Suri," Sauda spoke in a warning tone.

"Sister, what are you planning?" a young man next to her questioned suspiciously, too.

"That is my adopted younger brother, Sami. I found him out in the bad lands of the dessert; I believe either his parent abandoned him or he became an runaway orphan, he never told me and I didn't pressure him about it. Luckily, I caught him when he was still a child, the stage where the mind still has time to learn what's good..and evil."

(What Sami looks like: h, t, t, p, s : / / i . pin img . ("com") / originals / 67 / 76 / 6b / 677 66 b0 8fef 459 fb 5ed 0436 b1 151 3d 17 . jpg)

I nodded in understanding, giving my undivided attention to the guards opening the doors.

A man walked in, covered in black cloak decorated with gold designs of Egyptian ankhs. The shiny material of his cloak told that he is wealthy and of high class in society during this time period.

He stopped at the first flight of red carpeted stairs, and got down on one knee.

"Māwiyya."

"Are you the young man who's been sending me those..."letters"?"

He nodded, "Yes."

Suddenly, Suri stood up from her throne and quickly walked down the staircases with a posture of determination.

She got to the last step, staring down at him, "Arise."

He did as she said.

"Take off your cloak."

He did... My eyes widened at that familiar hair color and style... His clothing underneath did identify him as a wealthy upperclassman.

"Pull down your face veil."

The air nearly left my lungs because I was so amazed at this result. 'To think that he...'

So many questions filled my head: Is that really him? Or is that an ancestor of his? Are we related through thousands of years of history?

When the veil was untied and dropped, I instantly recognized those hues of the sky...

Suri stared at his face for a while in awe, seeming baffled.

"You're more..than I imagined you to be..."

"Not to speak to you familiarly, Māwiyya, but what did you expect?"

"It's..rare seeing a man with blond hair and blue eyes of Arabian origin." She squinted her eyes, "Are you...?"

"Yes and no, I'm of mixed origins; however, I don't know with what." He bowed his head, "My name is Tawfiq of the Mikayila family in Medina. It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Māwiy-"

"Suri," she interjected with a smile. "You may call me Suri."

"He..." I began weakly.

"―looks like your friend, Mikaela, yes?" she finished, waving her right hand in front of the scene, resuming back to us being in the middle of the desert.

"That isn't him, but Mikaela is a descendant of ours, on Tawfiq's side of course so you two aren't immediate blood relatives, distant."

"I see... From the many tongues I speak, I think the name Mikaela is the female variant for Michaela in Hebrew, like the gene. The man who broke my Mother's heart name was Miguel..."

She smiled, "The name of his mother was Miguela and she decided to name him Miguel."

"Miguela is the female variant of the name Michaela." I slapped my left hand on my forehead letting out small chuckles, "How does our ancestors and descendants get around so quickly?"

"Time. I must say, the Ruby and Shindo genes are strong, then there are those recessive traits. Your family lines are related through Hebrew, Ancient Arabian, French, Roma, Russian, and Spanish." She looked at me with a smirk, "Do you know eros Russians can be?"

I felt warmth spread on my cheeks, looking away from her, "I've read about Catherine the Great and her...ways. It must be original genetics."

She chuckled, "Yes, yes, the room of upside down hearts in her castle, her furniture, the horse contraption, bathing in red, and her affairs. Since I was your demon, I understood your..desires for Mikaela. No need to be ashamed, you are a growing girl. Do you..feel the same for Yu?"

"I..I've always loved both of them without even knowing it because I craved familial love. But I never thought about when this is all over, who do I choose...? Even though that's in jeopardy..I would be indecisive because I don't want to hurt either of them."

"Reasonable answer...If that wasn't in jeopardy, and they gave you time...who would you choose?"

"...Yu would need more guidance in his life, time to recover, to feel loved. He was born..to just be a puppet, and I absolutely despise that. I could show him so much more beautiful things about the world. As for Mika..he hasn't had the best life either, I would like to make up our lost time, turn him back into a true human being along with Yu. Both have great benefits, but..I would still be indecisive. That's when I would let my heart decide, not my mind."

A gentle smile rest upon her lips, "I think that to be the best choice as well."

"Oh!" I turned my body towards her, "How did your love work out with Tawfiq?"

"Our love felt like an eternity despite it being..short and sweet."

"Like my life..." I mumbled.

*Silence*

"I sympathize with you on that. I died at 21 years old, Tawfiq at 23 after two years of harsh contemplation on leaving our two year old daughter, Roya, and doing what I requested so the crown can be given to her. Sami and Mother raised her, the temporary ruler was my Mother until she became 17, and our family line continued and spread out."

"What about my Father's family line?"

"Ryota? The farthest I can go back on that is..China 700 AD. I don't know the details except Ryota is half-Japanese and half-Chinese as well as his family emblem is a snake. Perhaps one of the reasons Saito made him into half the chimaera snake he is is to leave some unkind scar or tragedy."

*Silence*

"Who is Nightmare exactly? Is she related to us?"

Suri shook her head, "Mm-mm. She's not a someone, but a something. I don't know how she came to be, her age, if Nightmare is even her real name. But I do know she understands logic, emotions, and characteristics of higher understanding."

"Is she...the kind to do equivalent exchange?"

"Yes. You gave your body to her, and return, as soon as you dropped Himezuru-sa, she did your will."

"...the real question is what is her goal once she obtained my body. That gives me a sense that she has some kind of goal of her own..as long as it doesn't interfere with mine, I don't care."

"Understood...Queen."

~Tiny Time Reverse~ -Carmen's P.O.V-

"Where did he go, damn it? After he just got back, he runs off to his...*smile* beloved wife..."

"My, oh my,"I heard Ferid behind me say, "Are you lost, little Carmella~?"

Kitsu turned around with me in the process, seeing Ferid smirking up at the both of us.

"I'm only lost on where Ryota went. It's hard to focus over all of this destruction."

"Well, you should-"

"Estelle. That's..her scent...her blood!" I looked down at Kitsu, "Follow that smell!"

Immediately, she took off towards the explosions.

-Estelle's P.O.V-

With my fragile body, I tried getting up while crawling towards Nightmare.

Her dress and blade are coated in blood, she licked the droplets from her right hand.

"Why do you keep hanging onto life, dear Estelle? This battle's already been won, like I said before," she said with a wicked grin.

"You know why! A true Mother...no, a true Mom would do anything for their child to make sure they're safe and alive! You-"

"Could never understand that?" she giggled. "Oh, yes, yes, I could. Eon of possessing humans bodies, I could understand more than what you can imagine, as long as you've been living."

My eyes softened and I felt tears forming at the ends, "Then..you would understand and give me back my daughter! Right?! I don't want to see her die! And I can't do anything about it!"

"No one ever told you to witness it...Mom," she said..no, Sayomi said! "You and Dad get out of here. I'm going..on a little adventure. I'll be back," she spoke with a gentle smile.

~Tiny Time Skip~

Looking on at the fighting and destruction in boredom, I decided make my presence known by blowing on the trumpet in my left hand.

Both of the progenitors looked up at me.

"Ah? A seraph?" The First questioned.

"No, no, no. I'm no Seraph of the End experiment, nor a demon."

Hmm...God?" Rigr guessed.

I burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! I would never claim to be Him! Oh, how terrifying that would be..."

"Then..the Devil?" the First suggested.

"Call me what you like, but I don't clarify as either. My name is Nightmare, and my friend gave me the order to kill you both."

"Friend? A friend wouldn't request such a thing," Rigr spoke.

"Ah! You're right. I meant my Master I'm briefly serving."

"Who is your Master?" The First asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"I guess when I do possess my Master's bodies, there are major changes... Anyway, dear Sayomi. Poor girl, hasn't even lived her life to the fullest..."

"Ah, her. I almost forgotten about her," Rigr spoke in a nonchalant tone. "I never once felt threatened by her...but perhaps I underestimated her."

"My niece would go to such great lengths for these pathetic humans? How unusually interesting...a sacrifices. Ah, now I see, a Messiah."

I glared down at him, "How dare you..."

"Hm, looks like I hit a nerve, but of what kind...? No matter, if Sayomi gave you orders to kill me, are you sure about that?"

"And why wouldn't I be?"

"Look at who's body I'm possessing. No concern or care for how Shinoa's body would be destroyed? I'm sure Yu would be angry at-"

"He wouldn't even have the time because I'd be long gone as well as Sayomi. For all I care, he can be angry, never speak about her again, hate her in death, she did this to protect him and Mikaela. Now, let's stop with the idle chatter and prepare our graves, shall we?"

I lifted up the trumpet towards the heavens that revealed sunlight bit by bit.

I let it down and blew through it, sending a wave of wind as strong as a nuclear bomb exploding within 100 miles, anything caught in it would be swept up unless they steady themselves on something.

Swiping my blade to the right, a golden wave was sent both at the targets.

I narrowed my eyes, 'The power of Sayomi's seraph will be a great help... I've never faced entities as powerful as these two...'

-Carmen's P.O.V-

"How could she do something like that?! Say something like that?! To her own Mother who cares about her well-being?!"

"..."

"I wish I had a Mother like that in my lifetime, but she neglected me, told me to be the "fairest of them all no matter what". You only get one..."

"..."

I looked back at her, "...Elle?"

"..." She remained silent, body slightly swaying due to Kitsu tracking forward, and her hair covered her face.

She is broken on the inside, Miss Carmen.

"Who..who said that?"

I did, Kitsu, Miss Carmen.

"Y-You can talk?! Since when?!"

Since Lady Estelle created me. I am not one to talk much, only take orders. Lady Estelle is distraught and trying to cope inside her mind, it's best if you leave her be.

Looking back at Estelle, I can finally see her face...and the expression on it was indeed distraught..despair, her eyes are empty of emotion..and her tan skin was getting a little pale.

Looking into Kitsu's eyes, I nodded. "We need to get her away from here as possible. That fight could impact us. Start jumping and running," I turned around, gently grabbing Estelle by her sides and held her close to me, "I got her."

Kitsu did as I told. In the midst of it all, my ponytail came undone, but that wasn't of my concern right now.

"Kitsu."

I looked down at her to see her gazing straightforward, weakened and beaten bloody...

"Take me to Ryota."

Yes, ma'am.

-Sayomi's P.O.V-

"Be honest with me, Sayo."

I looked at Suri. We sat down on the pink desert sand, enjoying the nice breeze and sunset.

"Hm?"

"Are you doing this for the world...or just for Yuichiro and Mikaela?"

"I care about everyone, stranger or not, yes..but personally, I am doing it for Yu and Mika. I'm human..and I can be selfish, I see no negativity in that."

"Then..what I heard the First call you not too long ago is false. You are no Messiah, you were never meant to be. But I cannot guarantee those humans, who are religious and lose sight of who their true savior is, will not call you that, or worse, the Devil himself."

I chuckled, "As if I'd care. Call me what you like; frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

We both laughed at my reference.

"You've read Gone With the Wind, huh?"

"I've read a lot of books over the pass 4 years, especially-..." I shook my head, "I've read many in Sanguinem."

"You..had access to the library?"

"Yes...and Ferid lent me some, some that held philosophy, some that held theories, and some that held..classified information about the vampires..."

"And he would..randomly gives these books to you?" she asked in a suspicious, weirded out tone.

"When I began to learn about Mika giving Ferid his blood...as he said, "You, little princess, have the absolute audacity to come to my manor alone late at night to request for giving you "things" in return of drinking little Mika's blood once a week?"

"So..he knew who you were all along? Well, that was obvious, but for him to state it to you directly is strange... He's more of a cat and mouse kind of vampire. What were these things you requested? And if you knew Mika was doing this, why didn't you stop him?"

"I..wanted Mika to believe he could take care of us. You wouldn't think it, but all he wanted for me is to sit there and look pretty, not having to do anything to put me in danger. I had to become strong for him, Yu, Akane, Ai...everyone," I shed some tears on the last one.

"..."

"Now I'll never be able to tell him that. I'll never be able to grow up with him, like we promised."

I broke down bit by bit, letting out the rest of this heart aching pain through tears, sobs, and sharp inhales...

"Be-Because I couldn't do anything th-at day..wh-en he was slipping away in m-my-my arms..but turn him into a monster!, I-I'll never be a-ble..to ask for...his forgiveness!"

"...You would choose him."

Removing mu hands from my damp face, I looked at her in confusion...

She leaned on her palms for support as she leaned back, looking up at the dusk sky. "You would choose to love Mikaela. From the evening you both met, he told you you're adorable and gave you a hug because he wanted to comfort you, he could see the pain in those blank eyes; indeed, your quietness was cute to him. On second skinship, you felt romantic love unbeknownst to you. He visited your old home...and you didn't know this, but he considered you and him living there, together, forever, if it would make you happy that is; he was willing to give all up at 8 years old for you. After concealing Shigama, you returned to the Hyakuya Orphans bloodied and kinda battered, and he cried..yes, cried because he was scared, but also cried your tears. On your secret late night walks, you both would imagine what the stars looked like, talking about astronomy talk of astronomy, and laugh at dreams and jokes. It's not that Mikaela didn't want you to leave, it's that he needed you to leave so you can continue your life. hoping to find what you're looking for: war, destruction, and unhappiness wasn't it. Mikaela was, secretly and individually, looking for you when he had the time in Sanguinem; he knew you weren't with Yuichiro all that time due to an secret agent working in J.I.D.A, wondering what happened for you two to separate. When you both reunited after 4 years, the expression on his face to me a lot. It's the same expression Tawfiq made when we got married...pure joy. He told me this: "Not many humans experience pure joy on this Earth because life is trial, tribulations, so on. The body is just a vessel for the soul. Being in it causes some happiness, some pain. Why suffer on this giant land and water? Are we experiments of Allah? Why do we experience...just to go back home?"

*Silence*

"...I guess...I'll just wait..for him to come back home after I get there."

(Allah means "God" in Arabic. Yep, I shut that discussion down quick... Anyway, if you didn't notice by now, but I love different cultures, and I like involving them in my stories. Arab culture is one of my favorite cultures by the way. When I write these kinds of chapters, I look up a lot of information and learn more; I recommend you do it, too, if you're interested in culture and history. Below is the meaning of the names mentioned in this chapter...

Aminah: Faithful

Māwiyya: An Arab warrior-queen, who ruled over a confederation of semi-nomadic Arabs, in southern Syria, in the latter half of the fourth century.

Roya: Dream, vision.

Saleem: Peace, safety.

Sami: Exalted, sublime.

Sauda: Dark-skinned.

Tawfiq: Grace, guidance; favor of God; good success.)