"It's him…." Mikoto said, head snapping up, staring at the horizon. Without a word, she jumped from the wagon. "I know it's him..!" her crimson eyes widened as the familiar scent filled her vampiric senses. An earthy aroma with a mix of pine and something uniquely him."it has to be.." she hoped.
"it can't be?!" little misaka said. "He's dead.. been that way for years." She glared at the screens, running the numbers. Pulses spread over the terrain. "this can't be…" she leaned in close, her nose almost touching the screen.
"It's his smell," Mikoto's words rumbled in her throat, more growl than speech. "I know it…" she felt her fangs pulse in anticipation.
"We went to his funeral!" little misaka swiped at the screen as digital pulses spread outward. A blip suddenly appeared in the distance." There is no way…" her voice cracked, another swipe across the screen so hard it flickered. Her foot tapping a nervous rhythm. Mikoto quickly smirked, sensing her little avatar's desperation. "am I sensing …."
"Hey, I enjoyed those moments, but still…." she blushed. " There is no way?"
"Maybe on earth…" Mikoto took a deep breath," But this is a different realm. "
She was focused, tunnel-visioned. Her boots beat against the ground. Being a vampire and a queen, she could hit speeds rivaling exotic sports cars. Predatory and damn fast, according to Vita. Desperation and hope fueled each stride across this rocky terrain. But even she knew…the odds were more impossible than improbable. But now… She ran faster, eyes locked on the horizon, her blood pumping hot, pounding in her ears. She didn't even hear Vita's panic cries as she yelled after her.
"How could this be possible?" The taste of iron rolled across her tongue as she bit her lip. The blood seeped from the edge of her mouth, continuing up her cheek, and quickly absorbed. She felt the pain welling up as she remembered the news, flooding her memory again. "why are you?" she said. "You asked." Little misaka answered.
Anastasia and her were on the mountaintop, watching the eagles fly and admiring the forests below. Despite the windy day and the guards' laughter, she could hear the messenger's footsteps as she approached. Odd, she thought, hesitation and fear. She turned, not by choice but by instinct. Something was wrong. The young messenger approached. Their eyes locked, and Mikoto's heart stuttered. Anastasia saw and felt it. They were bonded mates, and what Mikoto experienced would often jump to her, and she took her hand to support her beloved.
With trembling fingers, the young messenger held out the envelope. "my…my ladies," the young voice caught. She swallowed hard, eyes beginning to water. "I bring word…. from Sakura Island,"
Mikoto remembered how her stomach dropped as the taste of bad news filled her mouth. She forced a nervous smile as she took the envelope and held it. For some reason, it felt heavy in her hands. Like a warning of do not open. With a heavier breath, she turned the letter over and recognized the red wax seal, dark red like clotted blood, of Megumi Watanabe. And with it, her chest tightened.
"This is bad." Little misaka had wished she'd never said that.
"Its…. it's about Ronan Watanabe, Mistress." The young messenger said in warning. Mikoto peeked from the letter and stared into the young messenger's eyes. "She already knows?" she thought, "hoping to soften the blow?" as the name brought a heavy chill and silence across the mountaintop. Even the wind went calm. The guards and wolves went silent and made their way to their mistresses.
Mikoto bit her lip and ran her sharp nail across the top of the envelope. With a sound of slicing as she opened the letter. An emptiness bloomed in her chest. Before reading, tears formed. "This was bad." Her fingers weakened.
"let me," Anastasia offered, holding her hand out. Mikoto shook her head. Tears were already falling as she pulled a paper out and unfolded it. She scanned it before reading. Her mind, little misaka, knew what had happened, screaming, "shit! Mikoto, don't…!"
The words were like no physical blow she had ever encountered. The world around her fell silent. She didn't even realize the chaos coming to life around her. Her vision blurred as she dropped to her knees.
Anastasia caught her before falling forward, a wolf slipping in front to hold her. No queen shall hit the ground while we are alive. The mantra of the house of Mikoto. Wolves and vampires swore by it. Anastasia took the letter and read it, pain and worry quickly covering her face as she handed it to Heidi, Mikoto's alpha.
She eyed the letter in her hand, eyes widening at the news. She closed her eyes, "forgive, Mistress." And read. "Ronan Watanabe is dead." Her words were like a death knell as she read aloud, shocking those around them. " Killed by the Golden Dragons…" her eyes glared, brow furrowing in disbelief, "in a botched robbery just outside of Sakura Island." She crushed the paper in her hand. "impossible! How could this happen?" she said, baring her fangs.
Sakura Island was home to wolves and Japanese vampires. This brings into question how the adopted son of Megumi Watanabe, a wealthy Japanese Industrialist and de facto leader of the vampires who follow the vampire goddess, Mochizuki, gets killed in a botched robbery of a convenience store on the other side of the bridge to Sakura Island. And which acted as a wolf security station? What amounted to being killed on your front doorstep in front of your family?
Mikoto Misaka knew him, very well. He was an arrogant and annoying young man." It's not arrogant." He would tell her, "If you can back up what you say." And that smile. She hated it. That smile that said, you know you want to…he attended school in Tokyo harbor in the vampire bund. (Often called Tokyo landfill #0), living in the vampire district in a home with a gang of ten. A group of ten school-aged girls had been turned into vampires against their will. He called the PITAS, pain in the asses. Years later, in his mid-twenties, he is killed by the son of the Golden Dragons yakuza in a botched robbery just off Sakura Island. It had been a dare of sorts. Drunk and still drinking with friends, heading to the Island for a bit of fun. He was a little wanna-be hoping to prove something to his real father, leader of the Golden Dragons.
Chills rolled over her, remembering the three nights of retribution. Megumi Watanabe ordered the complete destruction of the Golden Dragons Yakuza gang. It was easy, sending thousands of vampires over Japan into the night for a free meal. She would then brutally reorganize all of Japan's underbelly.
She wiped her eyes and nose, "damn onions," little misaka said. It happened without notice or effort. Her wings slipped out from her armor, like stems of thorny roses, and grabbed for the sky, the sound of thin membrane catching the air, and in a fluid motion, they swept back like sails of old sailing ships. She pulled them back and thrust them forward, sending her rising into the sky. And there, she hung in the vast emptiness and cried for a while, looking down towards the horizon. Vita's voice growing louder pulled her out of her sadness. Mikoto smirked, "run, Vita, run…" she whispered.
With each stroke of her wings, she covered more ground faster and further than if she had run. She looked at the two suns, cursing the heat, gazed down at the horizon, pulled her wings in, and dove to the surface. She needed to get low to catch the scent. And she did. She moved in zigzags, tracing its path on the winds. Around boulders, stone pillars, down and up ravines, snaking through tight valleys, until, following an updraft, she spied something small and moving in the distance, near the edge of the imaginary horizon line.
She saw movement, her predatory skills expanding, eyes focused, nose smelling, and let's not forget, little misaka running radar. A blip. She tapped the screen. Sending out electromagnetic waves and building 3D images as they return.
"It's him?" little misaka squinted her eyes at the image. "I mean…it could be?" bringing her hand under her chin. She was confused, not sure what she was looking at. It had been a while. But still…." he looks a little…. heavier…maybe?"
"what's that…?" Mikoto asked.
He was still too far out to see, even for a queen vampire. Little misaka rubbed her chin, inches away from the screen. The attractive woman was back and standing behind, looking over her shoulder. "Could he be older?" she asked, "a man, not a manchild?" Little misaka eyes widened, and she smiled like a joke well played." Oh, you have got to be…it would make sense." She said. "but who is the other…?"
"What makes sense!" Mikoto growled, "What are you hiding?!" she huffed, clenched her fists, not waiting as impatient as her younger self was known for. She'd ask later. "Fine…" she took a deep breath and yelled. "Ronan! I know it's you…you jerk!" a satisfactory hmph, she grinned. And wobbled a bit. "what?"
He was walking behind her. She was no bigger than nearly waist-high to him. A small girl with tall ears and a white tail. She had whiskers on her tiny nose, and her bright blue eyes danced along the horizon. She was laughing, yipping, and bouncing around. She looked over her shoulder, jumped and twisted, and landed on her feet, her tail countering each time she moved. She looked at him, the laughter in his expression as he held his hands out. "come on.." he said, his fingers moving in a come here motion. "Before your mom finds out."
She quickly shook her head, giggling and yipping some more. And then she stopped. He had stopped paying attention to her. The nerve. She would give him her best pout. To have him all alone to herself. What more could she want? But the way he furrowed her brow. He looked concerned, staring behind her. She turned, following the direction he was looking.
A strange woman with large wings was in the distance. Something was wrong. The little girl squinted her eyes as they focused. And she could see her. The wings folded and slipped behind her back. She looked aggressive. The way her eyes shifted. Her reddish brown hair waved in the breeze behind her. The little girl sneered and bared her tiny canines. She heard him calling her. Momma wouldn't, she thought. Sisters wouldn't, she thought. I won't go back to him yet. I will challenge this intruder. Then he said something that made her turn around and leap into his hands. She quickly shifted and jumped on his shoulders. The little girl with tall ears and a white tail turned from a human little girl. And became a little white fox, blues eye glaring, canines bared, hissing and spitting her threats. "your momma coming…" he had said, "and you are not supposed to be out here."
It wasn't her fault, really. Her sister had dared her. Portal out to the edge and quickly return, not too much for a young fox. I was younger when I did it. She crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin up. Her sister dared her. And it wasn't really her fault.
The emptiness and desolation were all but an invitation for a young fox to explore. A chill crossed her shoulders, thinking if her mother would have come instead of Papa. But if Papa came, she had the answer. "Just give him the look." Her sister had said. "A slight tilt of your head, bend your ears a little, slowly wave your tail, and softly yip, and he will just pick you up and take you back." All the kitsune knew this. Papa was a pushover.
"Ronan.. I know it's you…you jerk!" she knew him and his name, but the way he looked, he didn't know her. "papa?" she said, pressing her cold nose to his ear. "does momma know?" he didn't speak, just turning his head and rolled his eyes. "like she wouldn't.." he said, she giggled. He reached over and picked her off his shoulder and put her on the ground. He stroked her head, his fingers making their way under her chin. She loved that. And scratching down her back and patting her butt. "make a portal and go…"
"What?!" she looked over her shoulder as she turned. "no…" she quickly answered, giving her best defiant look. She changed her direction, her heckles raising along her back, her tiny tail fluffing out. She tensed and growled so hard bluish sparks, more like specks of fox magic, fluttered from her mouth.
But the temperature dropped, and fog rose from the rocky ground. Her little eyes went from fierce to Oh shit, momma is coming. She looked at her Papa, and he just smiled, "go," he whispered.
She quickly nodded, turned, and ran. She opened her mouth. White fox magic flowed out and formed a portal barely bigger than her. She had created a portal for the second time today and slipped through. Not bad…she thought.
Mikoto Misaka felt the wind slip from her wings. She wobbled, losing altitude. "something doesn't feel right…. it's like.." her descent quickened. "A barrier?" little misaka muttered. Her wings became smaller as she glided towards the ground. "I'm guessing…they know we're here." little misaka said, "wish we could do magic?" she added.
Mikoto huffed. Technically, she could. Breath of god. A magic of creation. A variation of the use of magical talismans and voice. But being a level five esper, she didn't need the actual paper talismans. She just visualized it, and boom, she had magic. But this magic took lots of intense practice, and Mikoto was lax in that area. Little misaka covered her face with her hand as if embarrassed. Mikoto rolled her eyes, "shut up.." was all she could say.
She tapped the ground, running as she slowed to a walk and folded her wings back into her armor. Continuing her conversation more like angry mumbling, allowing her emotions to get the better of her. she stomped her foot as she stopped. "Fine…" she took a deep breath and yelled again, "Ronan! I know it's you…you jerk!" clenching her fist, "and I have some words for you!"
And he didn't answer back, but she heard him as the fog rose and spread across the ground.
The air chilled and shimmered, colliding against the heat of the desert. A thick fog spread outward and surrounded her, sending goosebumps along her skin. Through the haze, she could see him turning away and heard him say, "Be nice," he warned in a low tone over his shoulder. "She might be one?" he said, disappearing into a portal.
"One of what?" was all she thought. "What the hell does he…" Before she could finish, a heavy aura filled the area. An enormous mass of the purest white emerged from the depths of the fog. A whisper of an answer answered his question." Another one?" a growl so deep followed as if it were coming from the depths of somewhere you shouldn't be.
Two piercing blue eyes locked on her with an unblinking intensity. Her skin prickled as the pressure built against her skin, making it feel like it alone could push her back. There was a calm feralness behind its unblinking stare. A dark promise of violence. More of the creature slipped into view. Massive black clawed paws, coated in the purest white fur, deftly touched the ground, and a large black nose at the end of a great white muzzle emerged, becoming a huge head and large white ears. The rest of the white body followed, and flowering behind it were nine magnificent tails unfurling like banners in the unseen breeze.
It lowered its head as it came closer, each step slow and calculated. The gigantic white fox revealed more of its menacingly sharp white teeth. Each as long as she was tall. It crouched, glowering like a cat eyeing a mouse. More portals opened, and others stepped out. Young women dressed in ornate kimonos stepped out, sharp eyes, tall white ears, and whitetails flickering behind them.
Little Misaka let out a long sigh. "Well, isn't this fantastic?" she said flatly, her expression lacking emotion. She stared at two of the flat screens. One showed a picture of a Kitsune and other information. "Never thought I'd see a legend?" she huffed. Then again… we're a vampire. Eh," she shrugged.
The tension quickly changed from electrically charged and dangerous to what the hell was happening. The massive fox disbursed into white mist, and a dark figure emerged from the swirling mist, becoming a regal woman—breathtaking and intimidating rolled into one. Her features were as striking as they were ageless.
She wore an elegant crimson kimono, the fabric shimmering like a flickering flame over her tall frame. Her white hair fell like a waterfall of purest silk, two pointed fur-tipped ears peeking through it. When she opened her eyes, they were the bluest of blues. She moved with the grace of a predatory, and as she took a breath, a sense of soft irritation slipped through. She straightened to her full height, her nine tails slowly becoming one, rising and falling in the unseen breeze. The delicate tip of her tail shone like a halo covering around her form. Showing the power she wielded. On her forehead was The symbol of eternity. A lazy eight, also called a lemniscate. Something without an end or beginning.
"I think…" little misaka looked at the information filling the screen. "she's a goddess.." the way she said it did raise some concern.
Mikoto remained still and quiet, keeping her eyes on the woman. She had already figured out she was a threat. But a goddess had just pushed the situation to another level. She had met and fought a goddess before. Mochizuki, the vampire goddess of Sakura Island. And it didn't end well for her. She remembered her words, "That was a nice warm-up. And when do we eat?"
The woman flared her nostrils as she took a breath. She smiled a sly smile that revealed the hint of her sharp canines. She looked at Mikoto with an unreadable expression as if she were assessing what type of threat she was. "Well now, what have we here?" she purred, her voice slinking like a velvet sash across her skin. "And," not waiting for an answer, she let out a soft growl, "he is mine…and not yours, vampire." Letting everything settle.
Mikoto kept her eyes on the woman as more portals opened and other foxes stepped out. "Remember the dragon said they attacked in mass." Little misaka whispered.
Why did she whisper? Who knows? Being that she existed inside the mind of Mikoto. "I wonder that, too.." Mikoto said.
"Ren," the woman said, still staring at Mikoto, "go take care of the Vampire that is running and yelling Mikoto's name." She smiled, "I am assuming your name is Mikoto?" she asked.
Mikoto nodded.
"When you say take care of," Ren asked. Do you mean to take care of…of? As in..." she tilted her head, "take care of her…. or do you mean to take care of her as defined by father?"
"oh shit," little misaka said, "they are no better than…."
"wolves…" Mikoto said.
The woman took a noticeable breath. The type of breath that was made as a warning, thinning her eyes.
"oh…I have seen that look before?" little misaka said, "That's nice, for I am going to bust some child's ass."
"yep…" Mikoto answers.
"She means go and take care of the vampire!" another white fox appeared on the woman's other side. She looked past her, glowering at the other one. "You just tell her everything is fine, and you will nicely bring her here!?" she bared her teeth.
"I think that one is in charge or thinks she's in charge." Little misaka remarked. "yep.." Mikoto kept her eye on the woman. She noticed the slight furrow of her brow. "she is thinking of all the times for you two to start…this is not it…"
Ren took a breath, her kimono fluttered, eyes beginning to flash, "I don't care.. what you think, Akiko. I just want to make sure that if something were to say happen? How far can I beat the bad vampire's ass?!" an angry flash of power shot from the ground around Ren. She was lit like a bonfire. Clenching her fist, baring more of her fangs.
The second white fox, Akiko, reached inside her solid blue kimono, pulled out a very ornately decorated fan, and drew it across her chest. Ren's power blew away in a gust of wind.
"ok…one…" little misaka said, "How does she know Vita is a bad vampire? And two…where can we get a cool fan like that?"
"Kasumi," the women said, paying little attention to them.
"This must be normal?" little misaka said, "kinda remind you of you know who?"
"Aoi and Asami," Mikoto said. She ignored the pain of missing them, the pang that accompanied the names of two of her four battling daughters. It was like anything could spark a conflict between them. She bit the inside of her mouth to stop the smile from appearing.
"Yes, Mother?" another young white fox steps out of the fog. She is wearing a bright yellow kimono and holding a tall, ornately carved wooded staff in her right hand.
"Could you go to the other calmer vampire who is now leading her army and portal them?" she said, "I am sure you will have no problem with that one?" she said, more like asked, as she tilted her head and looked at Mikoto for the answer.
Mikoto nodded.
"yes, mother," Kisumi raised her staff. The air shimmered and swirled, and she stepped forward and disappeared.
"if you pardon me," the woman said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't try anything while I…"
"We ain't doing anything." Little misaka answered. She counted the blips on the monitor. "They really do attack in mass…we have at least a hundred." She tapped a blip, and data quickly scrolled. "each one is severely…"
"Overpowered," Mikoto answers.
"oh, look?!" Ren quickly spoke. "I am going to be nice to the bad vampire." There was, oh shit, I screwed up tone in her voice. Nothing like a smart ass child. Ren's eyes widened, realizing she had spoken instead of thinking what she meant.
Mikoto smirked, "heard that before." she watched Ren quickly slip into another portal. "I'm supposed to be nice…as long as you don't," Ren's voice was coming from the portal. "if you wish," was the last thing they heard before it closed.
The woman took an annoyed breath. " He said be nice, so," she said, turning around. The air was beginning to shimmer. "Vampires can stay for three days, and the others can stay for five days," she said, stepping into the portal. "That is more than enough time for each to recover and be on their way." She gazed over her shoulder. Those bluest of bluest eyes told her that after that, she would make the call.