Nibankari

‘I’ve have feels the call since the beginning, the birthright of my people.’

‘To reproduce.’

‘To succeed on a level no other organism has.’

The man in shadow, standing before the bodies of numerous priests, looks upon the sacred, holy podium. His deep footsteps echoing across this field of death, an apparition remiscient of Death itself make its way toward the small podium.

‘To be the dominate species on this planet.’

The dimly lit podium, its source of this luminance being two humble candles on each side and the man in shadow continued his slow but determined walk, as if taking in his victory and savoring this shrine of death as though it was a cup of fine wine.

‘It was our right, and we ruled it as deities would, because that is what we are. The cusp of our existence is our ascension to Godhood.’

He placed his hands on the podium, gripping the sides tightly as he lowered his head, staring at the blank wood of the podium.

“Where is your God now?” he muttered to himself, mocking the dead men of the cloth. “I will kill your God, I will become God because, you see.”
His head rises slightly; a twitching smirk crosses his face, as the front of his eyebrows tense.

“I will become omnipotent.”

Taking a deep breath, the shadowed man begins muttering in an ancient dialect, one so deep, guttural and hollow it seems to be coming from beyond this world.

The man’s body tensed completely, his legs shaking as his voice grew in volume, finally culminating in a bellow phrase: “Juntarataqumo!”

A deep, sudden echo, similar to that of a large bell filled the small room with its deafening sound followed by a small electrical pop.

Out of thin air in front of the podium, a naked, woman fell onto the concrete ground, hissing in pain while the sound and smell of burnt flesh permeated heavily from her.

She writhed slowly on the ground, totally overcome by an indescribable pain from her experience, the man simply walked around the podium and stood over her.

He observed her as one observes a piece of a work, her skin seared by burns from an unknown source tainted her body all over.

I stood over the fallen bodies, these bodies I had never seen until now. I feels an unknown heat radiating throughout my body, it feels like my skin was going to melt away.
I was panting heavily, from fear, from anxiety. I had killed these men hadn’t I?
I check reality by looking for my knife, that weapon which had helped me kill those who threatened me in the past.
I couldn’t reach into my pocket. Something was blocking me.
I look down to see.
My knife.
It was in my hand this whole time, and it was covered in the vile red liquid I had become all too used to seeing.
The Blood of my Enemies.
No...
Of those that defy My Power.
No.
Those who fight against me.
This isn’t me.
Your fate is guided by my hand.
Who are you?
Your savior.
I awaken slowly, my brain feels frozen.
My movement is sluggish, I can't breathe well and my eyes flutter when I try to open them.
I feet weak, like I was going to die at any moment.
I panic and sit up quickly, regaining myself.
My mind feels hollow now, I realize I was sweating to a degree where it has soaked through my nightshirt and darkens the fabric.

I sit there for what feels like ages, panting and staring straight ahead. I see the lines; I had forgotten my glasses and my brain pays the price: A headache comes.

Groggily, I reach and grab them, putting them on and glance at the clock.

“5:30.” I mutter to myself, it's a Sunday so I don't have to worry about class but my thoughts turn to disgust as I have been so totally awakened at such an early time.

The memories of the nightmare slowly faded as I hear a knock on the door.

“Shiki-sama?” I hear a quiet voice call out. “Are you alright?”

Hisui... I thank the powers that be for her.

“Uhh... I'm fine, Hisui... Why do you ask?”

There is an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Even if I had been here for a little over a year, Hisui was still very shy and introverted; a small smile creeps onto my face. Nostalgia, remembering that the world had not gone straight to Hell and that everything was fine... Such a small thing reassures my restless mind.

Hisui finally manages a barely audible answer. “I don't know... I just thought something...” She trails off into silence.

Uncomfortable silence again.

This time, I would break it.

“... Um, Hisui, I'll get washed and be downstairs shortly.”

Hisui quickly replies. Her uneasiness replacing with her usual cool demeanor. “Of course Shiki-sama, sorry to bother you.”

“No trouble.”

'And thank you...' I almost say it, but I realized that would have just make the situation more awkward so I stop myself.

I make my way downstairs. Still groggy, I feel I could fall down the stairs if I even blinked too much; I make my way into the sitting room.

Akiha is already having her morning tea, watching the sunrise paint the room orange and red. She glances out of the corner of her eye at me and stops.

“Nii-san?” She says with some degree of disbelief in her voice.

“Hey...” I barely manage to say, still not totally alive to the world yet.

THUMP

I narrowly avoid toppling myself over an end table.

“Nii-san!”

“I-I'm fine, I just bumped it.”

In truth, had I not moved at the last minute, there would be a broken end table and a broken Tohno Shiki on the floor right now.

Akiha's face returns to her normal cool look.

“Please be more careful, being so careless will only end up with injuries to everybody.”

Ouch, Akiha still knows how to barb me. I'd probably feel worse if I wasn't so tired.

I sit in my usually chair and close my eyes...

Hot...

I feels hot...

Something hot was near my face.

I feels my heart thumping into my throat.

My brain began to function in more instinctive sense.

I snapped my eyes open to what I hoped wasn't a nightmare image.

I expected the worst.

A demon?

A vampire?

I expected to see all those I cared about slaughtered in front of me in a terrible manner...

... All I saw was blue

“Ah!” I scream. I move my arms upward out of reflex, attempting to escape my assailant.

I force my eyes closed, I feels something warm and solid strike my arm. Then I hear a scream... Akiha's scream?!

I open my eyes again...

I am in the sitting room, but Akiha is gone.

“Akiha?” I worthlessly ask, knowing she wasn't here.

“Nii-san...!” I jump when I hear a reply. It was more of a growl than anything, fear grows within me.

I look down toward the source.

Akiha is sprawled on the floor, a large, solid red mark adorns part of her face, covering mainly the left side.

She look both flustered and enraged.

“What happened?” I asked, quite stupidly, by now my mind had returned to me and I pieced together what happened. (Edit Mark.)

I hit Akiha. Unintentionally, but I still hit her. I feared for my life...

Akiha stood up, still faintly blushing, and adjusted her skirt. Her eyes bore down on me like I was an enemy.

“Nii-san! Why on earth did you hit me?”

I just stared at her dumbfounded, I don't know why... Well that's not true; I thought I was drowning... If I told her that, she would probably get even more upset with me sleeping in the sitting room. So I kept quiet.

“Nii-san!” She shouted. It woke me out of my daze.

“I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!” I kept apologizing, but the cold stare from her eyes never left me. My heart sank.

“Ahem... I guess I can forgive for this...” She quietly blurted out. “But be more careful in the future, you're getting to be terribly reckless.” She scolded me, I sits there, dejected.

Eventually, Kohaku served breakfast, the usual arrangement of Hisui standing behind me and Kohaku standing behind Akiha had not changed. After breakfast, a terrible silence ensued in the room, occasionally with Kohaku and Akiha idly chatting over a cup of tea.

Neither me nor Hisui said anything, I mainly spaced out, staring out the window at the garden.

“The flowers are dying...” I said emotionlessly.

'The flowers are dying.' I thought to myself, what a stupid thing to say.

After an extremely awkward silence, I stood up.

“I'm going back to bed...” I quietly announce.

“Rest well, Nii-san” I hear Akiha say behind me as I went into the lobby and began climbing the stairs. Halfway up I was struck by a realization and stopped.

'Blue?' If I wasn't dreaming when I saw blue... Then... I rushed back down the stairs into the sitting room.

“Wait! What was the blue thing I saw?” I asked out of nowhere.

Akiha and Kohaku slowly turned to me. There was silence.

Akiha coughed and blushed slightly. “That was me, Nii-san.”

'Blue? Oh... Her eyes.'

Before I could ask, she answered my question. “I was checking to see if you was alright, I was about to open your eyes with my fingers to see if something was wrong since you seemed to have just slipped into unconsciousness.” She states very matter-of-factly.

I nod slowly, understanding and then head back to the lobby, up the stairs and back into bed.

I hear tapping...

I awoke, rolling over to face my clock it said 11:00AM. Putting on my glasses, I stood and look out the window. I was certain I hear those noises outside my window. Looking around outside, I just managed to catch the disappearing shadow of someone walking away from the gardens. On the desk I saw a pink envelope with my name written on it in an elegant calligraphy. I open the letter and pull out the sheet of paper.

'Hey Shiki!

It's been a long time; I'm hoping that we could meet back up at the park around 9:00PM, for old times’ sake. I've missed you.

Signed, Ciel'

“Ciel?!” I unintentionally blurted out.

Ciel...

I can't believe it. I never thought I’d see her again.

I was shaking. I was both angry and happy. I sits down, panting, my whole body feels sick... I put the paper back in the envelope and tossed it back onto the desk.

I couldn't think...

The day passed by normally, I was already sitting in the sitting room when I look at the clock: 8:30, Time for me to begin to leave.

As I stood up, Akiha spoke up, stopping herself from playing her violin. “Where are you going Nii-san?”

“I'm going out... I have to meet someone.”

“Nii-san, I don't want you to go out at such a time.”

I feels somewhat irritated. I thought we had already gone over this. I already knew all of the Tohno secrets, there was no need to keep me cooped up in this mansion anymore.

“I'm 18 now Akiha, I'll be fine! I won't be long.”

“And if something happens to you, Nii-san. What am I going to do? It is my job to take care of you, I can't very well let you come and go as you please, especially not after what happened before-..”

Akiha cut herself off abruptly.

She hadn't spoken of the events of last year, at least, not that she ever spoke to me about. Then again, I'd probably be the last person she'd want to talk about such things with.

After moment more of awkward silence I announced. “I'll be back.”

Akiha just shook her head as I went to leave the mansion.

I make it to the park, I feels nostalgic in this crisp air. Remembering the time with Ciel...

I was nervous, no, nervous was an understatement. I was a wreck. I pulled out pack of cigarettes, pulling out a cigarette and raised it to my lips.

A loud 'whoosh' robbed me of a cigarette as whatever it was that caused it broke my cigarette in half and make a loud clang against the ground next to my legs.

I look and stood up quickly. It was a Black Key...

“Ciel-senpai...” I muttered.

“Not anymore.” I hear a familiar and soft voice call out from near me. Looking up at the lamp post I expected to see Ciel in her normal church garb but instead, she was sitting on the post, in her school uniform.

She smiled at me and waved. “Hello, Tohno-kun. It's been a while.”

Ciel… I examined her and sits back down

“It has been a long time, Shiki.” She spoke, “you don’t look to have changed at all.”

I kept staring at her, wondering if she was real.

“I haven't seen you in nearly a year, so I wanted to see you when I had the chance. And when I finally had one, I took it.”

“I wondered how you’ve been doing myself.” I reply.

I was happy. I had missed Senpai.

Senpai stood on the lamppost and leapt off. Landing neatly in front of my bench and sitting next to me.

“But,” She began, with a very solemn tone. “I wish I had come here just to see you again. But I do have business.”

Business to Senpai usually involved vampires and other paranormal entities deemed evil by the Church so I feels my whole body tighten up. And a feeling of déjà vu began to spring forth in my heart.

“Don't worry, Shiki!” She says with a bright smile on her face, reading my reaction. “You aren't going to get involved; I'm just telling you why our visit will be short.”

“Senpai...” I managed to say.

Senpai put her index finger to my lips.

“Shiki, I'm not your Senpai anymore. You just call me Ciel, or Ciel-chan now.” She said with another bright smile.

“Ciel-chan?” I spoke just to say it. It didn't sound right at all.

Ciel nodded.

I tilted my head back and sighed.

“Ciel, where is this business?”

She had piqued my curiosity and it couldn't hurt to ask.

“In a neighboring city, not too far away.”

“Oh, alright.”

Silence descended upon the park as I stared at the starry sky.

“I have to be going Shiki. I should be back in this city next week.” She stood up and brushed off her skirt. She turned to me with a somewhat sad face as I lowered my head to look at her.

“I missed you Tohno Shiki...” She sounded terribly sad when she said those words. She walked up to me and leaned over, planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

Her lips was warm, my face feels hot when she did it. I, of course, smiled to try and hide my embarrassment.

Ciel was blushing slightly and gave out a small smile before she leapt onto the lamppost.

“Shiki,” She said, her back turned to me. “I have to come back. I have to take care of you, since you're so silly and you always get in trouble... Think of me as your guardian angel.”

I stood up, staring at her back. “Senpai...”

“Ciel! Not Senpai!” I could feel warmth from her, like she was smiling as she said that.

And like that, she leapt away and was gone...

I look at the clock in the park. It was 11PM; I had not realized how late it was. I had been sitting for over an hour after Ciel-senpai left, just thinking. I haven't been the same since this morning; I've been groggy all day. I stood up and prepared to head back when I hear the swing creaking.
“Good Evening” a voice spoke, coming from the swings, an enchanting voice I had not hear in so long...
“No... Arcueid..?”
“Yes and no.” The voice said. I turned quickly and saw Arcueid on the swing I saw her on that fateful morning so long ago...
I was overcome with emotions. I couldn't believe she was here!
“Shiki, do not get too excited.” Arcueid stood as she said this and clasps her hands together in front of her. “I am not Arcueid... I am... Was, one of her familiars, you remember me, the dream familiar Arcueid sent to thank you for defeating Chaos.”
I nodded, swallowing my heartbreak. I so wanted to believe she was there, so that I could see her smile... Touch her face... And take her on that date we promised... It was all here and gone in an instant and I feels a heat rising up in my eyes and a pain pierce my heart...
Tears off sorrow, of a wound that has been there for a year, a wound that has been ripped open by this familiar. I lowered my head and feels the tears come but I tried to remain composed.
“Why... Why are you here?”
“I am here because Arcueid gave me instructions before she went to face Roa. Should you come into danger, I am to come to you and reveal this information to you. For a while, I thought it would be unneeded.”
I didn't look up; I fear my heart wouldn't be able to take it if I saw 'Arcueid'.
“It's ok now. I no longer have her form... You can look.”
I raised my head and saw this young girl, with red eyes, blue hair and a large black bow on the back of her head, wearing a black dress.
“Onto my information, there will be no need to speak as long as you understand. Arcueid was the last True Ancestor; however, she never explained to you why such a distinction was needed. Between True and 'false'.”
True... And false?
The girl turned and walked toward the bench a bit then stopped.
“True Ancestors are predominantly known as such, but they have another name. At least here, Arerata-Jurei is the full name. However, they are generally known in legend as the Jurei, for simplification purposes. Long ago, the Jurei partook in a war with what is known as the Arerata-Kiru, or Kiru, in more proper terms, they are called the False Ancestors.”
The girl sighed.
Arerata-Jurei... Those who bring Life
Arerata-Kiru... Those who bring death?
“It is a long story, and I will need your attention fully for you to understand.”
I nodded slowly.
“Before Arcueid was 'born', the Jurei was very prevalent here in Asia. They was generally peaceful even if they was 'vampires', however, the Kiru was another story. They lived for death, scourges, disease, and war. Arcueid was born to service that purpose in the end, to purge both the corrupted Jurei and the Kiru. She was largely successful, as you may know. Until Roa tempted her, and ended in the extinction of all but a few of the True Ancestors. The False was alleged wiped out by the True, but that is incorrect as Arcueid discovered but she was already fighting against both herself and about to fight Roa at the time so such a realization was lost on her in the battles.”
Arcueid... She was that important?
“The True could dismantle the False with relative ease. As the True are a result of nature, the False are a result of its perversion. While the True co-exist with their surroundings, the False take Mana from theirs, purging it of life. But the False could not take the Mana of the True, it was quite the opposite, the True could sap the strength of the False just by being near them. But without any True Ancestors left, the False will remerge and pollute whatever they touch; only the Church can truly oppose them.”
“.. Why are you telling me this?”
The girl smiled in a coy way. “Because Shiki, she wanted you to know, to protect those you care about, to protect yourself and above all else, help eradicate them should the need arise. That is why Ciel is here after all, that is why she came to see you. She knows the dangers, she knows the risks. False Ancestors are simply not 'vampires', they are viruses, and they themselves are a disease. They can control their spread, unlike the true, who could suppress themselves, the False exist in perpetual madness constantly, no control, simply feeding and spreading. She could very well die because she is no longer bound to Roa. “
Ciel...
“There is no guarantee you will ever see a False Ancestor, much less engage one in a fight. So there is little need to worry, since the Church seems to be responding much quicker than Arcueid expected.”
I sits silent, just thinking about what I was told...
False Ancestor?
Ciel...
Protecting everything. I may have to do it again... I may have to cut those lines again.
“I don't know if I can... I don't know if I could do that again.”
The girl sits next to me and put her hand on my shoulder, staring at me softly.
“She loved you Shiki... She was willing to die for you, she knew Roa would kill her, she knew she was weak and she did not care. It went above her duty as a True Ancestor, even when she was weak; she used her Marble Phantasm even when it completely exhausted her. She died happy, and now everything she held from you is in your mind and heart now.”
I shook my head, I feels the hot tears overflowing from my eyes, and I was shaking. I missed her... So much, everything I had hidden up until now came out. I put my head in my hands and began sobbing.
“Dammit Arcueid! Why?!” I yelled. I cursed her. I cursed her sacrifice. I said I hated her.
... But I loved her
Even now... Even after she was gone for so long...
I kept sobbing as the girl held me in her arms. She was so warm... I feels comfortable, not alone anymore but the pain in my heart, my mind, my throat. They couldn't be healed... I feels like I could die there...
“Shiki... Should you must, protect those you care about like Arcueid protected you... Learn from her that no matter what, no matter how much it hurts. You must protect them.”
I nodded softly against her; soon I was enveloped in darkness.
I woke up in the park, my cheeks feels cold as I dabbed them.
“Tears.” I muttered to myself.
That dream... I remembered every detail.
False Ancestors. Arcueid's knowledge. The familiar. Her explanation.
I stood up, I feels numb everywhere, I simply walked back to the mansion in a daze.
The gate was unlocked and I saw a faint light on in the lobby. I assumed Akiha had waited up for me, as I put my hand on the door, it opened.
Akiha stood there, in her nightgown, scowling at me.
“Nii-san, come in, it's freezing outside.” She said in a tone as cold as the air.
I shuffled into the lobby slowly and turned to Akiha.
“Where on Earth have you been, Nii-san!” She demanded as she shot a glare I haven't seen in about a year at me. That glare of contempt and anger.
“I was at the park.” I answered without thinking; I didn't care about what I said at this point. I was too busy thinking about.
“Oh, meeting who?” She continued her fierce stare.
“Ciel-senpai”
“... Why was you meeting that insufferable woman?” Her tone was harsh; the air was getting extremely frigid and tense.
“Because she was back in town...” I weakly say, I feels like my reasoning was gone. If I hadn't fallen asleep in the park, I'd simply be dodging and evading her questions or even out rightly lying. But...
“I forbid you from going out at night, I will check your room personally at 9PM and if you are not there. I will inform the police that you are missing.”
“Why, Akiha?” My emotions continued slipping away... I could barely hear Akiha anymore.
“I'm not going to have you go out with Ciel and hunt some vampires! Not again! You was nearly killed before. Don't you care at all how I feel?” She shouted, her face becoming red and her hands shaking.
“Why, Akiha...” I repeated, slowly.
“What do you- Nii-san?!” She suddenly interjected herself. “What's the matter? Why are you crying?” The hostile mood in the air evaporated with that statement.
I lifted my hand to my cheek and feels warm moisture and look at my fingers.
“I-I don't know, Akiha...” I continued speaking slowly and I feels my face twist in confusion.
“But why...” I muttered.
Akiha slowly approached and touched my cheeks with a napkin she grabbed from a table in the lobby. Ignoring my words she attempted to clean the tears away but they kept coming.
“Why, Akiha... why can't we be normal? Why... Can't we live normal lives? Like we did 9 years ago... Sneaking outside, just being kids.”
“Nii-san...” She said in such a quiet voice, her eyes was wide and full of concern; her hands trembled as she kept wiping my tears.
“It's not fair...” I complained. I kept complaining. And Akiha kept trying to consul me.
“Nii-san, why won't you stop crying?” Her own eyes look moist as she grabbed another tissue.
“I don't know...” I whimpered. I suddenly feels like something snapped, like a piano wire... So small yet so loud.
As Akiha kept trying to wipe my tears I suddenly embraced her. All that emotion that had vanished suddenly rushed back into my body.
I was sobbing onto my sister’s shoulder... And I couldn't stop.
“I'm so sorry Akiha! I'm so sorry I bring all of this on you!” I tell her in between gasps of air.
Akiha broke down too, and began sobbing against me; she held me so tightly and was so warm. I feels the warmth of her tears soak through my clothes.
“Nii-san! Don't ever say that! We're in this together Nii-san, no matter what! Please... Just don't go away...” She cried loudly.
We both cried against each that night, all the emotion we had both been holding back for so long erupted forth and continued into the night.
I opened my eyes slowly. I saw the sunlight pierce into my eyes and I squinted. I feels warm, bathed in sunlight.
Where was I?
This isn't my room.
I look around, putting my hand in front of my face to shield me from the sun and look around.
I was on the sofa downstairs... Looking to my right, I saw Akiha, her head resting against my shoulder, I saw her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
She was asleep.
Now I remember... Last night... Her eyes was still somewhat puffy even now. I had no idea when either of us had gotten to sleep. As well as being surprised neither Kohaku nor Hisui woke us up. Brushing aside these questions I nudged Akiha softly with my free hand.
“Hey, Akiha...” I whispered “its morning.”
Akiha's eyelids fluttered, she groaned softly and sits up straight, rubbing her eyes. She look adorable, like a little girl who had just woken from a nap.
“What time is it?” She asked in an extremely groggy voice, a voice I am completely unfamiliar with. I had to suppress my laughter.
“Well...” I pointed toward the clock, Akiha squints for a second, adjusting her eyes to the light then suddenly she stood up and yelled.
“I'm late!”
She quickly rushed up the stairs before I could say anything. I soon followed her path a few minutes later.
After I had showered and came to the sitting room, Akiha was long gone. Kohaku had prepared a small breakfast for me to eat on the run, as usual. Before, Akiha would insist I stayed and eat a hearty breakfast, but eventually both Kohaku and Akiha realized my body simply would not wake up earlier and Kohaku began making quick and portable breakfasts for me.
Kohaku handed me a bowl of cereal and some juice. Had I suggested I be served this a year ago, Akiha would have ripped my head off. Times have certainly changed...
“Shiki-san, remember, Akiha-sama is planning an anniversary party.”
“Huh?” I gave Kohaku a confused look. I don't remember hearing about a party.
Kohaku smiled and giggled slightly. “The party to celebrate your return to the mansion, Shiki-san.”
“Oh, that's right.” I mutter softly. I feels bad, I completely forgot, I have been so caught up in school, tests and graduation recently that I've been neglecting my home life. I remember that last night was the first time me and Akiha had talked privately in a good while.
“I'm sorry, Kohaku. I've just been up to my neck in worries and work.” I apologize. I also feels like apologizing to Akiha and Hisui for being so spaced out and troublesome recently.
“Don't worry Shiki-san! All of us understand you've been working hard, which is why we planned this party for you. Akiha-sama will not take no for an answer on it and Hisui-chan threatened to lock you out of your room if you don't go.” Kohaku smiled again and laughed as she grabbed her broom.
Hisui threatened to lock me out of my room? I find that hard to believe. But... I have been ignoring them recently. So it isn't impossible.
I bow slightly to Kohaku. “Thank you, Kohaku.”
Kohaku smiled and patted my head like I was a child. “Now, if you don't hurry, you'll be late”
She was right; I smiled at her and make my way to the lobby.
Hisui was waiting for me as usual. She opened the door for me as I make my way to the front of the gate, outside of the gate I turned to Hisui.
She still had her emotionless expression down. Even though now she flashes more smiles and reacts more often, she still has her discipline.
“Hisui?” I ask.
“Yes, Shiki-sama?”
“Would you really lock me out of my room?”
I saw Hisui's eyes narrow slightly. “.. Yes.”
She was serious. Kohaku wasn't kidding. I was somewhat shocked.
“I can't get out of this even if I tried, right?”
“Correct. Akiha-sama would be most displeased should you try.”
I was defeated, I had never thought of trying to get out of it. But knowing my luck, a teacher would give us surprise homework or announce a test of some sort for the next day. So, even if I tried to study, I couldn't.
I turn and begin walking away. “See you later, Hisui.”
“Have a good day, Shiki-sama.”
On my walk to school, all I could think about was last night.
Ciel's tone... The dream... Me and Akiha's crying.
Now that I thought about it, a lot happened last night, but it didn't feel that way. I feels that was strange, had the events of the last year numbed me to trauma?
No, that's not true. I cried, I was sad, I feels miserable and even feels like dying for a little bit. But for some reason, I am pretty fine right now.
As I stopped at the last crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, I realized something and smiled.
Akiha, Hisui and Kohaku... That's why. Because they are always there, no matter what. They look out for me and support me. And I know that's why even now I feel happy, even with all this uncertainty, I always have them to go home to.
I never realized how important they was.
Morning classes ended normally, well, normally by the standard now. Last year, this would have been considered murder but I've grown accustom to it. I'm even on the Student Council, well, not an important role on the council, but still. Arihiko has already told (Meaning he probably started them himself) me of some rumors that me and Akiha are competing to run our respective schools. And it may end in a bloody school battle between sibling leaders for control of the school system. When he told me this, I laughed quite a bit, but recently, I've seen the underclassmen give me fearful looks or shy away from being close to me. It seems I've somehow become a tyrant who may lead them to their deaths; I have to remember to punish Arihiko.
Making my way to the cafeteria with a relatively light lunch, I find a seat, with Arihiko joining me shortly after.
“Hey, Fearless Leader!” He shouted out as he sits down. I think he's begun to take his own rumor seriously.
“Arihiko, I hope you realize those rumors can get me in a lot of trouble.”
“Relax!” He says, grinning like a fool. “Nobody really believes them. Well, maybe the First Year students do.”
I let out a groan. Dammit Arihiko. I curse my best friend in my thoughts.
“Hey, Shiki, how'd you do on the English exam?”
“Pretty well.”
Arihiko look around then leaned toward me.
“Uhh, Shiki, this may seem odd. But-”
I already knew what he was going to ask, and I had the same answer lined up: No.
Arihiko has a problem with the English language, one that I cannot begin to explain. As much as Arihiko slacks off in other classes, he tries in English and always fails. I tutored him for a while but I stopped because it was beyond frustrating to work with him. I've concluded it's impossible for Arihiko to learn English.
“No, I can't. Teaching you English is impossible.”
“What?!” He yelled. He look pathetic, he pouted on top of it. “I can't fail another test! The teacher will have my head if I do!”
“Arihiko, I can't teach something to someone when it's damn near impossible for them to learn. Sometimes I'm surprised you even know Japanese as well as you do.”
Arihiko sulked. “You're cruel, Shiki.”
“Only to you.”
After lunch and the afternoon classes, the bell rang. For most students, it signaled the end of the class. For me, it signaled the end of a prison sentence. My head hurt and my hands hurt from writing. The teacher gave her final remarks on the class and reminded us of our assignments before we left. I didn't hear her, nor was it relevant if I did. I wasn't getting any work done tonight.
I make my way down the now familiar route and up the hill to the gates.
Hisui was already outside the gates waiting for me. She bowed as I approached.
“Welcome home, Shiki-sama.”
I went to walk around Hisui but she stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
“Uh, Hisui...”
She held out her right hand and stared at me.
A silence ensued. I was confused.
'Ah, I got it.' I think to myself.
I grab Hisui's hand and shake it. She flinched a bit, but her stare remained. I let go of her hand but it remained in the air. Hisui's expression remained emotionless.
More silence...
Hisui finally spoke up. “Your case, Shiki-sama, please give it to me.”
Oh, my case. They don't want me to work and it'd be impossible if they hid my case from me.
I hesitated, but eventually gave my case to Hisui.
“Thank you.” She said as she stepped aside.
I feels like a complete idiot, and walked into the lobby with Hisui behind me.
After we entered, she make her way up the stairs and toward my room. The curiosity nagged me, so I followed.
When I reached my room, she had already come out and pocketed something.
“You didn't.” I say in disbelief.
Hisui simply grabbed the doorknob and attempted to turn it a few times. All it did was rattle.
Wordlessly, Hisui walked by me to attend to her duties. I turned slowly and stated something pretty stupid.
“What if I have to go to the bathroom?”
“The backyard should give you sufficient privacy, Shiki-sama.”
I never understood Hisui's humor
I spent most of the time waiting for Akiha in the gardens of the backyard and simply wandering around the estate. I was restless, my body was so used to walking straight to my room and going to work that I had forgotten what I did before I was assaulted with that daily ritual.
Shortly after, Akiha emerged into the sitting room; I had been there for almost 10 minutes staring at the clock when she came in. Kohaku had begun cooking some time ago and the scent of the food was utterly delicious. Whatever it was, it was going to be great.
Soon, Kohaku came out with Sushi, Curry, and Rice among numerous other dishes and laid them out. Akiha, much to my horror and to Kohaku's glee, had brought out the alcohol.
I protested at first, but was overruled even by Hisui.
I, of course, began to eat the finger food and ignored the alcohol entirely. Akiha did the opposite, having her usual rum, while Hisui opted for wine and Kohaku had pretty much everything across the board.
The chatter was pretty meaningless to me, usually topics like Akiha's school life, well, that wasn't meaningless but it was pretty boring to me. Of course, I dare not say that.
“Nii-san!” Akiha called out, I was pretty full of food at this point so I was just sitting there, occasionally sipping some wine. “Why aren't you having fun? This is your party! It'd be rude if you guest of honor wasn't satisfied.”
Akiha was mildly drunk at this point, she'd consumed quite a bit of rum already and Kohaku was pouring more into her glass.
“It's a school night, I shouldn't get drunk.”
Akiha chuckled. “If I can get drunk tonight, surely you can too.”
I couldn't reply, because she was right. Her school was far stricter about such things and she had to leave much earlier than me. But wasn't that a bit reckless?
“But I am satisfied, Akiha.”
“Nonsense, a party with alcohol isn't a party unless the guest of honor is drunk. It's dishonorable.”
She plainly stated, sipping her rum.
Before I could protest further Akiha gave me a devilish look. I shivered at it. Kohaku poured more rum in her already empty glass.
She stood up, walking toward me, slightly wobbly, and leaned down toward me. Her face was only a few inches way from mine.
“Nii-san, as head of the Tohno family, I order you to get drunk.”
Before I could protest, Akiha had sits on my lap and straddled me. Whatever words I was going to say evaporated in my throat in that instant as she began to try and force feed me some rum.
I gave in, mainly because of shock and confusion. She went that far to try and get me drunk, resisting her in this situation would probably end with me going to the hospital.
Both Kohaku and Akiha ganged up on me. Akiha stayed on top of me and force fed me the rum, while Kohaku continued refilling the glass.
After the fifth glass, I don't remember anything...
I slowly woke up; the first thing I noticed was a piercing yet dull pain in my head. I sits up quickly and put my hands on my head.
I gasped and gritted my teeth. A hangover... I groaned and slowly staggered to my feet. I feels both dizzy and sick. I make my way to the bathroom and began to get washed up.
I make my way to the sitting room, fighting off my pains. I hadn't seen Hisui yet, so I was a little concerned but I dismissed it. I don't know how much alcohol she had, but in the past her tolerance had always been low, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was hung over.
I was still thinking about Hisui when I arrived in the sitting room to see Kohaku with breakfast prepared for me already. I noticed Kohaku looking at me in a strange, amused way.
“.. Is something the matter Kohaku-san?” I manage to ask. I had a feeling I probably wouldn't like the answer.
“Shiki-san, I didn't know you was so bold.” She said, suppressing her laughter.
What? Bold? I don't like where this is going, but I can't seem to stop myself from asking further.
“Bold? What do you mean?”
With those words, Kohaku burst into the laughter she had been trying too hard to suppress. Her face was soon red with laughter, she had to put herself on a chair to keep herself balanced she was laughing so hard. I feels embarrassed for some reason.
Eventually, she controlled her laughter and smiled at me. “You and Hisui make a great duet. Although Hisui is a much better singer than you!”
Whaaaaat? Singer? Oh... I can already imagine me and Hisui with our arms around each other, singing like a couple of drunks. No wonder Kohaku laughed so hard.
“When I told Hisui-chan this morning, she was so mortified she went to her room and hasn't emerged since! I told her she was a very good singer for being intoxicated.” Kohaku giggled again.
Poor Hisui.
I sits at the table, feeling very awkward. During breakfast, Kohaku told me what had happened that night.
I was wild last night, from what she told me. After I had nearly 12 glasses of rum (I only remember 5 and not much else) I began singing loudly and eventually Hisui joined me. Apparently, I was also quite the conversationalist while I was intoxicated, although she didn't go into specifics I had the general idea of what I did. I feels ashamed of myself.
Kohaku shot me a sly smile after I finished. “And Shiki-san... Next time you want to get indecent with me please don't do it in front of an audience.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, nearly spitting out my orange juice as I finished the glass.
Kohaku blushed. “It's very rude to touch the servant’s breasts in front of the employer.”
“... I'm going to school.” That's all I could say. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave.
“Oh, and Akiha-sama wished me to tell you she wanted to have a word with you when you returned.”
“I can see why.” I muttered as I left the sitting room.
Trying to brush off the feeling of impending doom I had waiting for me when I returned, I make my way to school.
I make my way past the gates of the school just before they closed and continued walking until I hear a noise coming from the courtyard. For some reason, I feels impelled to investigate.
I came to a scene that gave me déjà vu. A girl was sitting on the ground and hammer pickets into the ground, repairing the ones that had begun rotting away.
“Senpai?” I say unconsciously, remembering this is where I had first actually met Ciel-senpai.
The girl turned, but it was not Senpai. She just shot me an icy look. Her brown hair, which draped just beyond her shoulders, was parted to the sides of her face. Beside them, I saw her blue-green eyes. If I had to guess, I'd say she was only slightly smaller than me. Maybe a little taller than Ciel-senpai. She was wearing a second year uniform which was slightly dirty from the work on the pickets.
The girl then turned back to her work. Hammering the pickets back into the ground.
I just stood and watched her for some time.
“Why are you watching me?” She muttered, not turning away from her work.
I paused for a moment and thought to myself.
Why was I watching her? She isn't Senpai, so...
[“I was just drawn to her”/”She reminds me so much of Senpai” (Default)]
“I'm sorry,” I manage to say. “You just remind me of a good friend of mine, she was doing the exact same thing last year.”
“Ah.” Was all she said as she continued with the pickets.
“My name is Shiki-”
“Tohno Shiki, I already know who are you.”
She cut me off as I was introducing myself. I was more popular than I thought, I was certain I had never met this girl before today.
“My name is Ruro Ume. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be getting to class.”
With that, the girl, Ume, walked by me and off into the distance. I hear the bell ringing.
“Damn, I'm late.” I mutter to myself as I dashed off to class.
The morning classes flew by. Arihiko skipped class today and I wasn't very hungry so I wandered the school to kill time.
During my wandering, I caught something going on in the courtyard.
“Ruro?” I muttered as I walked to the window to get a better look. It was her. She was back to fixing the pickets.
I don't know how long I stared at her; I just seemed entranced by her fixing the pickets.
I couldn't stop thinking about Ciel-senpai...
I sighed sadly, remembering those times.
Shortly, the bell rang again signaling the end of the lunch period and I make my way to class. Most of the class was boring and not too long before it ended, I saw a familiar girl walk by the door. I would recognize that blue hair anywhere...
I stood up and asked to be excused for a bathroom emergency, no teacher would logically question that, and runs into the hallway, as I runs into the hallway, and I hear the footsteps echoing down the corridor, in another hallway.
Dashing toward them, I turned the corner.
“Senpai!” I yelled.
The brown-haired girl turned around. It wasn't Ciel, it was Ruro again...
The girl just gave me a cold stare. “I'm not your Senpai, Tohno. You seem to not understand proper titles very well.”
There was no emotion in her voice, but her words wounded me. I feels embarrassed and idiotic.
“I-”
[“I mistook you for somebody else”/“I'm sorry” (Default)]
“You're not sorry, if you was, it wouldn't have happened.”
“What?”
This girl was hostile, one of the most hostile girls I've ever met.
“You obviously had to come out of class to catch up with me, which determines that you had intended from the beginning to meet with me. So, apologizing is simply a lie to cover up your intent.” She says harshly. Her stare never left me and seemed to turn colder with every second.
“I just thought you was my friend again.”
“That is highly unlikely, as you have make that mistake before. Unless you are stupid as rumors say, then you must been planning something devious to do with me.”
“I'm not planning anything!”
“Then you're just that stupid.”
I was getting angry; she just didn't seem to understand.
“Look! I just mistook you for one of my old Senpai! There is no reason to be so nasty about it?”
“Oh?” Her iciness turned even colder. She began to walk toward me.
“Nasty? You think I'm being nasty.”
I began to get worried, but I didn't move.
“Yes, I never did anything to you and you're calling me stupid and accusing me of planning things!”
She kept getting closer; she was less than 5 feet away when she spoke up again.
“Did you want to rape me? I've hear the stories. That Tohno Shiki has a secret ambition within him, which is why he is trying to take over the school to try and kill his sister. Using any means to become powerful.”
This girl says such ridiculous things with such a deadly serious look; she stood less than a foot away from me now.
“But...” Her hand came up and she rested it against my chest. “If I was to rape you, would that purify your soul?”
I couldn't believe what she was saying, this girl is insane. Her face hasn't even changed; she kept her ice cold expression regardless of her words.
Before I could reply to her, her hand quickly rose up and gripped me by the collar of my uniform and slammed me against the wall with deceptive strength. I let out a small cry of pain.
“No, it wouldn't purify you.” She continued. “You're an animal. A wild beast and you should be put down like a stray animal. I'll just kill you.”
She brought her free hand back and balled it into a fist. Still shocked from what has happened I just closed my eyes and waited for the hit. But the bell rang.
I kept my eyes closed, even after I had feels her let me go. I dropped onto the floor. Listening to her footsteps drown in with the emerging students.
Due to the situation, I kept quiet about what had happened and blamed it on my anemia. There's no telling what that crazy girl would do if I told everyone what had happened. That and I have a reputation to protect. I'd never live it down if this got out.
'Did you hear? The Fearless Tohno Shiki was beaten up by a second year student!'
I can hear it now; I'd leave school in disgrace. Dammit Arihiko, why did you have to start those rumors?!
Cursing my friend mentally as I exited the school, I began to walk home.
Hisui was waiting at the gate when I came back. I guess she had finally overcome her embarrassment from last night.
“Hey, Hisui.”
She just bowed.
Guess she hasn't...
We both make our way into the mansion. Akiha wasn't back yet, so I simply pulled out some materials and began studying in the sitting room, I had an idea of what Akiha wanted to talk about and I just needed to get it out of the way as soon as possible.
Eventually, Akiha arrived; she had a detached look on her face. But I could tell she wasn't too happy.
She sits across from me and after a short silence she began talking.
“Nii-san... I forbid you from getting drunk in this house again.”
“I never wanted to in the first place!”
It's true; Akiha basically forced my inebriation on me. I wouldn't have done what I did if she hadn't filled my stomach with alcohol.
Akiha coughed and shifted herself nervously. “Regardless, you are forbidden in the future to get drunk. It impedes Kohaku and Hisui's duties if they are distracted or uncomfortable.”
“What?”
I didn't understand, well, I could understand Hisui but Kohaku? I guess she feels violated.
I began to feel even more terrible.
“Yes, Hisui hadn't come of her room until recently, according to Kohaku. And Kohaku can barely work without breaking out into laughter whenever she sees you.”
Oh... Kohaku didn't feel violated, she was endlessly amused...
I was curious as to why she always seemed to laugh whenever I asked for something.
But my thoughts drifted to earlier, Ruro, her threats and her insanity. I shivered when I thought about it.
Akiha coughed and stood up. “Nii-san, we're going to have dinner soon. So please be prepared.”
I nodded.
During dinner, there was absolute silence except for the occasional noise from the utensils.
After Akiha finished and was getting ready to leave. I said something.
“What if someone threatened to kill me?”
Whatever compelled me to ask was lost to me right after the words left my mouth.
Akiha stopped dead in her tracks and Kohaku's eyes widened. I didn't see Hisui, since she didn't attend dinner.
“Shiki-san, have you been threatened?” Kohaku asked.
“Well, not exactly.”
“Then don't say such things Nii-san!” Akiha said loudly. She look worried.
“It's just...” I couldn't tell them.
“Do you not feel safe, Nii-san?” Akiha asked.
“It's not that. Some girl at school... Doesn't really like me and I've hear that she's said some rather harsh things.”
Akiha's face went from worry to scary. Kohaku look at Akiha, a little worried.
“Who, Nii-san?”
“...”
I stayed quiet. I shouldn't have said that, now I've just gone and make the situation worse.
“I can't tell you...”
Akiha's hand hit the table with a loud slam.
“Why not, Nii-san?! Someone has threatened you and you protect her!” Akiha was angry, I haven't seen her this angry in a long time.
“Because you will take it too far! I shouldn't even have told you!”
Akiha's face softened a little.
“Then I will simply transfer to your school.”
“No!”
I couldn't believe her.
“Akiha, I can take of this myself!”
“Then why tell me?” She fired back coolly.
I don't know...
I really didn't...
It just seemed to come out my mouth and I couldn't explain why.
“.. I don't know.”
Akiha's face stiffened again as she stood up and walked out of the room silently.
“Shiki-san...” Kohaku softly said.
The rest of the week was uneventful, at least compared to earlier. Akiha was still a little angry at me the rest of the week with me but she became less angry as the days passed. And everything returned to normal.
But, everything changed after this week ended.
I look down.
I saw uncountable pieces of meat in front of me.
No, they was pieces to a person.
And I had killed them.
I lifted my head and snapped out of my daze as I walked home from school. I was remembering my dream from a few weeks back. I couldn't forget it and that is what worried me.
I had woken up and tried to look for blood all over me. But instead there was nothing. I should have been used to such dreams but I hadn't had one like that since last year.
I pass by the park, I guess I had walked off course and just wandered.
“Why am I here?” I ask myself
Much to my surprise there is an answer.
Because I summoned you.
I turned just to see a blade slice into my neck.
I was killed...
I feels my life fade from me as I began to collapse.
'No’ is what I thought as I died.
I snapped back to reality as I cried out.
I dropped my case and fell to my knees, grabbing my head.
A headache...
Did I just have a dream? How?
I couldn't have been sleeping.
Where was I?
I look around; I was on the hill leading to the mansion.
I feels completely drained.
But I managed to regain myself, picking up my case and beginning to resume my walk toward the mansion.
My head... It hurt so much that I could barely see. The world around me was blurry.
I saw what look like Hisui at the gate. My vision was in such a haze that I could not be certain.
“H-Hisui.” I say to her as I blinked my eyes slowly.
“I'm sorry Shiki-san” I hear her say.
No, it was Kohaku. Why was she greeting me?
For some reason I feels I was in danger.
“Sorry?”
Before I could say anything else Kohaku had stabbed a long dagger into my sternum. The pain was indescribable.
I gasped as I fell back.
“Please, Shiki-san, please just die... Please just stop suffering now.”
Awaken.
Here words was soft but her tone betrayed her feelings: She didn't care. She wanted me dead.
Kill him.
“Ko...haku” I say just before my vision goes black.
'I can't die... And Kohaku couldn't have killed me.'
Blackness.
Was I dead?
To wake up from a dream of dying only to die. It almost seemed too cruel.
But I hear two voices as I linger in the blackness.
“What happened?” It was Akiha.
“I saw Shiki-sama collapse as he was coming home and I brought him here.”
Hisui...
“I'll watch over him Hisui, go attend your duties. I'll tell you when he wakes up.”
“Thank you, Akiha-sama. And thank you for rushing home.”
After a short silence, I hear footsteps leave the room and the sound of a door closing.
There was a long silence, I couldn't tell for how long. I had no sense of time at all.
“Nii-san...”
Akiha, her voice was so soft and worried.
“I'm sorry... I shouldn't have blamed you for getting drunk; I shouldn't have been so harsh with you leaving the house... This is my fault for being a terrible sister and making your life more stressful.”
I could hear her voice become sad.
'No, Akiha, it's just how you are... I know you care...'
I wanted to say it, but my body refused to cooperate with anything I told it.
I feels something warm envelop my hand.
'Akiha's hand...'
“Please, Nii-san, don't hate me... Please, wake up...”
Akiha sounded so sad...
I was angry and sad. I couldn't do anything other than listen...
“You still have to graduate; you still have to make a life for yourself so you can move away from your sister...”
More warmth... It was wet; I feels it on my hand along with the warmth that had enveloped it.
Akiha was crying?
“Please, just let me protect you from danger for a little longer... Just stay here, Nii-san. Just stay with me a little longer, even if you hate me.”
Her voice was cracking; I feels her hand shaking...
Eventually, her voice and warmth fade from my mind.
My eyes snapped open and I was standing in the park.
I'm dreaming, I told myself.
Wait...
I just told myself I'm dreaming...
“Yes.”
From behind me I hear Ciel-senpai's voice.
“You are dreaming Tohno-kun.”
I turn and see Ciel-senpai. She was wearing her normal nun habit and was giving me an emotionless look.
“What is-?”
“Meet me at the park tonight, 10PM. We have to talk.”
“But, I can't move. I seem to be paralyzed.”
“If you do not show up by 11PM, I'll go to your room.”
“Wait a-”
“Shiki, we have to meet. Even if Akiha finds out, we must. You're in danger.”
Before I could speak up, my vision blacked out.
I woke up...
I opened my eyes and look around. I saw Akiha sitting next to my bed. Her eyes was red and puffy from crying before...
“Nii-san...” She said softly as her eyes became wet again.
“Akiha... Waiting for me?”
Akiha look different; she was wearing a semi-formal dress and some make-up along with lipstick. She must have been attending something important when she hear about me.
I said this with a small grin.
The tears began to flow from her eyes again.
“Stupid Nii-san... Of course I was going to wait.” Her voice began cracking again and she squeezed my hand.
She squeezed my hand with both of hers.
“You're so stupid Nii-san... But I will never stop waiting for you.”
She lifted my hand close to her and kissed the back of it.
I watched her, perplexed.
She stayed quiet, just holding my hand and crying against it. With a small but bright smile on her face.
We stayed like this for quite some time before Kohaku came into the room. Akiha let go of my hand and stood up.
“Hello, Akiha-sama.”
Akiha turned to Kohaku and smiled. “Good evening Kohaku.”
I feels in danger... Another dream?
No, that would be too cruel. I don't think I could take it if this was a dream.
Kohaku sits next to me and I stared at her, fearfully.
Kohaku's smile disappeared.
“S-stay away...”
My urge to keep this reality overrode everything. I tried to move myself away from Kohaku but it was meaningless.
“Shiki-san?”
Kohaku look concerned. But she seemed concerned when she 'killed' me too. I couldn't be sure what was real anymore...
“Stay away!” I manage to yell.
“Nii-san!”
Akiha yells at me, she look shocked. But her face quickly turned concerned.
I was crying and the tears began to fall out of control.
All those things Akiha had told me, everything she did, how she make me so happy by just being my sister. But just being there.
They had to be real... I wouldn't let them be a dream...
Kohaku silently stood up. She bowed to me and walked out of the room. I caught a glimpse of her face, she look hurt.
I feels terrible, but I can't let this be false.
Akiha came back to my side and sits down, looking very concerned.
She pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing my cheeks.
“Why did you do that, Nii-san?”
I stayed silent for a long time. I couldn't tell her, because if I told her I thought it was a dream (And if this was a dream) it may end. And even if this is a dream, I want it to stay that way a little longer.
“I-I can't tell you...”
I lie to her, just to be with her like this for a little longer.
“Is it because you had a bad dream about her?”
My heart leapt up into my throat, my heartfelt it shattered. She knew this had to be a dream...
'No... No...' is all I could say to myself.
I began crying again, staring at Akiha. At any moment I can just see her killing me somehow.
“You said something about Kohaku killing you in your sleep...”
My eyes widened...
In my sleep?
I couldn't be dreaming. I feel so relieved. I was back in reality at last.
I couldn't control myself and grabbed Akiha's hand pulled her toward me.
“Yaa!”
She cried out as she feels onto the bed, I embraced her tightly. My tears wouldn't stop flowing.
“Akiha! Akiha!” I could only say her name, I was too happy to say anything else.
This woman, who had stayed by side all this time. Who had always cared about me. I couldn't be happier to have her here... I feels indescribable warmth in my heart and in my body. I never wanted it to end.
I let go of Akiha and she leans back, putting her face in front of mine, less than an inch I note.
“Akiha... Thank you so much...”
“Nii-san, do not thank me... You're important to me so of course I'm going to try and be here for you whenever you need help. I am your Imouto-san after all; I can't have my Nii-san getting hurt.”
With that, for some reason, my face got closer to hers. And in reply hers began to get closer as well.
I stop less than 2 inches away from her face and say something stupid.
“We'll get arrested if we do this...”
“Stupid Nii-san...”
Her face blushed slightly as our lips finally met. The kiss on the surface was nothing special, but it sent waves of happiness through my body. My body feels so warm that I was afraid it was going to melt. My head feels so hot I thought it would burst.
But I was so happy like this, just kissing Akiha...
But, reality has a way of making such moments both unforgettable and regrettable, because not too long after we had begun our kiss. The door opened.
Akiha practically leapt to her feet, turning to see who it was.
“Hisui?!”
Akiha said that a little louder than she should have.
“Akiha-sama...”
Hisui remained cool, but I suspected the worst... the look in her eyes confirmed what I suspected. Hisui regretted coming into the room.
“Akiha...” I say quietly.
Akiha turned her head toward me, the look in her eyes was so sad...
“Nii-san...”
Hisui bowed, seemingly ignoring Akiha.
“Shiki-sama.”
In another time and another place. This would have probably been humorous. But here and now, I feels like dying. My bliss had been taken from me and I would probably never feel it again.
Akiha quickly left the room as Hisui stepped aside for her to get through then walked into the room.
“I'm here to change the sheets, Shiki-sama.”
I nodded, I couldn't even speak.
Eventually, I managed to stand, so that Hisui could change the sheets.
The silence was so awkward it was painful. Me neither nor Hisui said anything and we never look at each other.
When Hisui finished, I laid back under the new sheets. But as Hisui left, I feels I had to say something.
“Hisui-”
“Good night, Shiki-sama.”
Hisui cut me off, in that, I knew for certain that she saw everything. And I did not say anything more.
Hisui closed the door behind her, her footsteps soon echoed down the corridor.
I look at the clock.
'9:12... I should start getting ready.'
I still feels a little weak but I could probably manage to go the park.
Having sneaked out of the house enough in the last year, I easily escaped the mansion and climbed over the gate.
Making my way to the park, it was almost 10. I had taken that long? Maybe I really shouldn't have come if I'm that weak.
But I continue making it to the park just before 10.
There I saw Ciel-senpai on a swing; she was still wearing her nun habit. She was singing to herself, not loud enough for me to know what she was singing.
“Senpai.” I call out to her.
Ciel look up at me and smiled. “Not Senpai! You don't listen Shiki.”
I smile back at her and sit on the swing next to her.
“Ciel, why am I having terrible dreams?”
I get right to the point quickly.
Ciel sighed.
“I was hoping we could actually talk about something that wasn't so serious. You always ruin a good atmosphere Tohno-kun.”
She says that but with a smile. Ciel-senpai was really something else.
She stared at me suddenly as if seeing something strange, a stare was devoid of emotion that I had grown accustom to when we was facing the threat of Roa. But now, it gave me chills.
A wide smile cracked her lips.
“What?”
I asked her, wondering why such a look would fade into such a smile.
“It couldn't be Akiha, that'd be illegal, but they say the forbidden fruit is the tastiest of them all.”
She says a disturbing thing. Why is she even mentioning Akiha?
“What are you talking about?”
Ciel-senpai lifted her hand to my face and runs her finger across my lips and pulled her hand back.
“Look!”
She said, with a grin on her face.
My heart sank when I look at her finger. A light red hue adorned her index finger, it wasn't blood so it was only one other thing...
“Lipstick...” I mutter.
Now I remember Akiha was wearing make-up and lipstick when she was with me today. I feel so stupid.
Ciel look me over.
“Unless you're becoming a Queen, Tohno-kun, then you've been with a woman.”
“H-how can you say such things!”
I was both embarrassed and angry.
My face feels quite hot, I assumed my head had lit up like a light.
Ciel kept grinning and moved her swing closer to mine.
“I can't imagine Akiha being that good a kisser.”
“Y-You!”
I couldn't handle the embarrassment anymore, I started shaking and staring at the ground.
I hear the swing next to me squeak. I look up and Ciel had stood up.
She turned on her heel toward me and smiled. “Well, enough small talk, I guess we should talk about why I called you here.”
I paused, awaiting the words I was afraid to hear, that the familiar had told me. For them to be confirmed and that I would have to involve myself.
“What I have been sent here to do is investigate reports of a vampire existing within the country. A vampire, but not just a Dead Apostle...”
“A False Ancestor.”
I reply quickly and Ciel turns and gives me a very scary stare.
“How did you know?”
“A familiar told me, one of Arcueid's.”
“...”
Ciel look away from me, looking deep in thought.
“If Arcueid had a familiar with instructions to contact you should they become active, then she knew they would somehow try to target you.”
“Wait, why me?”
I don't get it, why me? Why am I so important? I could almost understand Roa, but I hadn't even known about the existence of the False Ancestors until about a week ago.
“You're special, Shiki, more special than you or Akiha realize. Within you lies something that must either be destroyed or left untapped. And it is best if you remain ignorant to it. You have for so long, and even if for an instant you realize it or fulfill it. You will lose who you are and you will lose everything.”
I didn't understand, I couldn't understand. Because it was impossible to, she was telling me that if I understood what it was then I wouldn't be me.
I hold my head. I could feel a headache coming on.
Ciel continues speaking unphased.
“The man born Tohno Shiki is one of the eventualities of that realization. It will end with your death, and it will end with your soiled memory.”
“I'm not a blood Tohno! It doesn't affect me!”
“You do not have to be Tohno to have such blood.”
I sighed, she was right. From what I've read, the Nanaya blood wasn't much better; they was Demon Hunters but not much more than specialized killers at best. But there had been speculation that the Nanaya blood had been infected with Demon blood, which led to me becoming a part of the Tohno family in the first place. It took me months of searching through the old man's records to find this out...
Ciel crouched down in front of me and look into my eyes.
“Shiki, please, as much as you can. Let me and the Burial Agency solve this. Don't get involved, no matter what.”
“Ciel...”
I couldn't promise her that. As much as I wanted to, both for her and myself. I couldn't promise I wouldn't get involved. If they was somehow targeting me, then I would have no choice in the end.
Ciel smiled.
“I'm going to be watching you, Shiki. I can't watch you in school anymore but I will be watching. Like I said, I'm your guardian angel.”
I brushed my hair back as I stood up.
“Oh, one question.”
Ciel perked up.
“Yes?”
“Does the Burial Agency have any sociopath agents in the school watching me?”
Ciel let out a small laugh and put her hands behind her back.
“The Burial Agency tends to avoid sociopaths. And no, not that I am aware of. Why?”
I sheepishly turn and walk a few steps away from her.
“This girl at school, Ruro Ume, she seems to think I'm some sort of rapist or dictator or something.”
Ciel suddenly burst into laughter.
I turned, surprised to look at her.
“Oh, Tohno-kun! What have you been doing while I was gone?”
Ciel put her hands over her mouth to try and stifle her laughter.
“N-Nothing! Arihiko is the one who started those damned rumors in the first place! Not about the raping, she came up with that on her own.”
Ciel settled down, lowering her hands behind her back again.
“Ruro-chan was always paranoid.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“You knew her?”
“Of course, I had to at least know almost every students name in order for me to get away with being there. I never met her but I certainly hear stories and rumors. Apparently she's quite the fighter, and was on the karate and judo teams even as a first year student.”
“I think she's insane.”
Ciel brought an index finger up to her lip and stared off for a second.
“She might be, you never know. From what I remember a second year student tried to ask her out and she nearly killed him. She almost was thrown out of school for it; I'm surprised you don't remember.”
I thought for a second, I do vaguely remember hearing about an incident where a girl was suspended for assaulting a guy and sending him to the hospital. I never bothered looking into it though.
I shake my head.
'I guess I should really be worried then since she threatened to kill me.”
I hear nothing from Ciel for a moment, and then she spoke up.
“I'll have a talk with her tomorrow.”
“Alrig-What?!” I blurt out.
How? She doesn't go the school anymore and if she shows up in a uniform, that'll cause all sorts of weird rumors. Well, she could hypnotize them like she did before, or whatever she did.
“Nah, that'd be a waste of time just for one day.”
“Ah, o- Wait a-”
“Ah, I forgot to tell you, I can peer into your thoughts now.”
How the hell did that happen?
“Long story.”
“Stop it!”
Ciel giggled.
“Fine, fine. But isn't it odd how I managed to make myself appear in your dreams?”
That's true... why didn't I think about it earlier?
“Because you are slow, Shiki.”
“I said stop it!”
With the feeling of privacy in my own mind gone, I turn and glare at her.
“Aww, Shiki, don't look at me like that.”
She pouts for a second, and then her face goes back to being serious.
“I think it happened when Roa was killed, and my 'life' was given back to me. We was bonded by that event, so we can read each other’s thoughts and sense when we are in danger. That is another reason why I assigned myself to guarding you. If you ever came into any sort of trouble, I'd know immediately.”
“Why was we bonded?”
Ciel shrugged with an odd look on her face.
“No idea, but it happened is all I know.”
I thought for a second, and then asked another question.
“Wouldn't it work both ways? If you can read my thoughts, shouldn't I be able to read yours.”
“Yes, it should. But if you can't then I suspect you either aren't capable of it or just don't know how to. Good thing too, I've been thinking some terrible things recently.”
Ciel says this while smiling.
“I hope that was a joke.”
“It was.”
“Good...”
I stretched for a second; I didn't realize how tired I was.
“That's enough for tonight, I think.”
Ciel said that as she walked toward me.
“Want a ride home?”
“A ride?”
Ciel flashed me a brilliant smile.
“Yes.”
“In wh-”
Before I could ask, Ciel had ducked down, and drove her shoulder into my stomach and lifted me onto her shoulder.
“Hey, wait!”
“Let's go Shiki-kun!”
With that, she jumped. In the past, I had been curious as to what it was like to be Ciel, jumping at superhuman rates and being as fast as she was.
But I realized that curiosity tonight and it was stomach churning. I had to close my eyes, she was moving so fast with so much jostling and turns that I feels sick.
Eventually she stopped and I opened my eyes. I was in my room.
Ciel set me, or a more proper term: Threw me, onto my bed.
Ciel grinned.
“I'll be in touch tomorrow, Shiki-kun.”
She waved as she slid her legs out of the window and leapt to the ground below.
I didn't even bother changing my clothes as I climbed under the sheets.
The next morning replayed like the other mornings recently. Uneventful, Akiha left early as usual, I had breakfast alone, but it was quieter than usual as I left, Hisui didn't say I word to me as I left. As I expected, she must have feels incredibly awkward after last night.
I sighed to myself as I walked.
It was windy today, I make a mental note for no reason, and I just had to keep my mind off of Ciel's words last night and the situation with Akiha. I feels a headache coming on when I reached the school gates.
I rubbed my head, hoping to soothe the pain when I saw Ruro and Ciel talking near the courtyard.
From this distance I couldn't hear anything but they seemed to be having a normal conversation.
'That's good; at least she isn't going crazy.'
The first thing I noticed was that my estimation from earlier was wrong. Ume was much taller than Ciel, now that I thought about it; she had to be almost 6 feet tall. I'd never seen a girl so tall before.
The second thing I noticed was that Ciel was wearing a plain black t-shirt with a blue skirt. I'd say the skirt went well with her hair.
After a while, they part ways and Ciel spots me. She waves and approaches with a smile as usual.
I wave back, and she comes to stand in front of me, her hands clasped in front of her.
“How did it go, Ciel?”
“It went pretty well, for being insane she seems pretty level-headed. She told me about how you told her that you mistook her for me.”
I nodded.
She blushed a little.
“You seem to be thinking about me a lot Shiki-kun, is there something you want to tell me?”
“Like what?”
She leaned forward toward my face; I react by leaning back a little.
“That you love me, Shiki-kun!”
She said that a lot louder than I would have liked.
“C-Ciel, don't say such things or else people will get the wrong idea!”
I try to hide my embarrassment.
Ciel pouts a little.
“You're such a mean person.”
She straightened up, I followed suit.
I never noticed, but Ciel look very beautiful with her glasses, I had missed seeing her like that. It gave her a look of innocence, and her attitude just makes it that much cuter.
Ciel blushed and grinned at the same time.
'Oh shit'
I forgot she could read my thoughts.
“Maybe we should go out Shiki, if I'm so cute.”
I blush and wave my hands frantically.
“N-No, it's just... Hard not to notice. You are very attractive.”
She smiled and gave me a glowing look.
“Thank you, Shiki-kun...”
I finally remembered something I'd been meaning to ask for some time.
“Oh, and Ciel. Why have you acted so differently? You remind me of Arcueid when you act like this.”
Ciel's smile faded, she turned away from me and look at the ground. Her face was expressionless but I could see sadness in her eyes.
“Because I can die now, Shiki. Because for all that time, I couldn't die. I could only live to kill Roa, and as long as he lived I had no reason to fear death. But now that he is gone I can die. I guess...”
She turned her head back toward me and flashed me a smile.
“I guess Arcueid taught me how to live a little. She always had fun, even if she acted silly and I never understood that, I guess I was jealous of her because she could not only die but she was learning to love life while I hated it I just wanted to die Shiki...”
“Ciel” I say, staring at her eyes.
She put her hand up to my face and on my cheek.
“And you Shiki, you gave me such wonderful memories, this school gave me such wonderful memories... and I just want to keep living and making those memories to make up for all that time I lost hating life.”
I feels my heart speed up when she touched me; it was so warm and soft. Before she hardly touched me, but now I've almost become used to her. I unconsciously close my eyes and enjoy her warmth.
“Shiki-kun... You have to take care of me and Akiha; you'll end up dying if you don't save either of us from danger.”
She says that a scary voice.
I opened my eyes to see her smiling again.
“Well, Shiki, you should get to class before you're late.”
I look at the clock in the courtyard.
“You're right.”
Ciel runs her hand down my face and off my face, walking by me.
“Oh and Shiki.”
“Meet me tomorrow night at the park, same time.”
I nod; I turn and watch her slowly pass by the gates and out of sight.
I sigh, I missed Ciel ever since last year and it was good to have her back.
I began my long walk to class; I turned the corner of the building I saw Ume leaning against the wall near the entrance. She turned her gaze to me and motioned for me. I look around just to make sure it wasn't anyone else, and then I pointed to myself.
She nodded.
I gulped, expecting the worst.
I began to walk toward her, as I did she stopped leaning against the wall and walked toward me.
I feared the worst that she was going to follow through with her threat and kill me, that Ciel's conversation to her only infuriated her more.
“We must speak.”
She says, in her usual emotionless tone. Even when Ciel was at her coldest, she always had a chink or two in her armor that she let peek out. This girl never let any emotion show as far as I know. Even when she threw me against the wall or threatened me her voice and expression never changed.
I guess that's what makes her so scary; nobody knows what she is thinking or what she may do.
“I said we must speak.”
She repeats, which knock me of out of my daze.
“O-ok.”
“Come with me.”
With that, she starts walking and I follow her.
I followed Ume, behind where Ciel and I used to meet, behind the school building.
She turned suddenly and faced me. Her glare was as devoid of feeling as ever.
I manage to stop short to avoid running into her.
“I don't understand why you mistook me for her. But it seems you was correct before.”
I just stare at her, trying to match her look. No matter what her intent, I always seemed to have a slight fear when I am around this girl.
“I apologize for my assumptions before.”
She bowed after she apologized.
“It's ok...”
I said it pretty flatly, not sure how to react.
After she bowed, she walked by me.
“W-Wait.”
I manage to get out of my throat before she turned the corner.
She stopped.
“Yes?”
“That's it?”
“Yes, that's it. I still don't trust you, so I recommend you simply let me leave before I regret apologizing to you.”
I stay silent and after a few moments, she begins walking again. Even after she apologized, she still had a threatening attitude. I'm going to make sure to avoid her like the plague in the future.
I sigh and make my way to class.
Walking home after school, I review in my mind what happened today so far.
Ciel met with Ume and seemed to work out an understanding but Ume still managed to threaten me. Arihiko make a fool of himself during lunch when tried to drink 15 small cartons of milk and managed to make himself sick. Class was boring and difficult as usual.
I make my way to the gate, where Hisui awaited me. She bowed as I approached.
“Welcome home, Shiki-sama.”
“Thank you, Hisui.”
I walk to the mansion, but just before I enter, a question seems to force itself up.
“Hey, Hisui, where is Kohaku?”
“Nee-san is buying groceries; she went out shortly before Shiki-sama arrived home.”
“Ah.”
My curiosity satisfied, we make our way into the mansion.
I study in the sitting room; I wasn't in the mood to be cooped up in my room so I simply began reviewing my studies.
When Akiha arrived, it was already dark and Kohaku had not returned.
I overhear Hisui and Akiha in the lobby.
“Hisui, where is Kohaku?”
“.. I do not know Akiha-sama, she left shortly before Shiki-sama arrived home and has not returned. I am beginning to get worried.”
With that I stood up and walked to the lobby.
“Kohaku still hasn't returned?”
Hisui turned to me and nodded.
“She never takes this long.”
Akiha says that with a bit of concern in her voice.
They say when you speak of the devil, he tends to appear. And as if intentionally wanting to make that saying come true, the door opens and Kohaku stands in the doorway.
Everybody turns to look at her. She simply stood there but she wasn't carrying anything.
Akiha is the first to ask.
“Kohaku, where are the groceries?”
Kohaku simply stood there, a blank look on her face.
“Nee-san, are you ok?” Hisui asks, the concern in her voice rising to the forefront.
She simply stands there, her hands shaking a little.
“Nee-san...” Hisui manages to faintly say.
Kohaku began to fall forward; I alertly dashed forward and catch her before she hit the ground.
After I caught her, her body began to convulse wildly.
“Kohaku!” I and Akiha call out at almost the exact same time.
Blood began to pour out of Kohaku's mouth as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
“Oh, dammit!” Is all I can say.
“Nii-san, take her to the sitting room!” Akiha orders.
I nod and carry the convulsing Kohaku into the sitting room and lie her down on the sofa.
Blood was still coming out of her mouth, her body still thrashed about wildly. My shirt was stained with some of her blood, and it began to sink into the sofa.
'What the hell is happening to her?'
Soon, Hisui comes and cleans up the blood from Kohaku's mouth and puts a wet towelette onto her forehead.
After a long and painful silence, Kohaku's convulsions began to fade into just small tremors.
“Has this ever happened to her before?”
Hisui just shook her head as she stared at Kohaku, her eyes full of worry.
Akiha sits down, staring at Kohaku as well and replied to me as well.
“Kohaku has rarely become ill, and never this violently.”
We tended to Kohaku for hours, she never woke up but eventually her tremors ceased entirely. Occasionally, Hisui would wipe a small amount of blood which came from her mouth with a moist rag.
We simply waited in the sitting room. This night was extremely quiet, even the crickets was keeping silent, and all we had to pass the time was watching Kohaku and listening to the solemn sound of the grandfather clock ticking in the room.
Akiha stood up.
“We should call a doctor and schedule a house call tomorrow.”
Me and Hisui nod in agreement.
“I'll be going to bed, Nii-san. Hisui, please tend to Kohaku.”
Hisui bowed.
“Of course, Akiha-sama.”
As Akiha went to leave, we hear a rustling from behind the windows in the sitting room.
We all turn our heads to it.
“Animals?”
I asked.
“.. Yes, occasionally an animal will get into the gardens and cause a ruckus, usually Kohaku chases them off though.” Akiha said.
The animals seemed to have a picked an excellent time to begin causing problems.
But the noise became louder. And eventually a shadow appeared in the window, showing in the pale moonlight.
I immediately sense danger, as I think Akiha does as well.
“Hisui, Akiha, get Kohaku out of here. Take her to the lobby.”
They both grab by the arms and legs and carrying her out the lobby.
I instinctively reach into my pocket for my knife.
'Shit'
I had forgotten I always left my knife in my room now.
I turn my head toward the lobby.
“Hisui! Get m-”
Before I could finish my sentence, the glass shattered violently.
I shield my face from the glass exploding outwards. When I lower my hands I see three people stumble into the room, their skin was horribly disfigured and their bodies and clothing was covered in blood.
“What the hell!”
One of them overtook me quickly, sloppily tackling me to the ground in my surprise.
It opened its bloody mouth to reveal its broken and rotting teeth. I struggled against it, fighting to keep its head away from me; it seemed intent on biting me.
Its fingernails dug into the skin of my arms and I cry out.
“Ahhhh!”
It moaned raggedly, as though it was having trouble breathing. It emitted an odor I could not describe, its skin was horribly pale and the blood on it seemed to have turned black with age.
Akiha cried out from the lobby.
“Nii-san!”
She runs into the sitting room.
“No! Akiha, get out! Run! Take Hisui and run!”
I tell her, she just stares at me.
“No, Nii-san! I won't leave without you!”
By now the other two 'people' had joined the first in attempting to feed on me, they crowded around me.
'Shit... What a stupid way to die'
After I think this, the terrible monster on top of me suddenly stops moving and breathing. Then the other two seem to shoot in opposite directions away from me, one toppling over the sofa and falling behind it, the other slamming into the wall with enough force to break the wall and lodge itself into it.
I look down and see three blades sticking through the chest of the horrible figure on top of me, just enough to go through it but not pierce me.
Eventually the blades withdrawals and the beasts fade into a small bit of ash.
I look up at my savior: Ciel. She was holding the Black Keys, covered thick in blood.
I quickly stand up.
Before I can get a word out, Ciel speaks up.
“Get ready to leave, Shiki, we can't stay here. I'll meet up with you in the lobby when I am done with these.”
With that I nod and run to the lobby. Remembering my knife I dashed upstairs to my room, I began pulling out drawers, desperately trying to remember where I put my knife. I finally pull out the correct drawer and put it in my pocket.
I run back to the lobby to see Ciel, Akiha and Hisui. Kohaku was being carried by Ciel; she cradled Kohaku against her chest as they turn to me.
“We have to leave, now.”
I look at her.
“I don't have time to explain, we just have to go.”
We all runs out of the mansion, Ciel leading.
I manage to ask Ciel a question while we runs.
“Where are we going?”
“My place, we'll be safe there.”
We follow Ciel until we stop in the street.
Something was wrong.
Ciel bit her lip and look at both sides of the street.
“They're already moving in, we have to hurry.”
Against the moonlight, I strain to see the shadows of numerous figures heading up the hill toward the mansion.
'What... How did they find me?'
“Come on!” Ciel orders and she begins running down a nearby side path.
It was very narrow and winding, Ciel with Kohaku barely fit in it.
It was so dark in the alley I had trouble seeing Akiha, who was in front of me, I feels incredibly nervous and scared. I was paranoid of one of the shadows suddenly leaping out and claiming me or Akiha. But that worry seemed to make run faster and closer to Akiha.
'If we're ambushed here, we're dead.'
I shake off such a horrible thought and continue following the others.
The maze of the side paths seemed to never end, we continued to run, our steps seem to be the only thing that existed in this night, but we simply continued to run for what seemed like ages. I was already beginning to reach my limit, my legs was getting sore, and my heart was pounding so fiercely it hurt. It feels like if I kept running, my legs would fall off.
But we had to keep running.
Or we would all be dead.
After what seemed like forever, we eventually emerge from the maze of side paths.
Ciel searches her surrounds for a second then begins walking down the street.
All of us, except Ciel, are panting and breathing heavily. We runs for what seemed like an eternity when only a few moments before it was a peaceful night. I walk alongside Akiha and look at her, she was panting heavily, sweat covered her face and she was leaning forward a bit. She look utterly exhausted. I doubt she was used to suddenly picking up and running. I had become used to it after I reluctantly joined the track team due to Arihiko's strong arming ways. Thanks to my vanishing anemia, I could actually run without dying on the spot.
Akiha, however, was not used to this in the least and look completely wore out.
“Ciel, maybe we should stop to rest.”
I had to ask, I was afraid of Akiha collapsing and we'd have to carry two people.
“No, Shiki, we can't stop, this is the best we can do for now. I'm sorry.”
Ciel says in a rather emotionless tone.
I turn to Akiha and look at her, worried.
Akiha noticed my stare and tries to smile.
“I'll... be fine... Nii-san.”
She said it breathlessly, which make me worry even more. If we had to run again, she wouldn't make it. I was almost positive.
Ciel suddenly stopped, observing the surroundings again. I froze, expecting her to dash off again.
I think everyone else expecting that as well, as everybody froze and stared at her. The air was extremely tense as she continued looking around.
“We're fine now; my flat is up these stairs.”
We all breathe a sigh of relief as Ciel walks toward these complexes of flats. Akiha seems to have caught her breath some and look better for it.
We both caught up to Hisui who look completely fine, except for the copious amount of sweat all over her exposed skin.
I forgot that uniform looks heavy and Hisui had to run for so long in it. She must be in extremely good shape to have done that.
“Hisui,” I manage to say, my breath having been regained for the most part. “You're going to have to think about a lighter uniform in the future.”
Hisui just closed her eyes and lightly nodded.
I tried to lighten the mood and it seemed to have failed.
We make our way to one of the flats and began climbing the stairs. Ciel opened the door with a nudge from her shoulder and we all filed into her home. I, being the last to come in, close and lock the door.
It was deceptively large; it had at least three non-bedrooms as far as I could count, as we passed into the nice sized living room.
Ciel put Kohaku on the sofa and turned to us.
There was silence, we had just run for our lives to her flat out of nowhere, literally, and now we was safe as far as we knew. She hadn't explained why we needed to be here or what had happened, she stared at us, looking us over.
Akiha broke the silence.
“What on Earth is going on?!”
She was angry, understandably so, she had just been forced out of her house by those in-human animals and runs for her life to the flat of a person she didn't even like.
“We are forced from our home and come here. I want an explanation!”
Ciel looks to Akiha with a serious expression, too serious.
“The worst possible situation has occurred.”
Akiha sits in one of the chairs, having regained her composure.
“And what situation is that?”
“A vampire has formed an army and has taken the offensive.”
Akiha's eye shot wide open, as did mine.
“His target is most likely Shiki. This is why he sent so many. I'm afraid even this place will not be an indefinite safe haven. But it will be safe from his undead minions.”
Akiha look at the ground; she look about ready to cry. She was shaking; I already knew what was happening. She feels like it was a replay of last year, with Roa, like this was some sort of terrible nightmare come to life.
Hisui managed to look calm still however and asked Ciel a question.
“Pardon me, but would you happen to have a change of clothing?”
Ciel look to her and nodded.
“Yes, second room on the left, back down the hall we came in.”
Hisui bowed.
“Thank you.”
Hisui began walking down the hall, across the hardwood floor. To which I noticed something.
I noticed that the bottom of Hisui's dress was sticking to her legs, and drops of liquid was pouring off her legs and make a trail on the floor. A similar effect was occurring on the cuffs of her shirt and on the sides of her face.
'She must be roasting alive in that uniform...'
Ciel sits down in another chair; I decided to sit on the floor, saving the last seat for Hisui.
Silence blanketed the air again. I assume we was all assessing and trying to deal with the situation.
Ciel turned her head to Akiha.
“By the way, what happened to her?
Ciel looks toward Kohaku, who was lying silently on the sofa, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths. At least she was alive...
“We don't know... Kohaku came home like that shortly before Nii-san was attacked.”
Ciel nodded, then closed her eyes as if in thought and silence dominated the air again.
It was broken by the turn of a door knob, as Hisui emerged from the room. She was drying her hair with a towel. She must have taken a shower.
'Ah, that must have been the bathroom then.'
Hisui walked into the living room.
I look at Akiha, who was almost gawking at Hisui. I turn to see what she was gawking at.
If this was a normal situation, I would have died from laughter on the spot.
Hisui was wearing an over-sized white T-shirt that went almost to her knees with an over-sized pair of sweatpants and some white socks. The prim and proper Hisui in such an outfit was impossible for me to image.
Ciel smiled her first smile after the whole event.
“I'm sorry I don't have anything smaller for you to wear.”
Hisui bowed.
“It is no trouble at all.”
Hisui sits in the last chair, and resumed staring in concern at Kohaku.
I stared at Hisui, trying to take in the image of such a plain Hisui.
After a while Hisui noticed my stare and look back.
“Is something wrong, Shiki-sama.?”
I couldn't reply. Her response and mannerisms completely conflicted with her outfit.
“Well, uhh... I...”
I fumbled with my words terribly.
Akiha finally interceded.
“He's never seen you out of uniform before, Hisui, so he's just a bit shocked. And honestly, I find it odd as well.”
Hisui closed her eyes, retaining her serious look.
“I could no longer bear wearing the uniform. This will do until we return to the Tohno Mansion.”
I smile at Hisui, she did look cute though. Probably because she look so much like she did when she was young and used to play with me and Akiha.
'At least some things stay the same...'
Ciel eventually stood up, everybody, except Kohaku of course, turned their attention to her.
I look to her as well, I had a feeling we'd finally understand exactly what the hell was going on.
“Now that everyone is here, I think it's time for me to explain the situation in full to you all.”
We all listened to Ciel as she began to explain. She explained what True Ancestors was first; I already knew everything about this so I only paid attention to some of the parts.
“The vampire who is causing all of this isn't a normal vampire. Rather, he is a subspecies of the True Ancestors, called the False Ancestors. While comparable, the True Ancestors could easily beat the False, which is why they was dormant for so long. At least, until Arcueid's death. Their tactics are also drastically different.”
I had a inquiry that was bothering me for some time.
“These Dead are far different than the ones I've seen before. They seem more primal. More like zombies than actual Dead.”
Ciel nods.
“That would be an absolutely correct comparison. The servants of the False Ancestors are zombies, for lack of a better term, while True Ancestors produced Dead Apostles, who in turn spawned Dead. The Hierarchy among the False Ancestors is much different. As far as I could find out from Church records, they do have a few labels for them.”
She takes a breath and begins explaining again.
“The False Ancestor, usually called the Kiru in the hierarchy, is of course, the head. Below them is the Soeki.”
'The Plague?'
“And the servants below the Soeki are the Undead. The Undead are vastly different than the Dead, while the Dead can blend into society and function, the Undead cannot. Their minds are utterly corrupted from the blood of the Soeki or the Kiru. It destroys their brain and turns them into savage beasts that can only feed at night and that do not even bother to seek shelter in the sunlight. They'll simply stand in the daylight and 'sleep' where they was standing a moment before the sun rose.”
Ciel pauses for a moment, as if to get her thoughts in order, then resumes.
“The Undead as also weaker than the Dead. As you may have seen, Shiki, it only took a single thrust of the Black Keys to kill them. While the Dead would have required more harsh measures. The Soeki also is extremely different than the Dead Apostle, Soeki have similar traits in terms of how they are created but it ends there. Unlike Dead Apostles, Soeki can never roam freely, the Soeki are totally dependent upon the Kiru. The Kiru provides their life force, since the Kiru essentially own their soul, the further a Soeki gets form it's Kiru, the weaker it becomes until it eventually dies. The Soeki also operate on an entirely different method of creating servants. While the Soeki can bite people, it can also kiss, bleed on and even as much as cry on an open wound to infect a person.”
“What the hell?” Is all can ask and that seems all too easy.
“The Soeki are called the Soeki for a reason. Their entire body becomes a carrier for a virus of sorts, one that attacks the brain and turns the infected into the Undead. But the Soeki cannot be human, which is the only catch to such a thing, a normal human would simply turn into an Undead since they cannot handle the infection. Unlike a non-human, which if they survive the infection, become a Soeki. The Kiru also carries this virus, but to less an extent.”
Ciel's face look even more serious at this point.
“The problem is that this virus is magical in nature. It transfers the collected Mana of the Undead to the Kiru and Soeki, and while the Undead generate little Mana by themselves. In a group of Undead like the size of the one we may be facing, it'd be substantial. The Kiru gets about ¾ of this power while the Soeki gets about ¼, which in this case, even ¼ is still a cause for concern.”
Everybody nods, and Ciel lets out a big sigh.
“There is more, but it can wait until tomorrow. The most important stuff has been put out of the way. We should get some sleep, now, I already have thought of sleeping arrangements for tonight. Since I do not need to sleep, I will stand guard near the flat.”
“Ciel, that's suicide.”
Ciel looks at me with a smile.
“Shiki-kun, you'd be dead if I hadn't come. I'm the best equipped to handle such a duty.”
She's right; I just don't want her to get hurt. We're going to need her if we're going to get out of this situation intact too.
Ciel looks at me, then Akiha.
“You two shall sleep in the bedroom, Hisui, you-”
“I object.”
We all look at Hisui.
“I am a servant of the Tohno House, but I will not idly sit by and let my employer break the law.”
I speak up, slightly confused.
“Break the law, what are-”
I remember. She saw the kiss between me and Akiha. Why did she have to just blurt that out?
Ciel looks amused. “So Hisui knew? My, Shiki, you are terrible at keeping secrets.”
Ciel says something that could get me killed.
I look over at Akiha, who is just staring at the floor, her face completely red and her whole body was shaking. She look like she was about to cry at any moment.
I just stare at Akiha and apologize mentally to her.
Ciel sighed.
“Hisui, I understand your concern, but there isn't any other way. Plus, if Shiki tries something stupid, I'll stop him.”
Hisui closed her eyes.
“This is your home, Ciel-san, but my objection remains.”
“And it will be noted, Hisui, but do not worry. I doubt they'd do something foolish here.”
I couldn't handle the topic anymore, so I quietly get up and walk down the hallway.
“The bedroom is in the hallway to the right, first door on the right.”
“Thanks” I mutter.
I make my way to the room, opening the door.
It was a pretty small room, but the bed took up most of it. There was a pretty large dresser across from the bed, with a mirror behind it. The bed look to be a Queen or a double, I wasn't too sure. And there was a few vented windows above the bed which shone the moonlight into the room.
I slip quietly under the sheets, staring at the ceiling after I do. Simply passing my idle thoughts along.
I hear muffled conversation for a long time. Then silence.
I stared at the ceiling still, simply thinking about what was going to do. What we could actually do.
I hear the doorknob to the bedroom turn, and the door creaked open slowly. Akiha slowly came in, looking nervous.
She look utter beautiful in the moonlight, her skin reflected wonderfully in the light as she almost glided toward the other side of the bed.
“Is this really okay Nii-san?” She asks quietly.
“Of course it is, Akiha. You're my sister.”
“That's precisely the problem.”
She says, staring at the floor nervously.
I shake my head.
“Look, I don't think I'm in any sort of position to try anything like that. We just need to rest.”
Akiha blushed and kept looking down.
“I wasn't worried about you trying anything...”
Akiha's words disturb me slightly as she climbed under the covers.
We just lied there, our breathing the only sound in the room.
“.. What's going to happen, Nii-san?”
“I don't know, but it seems Ciel has a plan.”
I look at Akiha, she just shakes her head.
“I still don't trust that woman; I think she's still hiding things from us.”
“Akiha...”
“I don't know why, I just get the feeling she is... You have to be careful, Nii-san.”
I sigh and close my eyes.
I just didn't understand, even after all this, Akiha still didn't trust Ciel. She practically saved us from getting killed.
I feel Akiha move and open my eyes.
Akiha's face was right next to mine; she had rested her head on my shoulder, breathing softly. She soon threw her arm over my chest and look up to me.
“Nii-san... Am I attractive?”
“Of course, you are. That was a silly question.”
She smiled.
“Would you be with me, even if I wasn't your sister?”
There's a question I didn't want to hear. I knew what she was asking; she was basically asking if I wanted to be with her. But any answer to that question would only cause problems.
I look at Akiha, knowing any worded answer would ruin me so I did the only thing I could.
I leaned toward Akiha and kissed her. Her lips was as soft as before and this kiss was peaceful, so full of love within it.
Akiha raised her hand up off of my chest and put it on my face, as we continue the kiss.
We soon break it, Akiha looking in complete bliss, her face having reddened a bit.
I smile at Akiha; the question fades from both of our minds, as I slip into unconsciousness with Akiha against me.
I was running, running to the hospital.
I remember.
I remember that Kohaku had begun spasming again and I was sent to take her to the hospital.
Ciel said she'd be following shortly.
I kept running, fortunately, the hospital wasn't very crowded as I entered it.
“I need help!” I yelled.
Almost as soon as I yell, emergency medics came out from behind the emergency room doors with a gurney and equipment and loaded her onto it; I hear their words fade as they wheeled her into the ER.
I sits in the waiting room, blood staining my shirt and hands.
Kohaku had another fit in the morning, her mouth bloodied again and she was convulsing. Unable to bear it anymore, I volunteered to take her to the hospital. It was then Ciel told me that she'd join up with me later, since it was dangerous for us to be out, even during the daytime.
I look at my hands, still dripping with Kohaku's blood. It didn't feel right; it seemed slimier than blood, more like mucus.
My train of thought is broken as I hear a scream coming from the ER.
'Dammit! Kohaku! Ciel was right.'
I dashed from my chair into the ER, much to the protests of the other employees in the waiting room.
The first thing I notice was a downed a doctor, a pool of blood was still forming around his body. I turn him over to see if I can help him. I nearly vomit on the spot.
His entire face was practically gone and his eyes dangled out his sockets, his jaw was missing and his throat had been ripped to pieces.
I quickly stand up and continue down the hall where I found the body. A trail of blood seemed to go under the swinging doors, I push them open. This time I do get sick.
I vomit on the floor and stumble, holding myself against the wall.
There was body parts and pieces everywhere. Blood painted the room, and blood had managed to get on the lighting, filling the room with a dull crimson against the carnage. I couldn't count how many bodies was slaughtered here; there was just too many pieces.
“Shiki-san”
I hear behind me. I turn quickly and see Kohaku stand in the hall, smiling at me.
“Kohaku!”
“I'm fine now, we can go home.”
Kohaku tilts her head, still smiling.
“Let's go, Shiki-san. Akiha and Hisui-chan must be worried by now.”
As I walked toward her, a small trickle of blood came out of the corner of her mouth and began dripping on the floor.
“Kohaku!” I cry out.
She is dead.
Kohaku opens her eyes in surprise, dabbing her jaw and looking at the blood. She then giggled.
“Oh dear, I'm going to have to do an extra load of laundry.”
“Kohaku, why are you acting so strange?”
Because she no longer exists.
I continue to walk toward her, another stream of blood trickles out of the other corner of her mouth, but her smile never fades. I begin walking faster toward her.
“Kohaku, why don't you care?”
“About what, Shiki-san?”
She replies in her same tone, but even as she blinks, small trickles of blood begin flowing from her eyes, like crimson tears.
“Kohaku!” I cry out again.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Shiki-san, but I must be going alone from now on... Give Akiha-sama and Hisui-chan my regards.”
‘I’m sorry for being so weak, Shiki-san.’
She slowly walked off into an adjoining corridor. I run after her and turn into the corridor.
It was a dead end, the walls, floor and ceiling covered in blood spatter.
“Wh-what?”
I didn't understand it, she just came down here. She couldn't possibly hide here. I turn back around, almost in a daze to see Ciel, wearing her habit, at the entrance to the corridor.
“You shouldn't have gone, Shiki.”
She says in an ominous voice, her eyes devoid of feeling.
“You never listen, do you, Tohno?”
“What are you talking about?!”
I was getting scared, worried and even more confused. I couldn't make sense of any of this.
Ciel suddenly dashed at me, faster than I could react she had slammed me into the wall behind me, covered in sticky blood, the smell almost make me sick. She pinned her body against mine and grinned at me.
She is your Executioner.
“It is time to make you my servant, Shiki, for so long I have waited to do this...”
“C-C-Ciel, what?!”
I saw her open her mouth, running her tongue along her teeth and fangs.
Yes, fangs.
Ciel had fangs...
I didn't understand why or how. But she had fangs. She had become a vampire.
By my design.
I begin to struggle, trying wildly to get loose from her grip.
“I love when you fight Shiki; it just makes everything more exciting!”
She slams me back against the wall with such a force that it nearly knocks me out cold. My vision is distorted but before I could regain my senses she buried her fangs into my neck. I feels a piercing, cold pain in my neck with it as I begin to feel my life being drain from me.
Eventually, I surrender to her bite, unable to struggle anymore. Before I completely lose my life she stops.
She pulls her head back, her lips covered in my blood and she gives me a grin.
“Oh, Shiki, your blood is so warm... I can't help but be excited by you...”
With that Ciel began running her hands on my chest.
She will be your servant, your whore to use.
“I want you, Shiki; I want you to take me. I want you now, Shiki... For so long I've thought about you like this, such dirty thoughts come into my head when I do. And I can't take it anymore.”
I nodded, for some reason, I feels extremely excited as well.
Our lips met, no, more like they rammed into each other. And we began passionately kissing, our tongue intertwining as we fall to the floor, her moans overlap with the kissing and simply excited me more. I couldn't restrain myself and I began to press myself against her, to feel her warmth even more.
'Stop, don't do this. Fight her.'
I kept telling myself these things in vain as I kept kissing her.
Make her yours and seal this pact with me.
I worked my way to her neck and began kissing it. She let out small moans as I did so.
“Come on Shiki... Quit wasting time and make me yours...”
Suddenly, the image fades to black in a flash.
I feel myself being shaken and jarred about by some force. Then I get the sensation of falling, then slamming into something hard.
I snap my eyes open and see black boots in front of me. I suddenly stand up.
It was Ciel.
Wait...
That was a dream?
Ciel look flustered, her face was red and she was panting.
“What was that for?”
“You was being attacked!” She almost yells.
I blink at her. Then I remember she could read my thoughts.
“You was being attacked by the Kiru's familiars, have you had any other dreams like this? Any with strange voices?”
I nod.
Ciel sighed.
“Don't bother sleeping again tonight; you'll just have another attack if you do.”
Ciel begins to walk out of the room.
“Ciel?”
“Yes?”
“You saw the dream, didn't you? That's why you woke me up.”
“.. Yes, but let's not talk about it.”
With that she leaves the door, closing the door behind her.
I turn to look at Akiha, who was somehow still sound asleep. I smile at her then notice the orange sun rising through the window.
It was the beginning of our second day on the run from the Kiru.
I make my way to the living room; Ciel is sitting on the floor, watching the television. The screen illuminates her face as she seems to watch it, in a daze.
Hisui is curled up on one of the chairs, still asleep. She must have been really exhausted to sleep so late. The same applies to Akiha; I'd never seen Hisui sleep before though. Her sternness is gone from her face, her mouth is slightly open as she breathes softly, and she looks more like a child than the strict maid I've been so used to seeing over the last year.
I look to the couch, to see Kohaku.
My eyes widen.
Kohaku was gone, she was just gone... I turn to Ciel quickly. But before I can ask the question, she already answers.
“I don't know I haven't been able to find her. I checked all of the rooms. And I didn't see her leave when I was on guard.”
She tells me this as she continues watching the television. It seems that the national news station is reporting about the Undead 'attack' on the city. They are calling it civil unrest amongst the ethnic groups within the city. Obviously, nobody there knows what is going on.
Many reports are claiming that they belong to a cult that uses psychoactive drugs and that they believe the city is evil.
The reports conflict, they conflict quite a bit. It seems every report coming across is either outrageously stupid or just downright untrue. They was just making up reports just to calm the people watching down, as if there is any sort of control going to come to the situation.
There wasn't...
Not now...
Not anytime soon...
The people in this city, all of them, they may die. Becoming slaves to the Kiru and Soeki, to continue feeding and searching for me.
Ciel turns her eyes toward me.
“Shiki, there is one thing I must tell you.”
I perk up, my gaze fixes onto Ciel's, listening to her, she says.
“We must kill the Soeki first; the Soeki harbors the responsibility for the existence of the Undead. If it dies, the virus within the Undead will cease to function and they will all die.”
“Wait, you said before that the Kiru can infect people as well, what about those that the Kiru infected?”
“I have an idea of who the Kiru is in this case. And if it is him, then he relies solely on his Soeki to infect, he's too caught up in his own importance and agenda to both doing this himself.”
“.. Who is this Kiru then?”
Ciel turns back to TV and resumes explaining.
“His name is Imaeki, he is an ancient Kiru. He has existed since before even the Church, going back to the beginnings of the True Ancestors. He was among the first Kiru, although it is disputed. He fought many battles against the True Ancestors in a similar manner as to how he is searching for you. He relied on his Soeki and the Undead to fight for him. Although in fighting the True Ancestors, it was the only effective way to do so, but it seems even without them to bother him his habits seem to remain.”
Ciel stood up slowly and closed her eyes.
“Without his Undead, his power lies in between that of a Dead Apostle and a True Ancestor. Much more powerful than even Chaos or Roa but not as powerful as, say, Arcueid at her fullest. With his army of Undead, he's basically unbeatable against anyone who is not an extremely powerful True Ancestor. As you may know already, the True Ancestors power is almost self-sustaining; except for the urge to drink blood they can exist as self-sustaining beings. The Kiru cannot, the Kiru must feed to survive, and they are much more like Dead Apostles than True Ancestors. Aside from raw power and their viral-like nature they are essentially Dead Apostles.”
Ciel sighs, her eyes look weary.
“Another thing to note is that the Undead transmit the virus as well, but is a fraction of the strength of even the Kiru, so if any of us are bitten we should be fine. Since us all, even Hisui, are not fully human, we can fight off the infection. But if we was to be bitten or infected by the Kiru or Soeki, we would likely succumb to it.”
I nod, but my concern shifts back to Kohaku.
“Shouldn't we look for her?”
Ciel adamantly shakes her head.
“Absolutely not, it's too dangerous for us to look. We'd give away our position to the Undead.”
I'm shocked; Ciel would just give up on Kohaku like that. I feel the blood drain from my face as I realize this means she suspects she is already dead.
“How can we not! She is probably out there hurt, confused, or scared! We can't just abandon her!”
Ciel glares at me.
“If she wandered outside in her condition, she is dead. There is no reason to search and expose our position needlessly.”
Ciel's words are harsh but there is a terrible truth intertwined with them. I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't believe it.
'Kohaku is stronger than that; she wouldn't just be killed so easily'
I keep telling myself this, I wanted to believe it. But the more I told myself, the more it feels like a lie and the more my heart sank.
Without warning, I feels Ciel embrace me.
“Shiki... Don't hate me for being pessimistic. I just don't want to see you get killed.”
“Kohaku... I know she isn't dead.”
“I know you want to believe that Shiki. But those kinds of lies only hurt people, giving hope where there is none just for the sake of hope.”
I feels Ciel's warmth, I close my eyes and the tears begin flowing from my eyes. I submit to it... That Kohaku was gone... That I'd never see her smile or her cheerful attitude again.
And worse yet, Hisui had lost her sister... But she just slept, probably hoping to wake up to go back to taking care of her Nee-san...
“Hisui...” I mutter softly.
“It'll be terrible for her to hear, I know.” Ciel whispers to me. “But she must know the inevitable truth.”
We stay like this for a while as I empty my emotions into Hisui's embrace; she comforts me, just holding me there that morning. She says few words to me as I pour out what Kohaku meant to me, even though she was never as close to me as she was Akiha.
Just then I realized something.
Akiha... She'll be crushed.
After a little while more, Ciel releases her embrace. She stands and looks toward Hisui.
“.. You tell Akiha. I'd be better suited to talk to Hisui...” Ciel orders me.
I nod and make my way to the bedroom. I close the door softly, as I turn around; I am greeted with the beautiful blue eyes of Akiha.
“Nii-san?” She asks in a groggy voice. She must have just woken up.
I slowly walk to the bed and sit right next to her, my face betrays the news I must tell her. I can't hide my emotions like Ciel, not that I would want to but it would probably help if I could in this situation.
Akiha notices my look gets concerned.
“What's the matter Nii-san?”
“Akiha...” I say, as I reach for her hand and grab it.
Akiha looks even more worried, almost panicked.
“Nii-san, you're scaring me...”
“Kohaku is... gone.”
Akiha's eyes widen.
“Gone, what do you mean?”
“She... Apparently woke up and left the house last night. Ciel suspects she was confused and incoherent because of her illness and simply wandered outside...”
“No...” Akiha's eyes well up with tears. She doesn't even need to hear the rest but I have to tell her anyway.
“Ciel believes she has probably been killed already. She won't let us search for her because of that...”
“No... No... No... No!” Akiha just keeps repeating herself, getting louder each time. The tears in her eyes overflowed and began running down her cheeks.
She throws herself into me and begins sobbing. I just wrap my arms around her and hold her as she wails, her body heaving with every sob. She was letting everything out all at once.
She was trying to say something but it just came out as broken, indiscriminate words. I didn't try to understand them; I just tried to comfort her.
Just then I hear a loud cry from the living room, followed by violent sobbing.
“Hisui!”
Akiha perks up from me, having hear Hisui.
I stand up and run out of the room, I can hear Akiha's footsteps behind me.
When we arrive at the living room, Hisui is on the floor beside the sofa; she had collapsed onto her knees and was sobbing into the sofa where her sister had been only last night.
“Nee-san!” Is all she said as she cried loudly into the sofa? Her crying was so violent that she struggled to breath, taking in deep and erratic gasps after ever sob.
Akiha, still crying sits beside Hisui and grabbed her shoulders. Hisui look up toward Akiha, her face red and stained with tears.
“Hisui, we're here...” Akiha says her face still wet with tears.
“Akiha! I want to see Nee-san!” She cries, as she collapses onto her, resuming her crying from before.
I watch them and realize this is the first time I've hear Hisui call Akiha by her first name. I almost curse myself for noting such an irrelevant event.
“This will strengthen them Shiki, for now it weakens them but they will become stronger and closer for this. And we will probably need that unity.”
I nod, even in such a tense and emotional situation, Ciel remains cool and calm. Always looking to the upside of even this situation.
I and Ciel continue watching Hisui and Akiha cry together. I eventually volunteer to make breakfast, which was to be Curry, since that was practically the only thing Ciel had to eat in the house.
Eventually, we all gather in the kitchen around the small dining table.
The mood was still tense, emotions was still running high. Nobody was saying a word as we all slowly ate our curry. After what happened, it's unsurprising. My thoughts cannot help but wander to Kohaku... Ciel, the lifesaver of conversations, perks up however.
“I think we can all agree that running is inevitably useless. So we should fight this.”
We all quickly turn our attention, wordlessly, to Ciel.
“But that doesn't mean suicidally rushing the Undead. We have to find a place we can live in as well as easily defend when the Undead do inevitably come.”
The first thing that popped into my mind was the first thing I said.
“The School...”
Ciel nods, a smile curling on her lips.
“You are correct, Shiki. The school would be best.”
“Why not the mansion?” Akiha perks up, in a half-dead tone.
Ciel shakes her head.
“The Mansion it too small and the grounds would allow for us to be ambushed. The School's grounds are vast and wide open and the school is much larger and easier to navigate. It also gives us more room to hide should it come to that.”
Me and Akiha nod in agreement, Hisui is simply staring at her plate.
“I know this is hard Hisui, but we must continue to go on. We cannot mourn now; we need to continue to survive.”
Hisui looks up.
“I understand. Thank you Ciel-san...”
With that, it was agreed, we would relocate to the school immediately. Ciel explained that Akiha and Hisui would be the first to make the trip, using a very obscure route to get to the school, as to avoid any Undead wandering the street. Me and Ciel would follow shortly after, Akiha originally objected but Ciel explained that the Undead most likely had a faint link to me, since the dream familiars are attacking me and it'd be too dangerous for all of us to go. Ciel also explained I'd be perfectly safe if she was with me. After that, Akiha reluctantly agreed.
Eventually, Hisui and Akiha left, following the directions on the paper that Ciel had drawn out and given them.
We waited...
It seemed like an eternity but we waited in silence.
It feels like hours had passed. But it had actually been only twenty minutes when Ciel stood up.
“It's time to go, Shiki.”
I nod, standing and following Ciel outside.
The sun was still on the horizon as we make our way down the stairs. Usually, there would be activity at this time. People going to work, students going to school.
But there was nobody.
There was nothing but silence, as though the whole world had been devoured by this terrible silence. Like the four of us was the only living things left in the city.
As we make our way toward the streets, I was extremely uneasy, it feels almost like claustrophobia but I pushed on beside Ciel.
Ciel suddenly stops and I stop with her.
“We waited too long.”
Before I could ask what she meant, I saw what she meant.
Undead...
They was pouring out from the side path we came down before and from both ends of the streets, it almost seemed never ending.
Ciel turned to me, and in a flash, the Black Keys appeared in her hands.
“Stay here Shiki, if they get too close, just run. Don't try to take them all.”
Before I could get a word out, Ciel took off into the sky toward the group blocking our path toward the school.
What I saw next blew away my preconceptions about Ciel. It blew away what I thought I knew about her abilities.
She had only make two Black Keys appear in both of her hands, and now I realized why: She was going to use only them to try and dispatch the Undead.
Her swords cut through the Undead and the air with a symphony of beautiful and grotesque sounds; she was killing Undead in faster numbers than my mind could tell me.
She was acrobatically sailing around the group, they never stood a chance, and their sluggish movements couldn't hope to react to her speed. Arms, legs, heads of Undead fell apart almost instantly to her blades; the ground around the group began to turn red and black with blood. Ciel was effortlessly dispatching the Undead without mercy, a cold stare in her eyes and her emotionless face began to get covered in blood from her killing of them. Eventually, she jumped again, landing in front of me.
“Ciel...” I say, simply in awe of what she was doing, her movements was so elegant, so perfectly fluid, and she showed no signs of wear even now. She just took my hand.
“Forgive me Shiki-kun, but this is the only way.”
“Wait!”
It was no use in protesting, before I knew it I was in the air. Ciel had thrown me.
I was sailing high in the air. I managed to look below me; I was sailing over the group of Undead. I cleared the massive group through the air, I feels the sting of the air against my body, and I was going much faster than I thought I was. I realized that I was going to hit the ground hard.
I brace myself as best I could, when I hit the ground, I hit the ground with a sick thud. I began skidding, rolling and tumbling across the ground. My whole body was screaming in pain from the impact and my left arm went numb. My vision became blurry and disheveled, eventually I stopped.
Miraculously, I regained myself enough to stand up, but I feels dizzy and a pain shot through my formerly numb arm.
I look back toward the group of Undead, which had turned around and begun to march toward me. Ciel was standing in front of them, and buried the two Black Keys into the ground. She quickly leapt onto them, balancing herself with one foot on the hilt of each sword.
“Shiki! Look away! NOW!” She yelled.
I complied and turn around, looking at the ground. I hear the sound of crackling, like thunder during a storm and the ground in front of me slowly began to gain a blue hue. The color became stronger and stronger, until it was like an extremely powerful spot light had been turned to my back, my shadow on the ground stretched along the ground. The light was so intense against my back it feels like it was almost on fire. I could barely make out Ciel speaking.
“Blessed be those of God, as well as those who believe in His glory. Give me the power to guide your wrath unto those who defy Your infinite plan.” She preaches.
I hear another crackle and then the sound of a small explosion which rocked the ground.
With that, the incredible light faded. And I hear hasty footsteps approaching from behind me and before I could turn to see, I feels my right arm get grabbed by Ciel. I stumbled at first then runs along with her.
“What did you-?”
“Don't look back, Shiki...”
She said this with a deadly serious look, so I comply. But eventually I detected the faint smell of burning hair and flesh in the air and it make me feel sick.
We continued running down the streets, weaving from street to street without losing our pace, heading toward the school. But as we turned one of the corners of the streets, we saw a man standing in the middle of the road. He was wearing a beige overcoat, a very old fashioned overcoat with a beige fedora. He look like someone from 1930's America, except this man was large. He would dwarf Akiha and was even taller than Ruro; he was at least 6 feet tall, probably more than that.
Ciel suddenly stops.
“Fuck.” Ciel mutters.
For the first time, I hear Ciel swear. This meant something had probably gone horribly wrong.
“This way!”
She pulls me in the opposite direction. But before we could gain any ground, the man had somehow appeared directly in front of Ciel.
Her eyes shot wide open and she prepare to strike the man, but he had beaten her to that idea. With one swift backhand, Ciel was sent flying across the street and crashing into the wall of an office building, he back hit with such force it put a crack in the wall. She fell forward with a groan and collapsed onto the ground.
“Ciel!!” I turn to her and try to run from her but I feels some sort of vice grab me by the back of my neck and lift me into the air.
“So this is the infamous Tohno Shiki. Or should I say Nanaya Shiki.”
The man's voice was rough and deep. He spoke with an air of calm arrogance in his voice.
I just grunt, bringing my hands to his hand and trying to pry him away.
“Rrr...”
I struggle; my throat couldn't form any words because of the tightness of his grip.
“Ah, you have fight. Spunk. I like that in a servant.”
I thrashed about wildly, trying to free myself to no avail, he tightened his grip even more and my neck went numb. He could kill me any moment.
“... What a disappointment. You are still far too human to have realized your potential. You're pathetic.”
With that, he lifted me into the air further and threw me against the ground, my chest and face striking the ground hard. The sharp pain filled all of my senses and my vision blurred to the point of where I could barely see.
Pain...
I was going to die...
I couldn't see...
Everything was blurry...
“It looks like I'll have to kill you. I'll have to use my second option then. Good bye Tohno Shiki, I'm sorry we couldn't have had a longer talk but I can't stand useless people.”
With that I feels something heavy press against the side of my head.
His foot...
He was going to crush my head against the ground like a fruit...
No... I don't want to die...
I have to protect Ciel... Akiha... Hisui... I'm sorry. I let you all down.
Just as I closed my eyes and accepted my fate, the weight on my head vanished with a grunt.
I hear the sound of a pair of feet hitting the ground and of someone stumbling back.
The man groaned loudly. And he spoke with irritation in his voice.
“You never learn when to stop, do you?”
Silence.
“You stupid girl... The more you fight, the more foolish it makes you look. You cannot stop me, you couldn't stop me before, and you can't stop me now. You forget, I killed you once, and I can easily kill you again.”
No reply...
“.. Have it your way, you're just delaying the inevitable. Consider this my last favor to you, I've run out of pity for you, next time we meet like this. I will break you again.”
I hear a gust of air and feels the man's presence disappear.
A short silence... Then the sound of footsteps. My vision was still distorted so I could hardly see anything other than colors and outlines.
The footsteps stop right next to me, I then feel a pair of hands roughly grab my body and lift me into the air. I was set done on something soft... yet hard.
I think back, I've feels this before.
Ah...
When Ciel took me home that night...
On her shoulder...
I was on someone’s shoulder.
I feels more movement and then a stop.
I feels like I was tilting, then straightening again, with lots of rustling.
I then hear a solemn and sad voice say.
“I'll take you to the school then.”
A voice... A female voice...
But whose?
I think these last thoughts before my vision finally fades out and I lose consciousness.
I saw red... No, Amber.
It flooded my vision and my surroundings. I slowly sit up.
As I sit up I hear Akiha cry out.
“Nii-san!”
She immediately hugged me from behind, startling me a bit. I feels a small twinge of pain from my arm, but other than that I seemed fine from what I had endured from earlier. I was amazed by my recovery, the throw from Ciel, the beating from the Kiru...
Akiha lets go of me and crawls on her knees beside me. We was in the school gymnasium. I'd recognize the bleachers and the hardwood floor anywhere.
Akiha's smile makes my pain fade away as she grasps my hand.
“Nii-san, I was so worried. When that girl brought you here I was afraid you would die, you're face was so pale and you was bleeding...”
I look at Akiha, unintentionally ignoring her concern.
“Who brought me here?”
Akiha's face stiffened with seriousness, but her eyes still had a deep look of concern.
“A woman... She didn't tell us anything or answer our questions. She just showed up at the courtyard carrying you and Ciel.”
I look around slowly. Nobody else is here...
“Where are Ciel and Hisui?”
“I don't know where Ciel went. But Hisui is setting up a room on the third floor for us to relax in.”
I slowly stand up; Akiha stands up with me and continues looking at me with her beautiful blue eyes full of worry. I wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to make all these terrible events vanish. Even if just for a moment. To return to how life was before...
“I'm alright... Whatever she did to me, it seemed to have healed my wounds for the most part.”
Akiha continued to look at me. She look anxious.
“What is it?”
“She told us to tell you that she was waiting for you near the entrance to the school building...”
It takes a moment for me to absorb her words. Why would she want to meet me?
Why is she waiting for me? I probably don't even know her.
I nod and turn to begin walking out of the gymnasium.
“Nii-san.” Akiha's stern voice has returned for the first time in a while. It catches me off-guard but I stop to listen.
“I don't trust her at all, something isn't right about her. Be careful.”
“I will... Don't worry.”
And with that I make my way out of the gymnasium and into the hallway. I walk the familiar route toward the entrance. The sun casting eerily long shadows against the walls and corridors. It feels surreal, like a dream, my footsteps was so light that wasn't a sound. I feels as though I didn't exist in this beautiful day. That all that was happening was a horrible nightmare of my own creation and I'm just lying in bed, waiting to wake up.
But I knew it wasn't a dream. And I knew there was a woman waiting for me in front of the school...
I open the door slowly, walking out slowly and checking out the surroundings.
Nothing... Not a sound, not a person. There was nothing here.
“Where is she?” I say to myself.
“I am here, Shiki.” A voice replied.
I jump, startled.
“Where are you?” I manage to ask.
“Behind the pillar to your right.”
I walk from beyond the pillar and turn to see the woman.
My jaw drops, I feels it, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
There's no way this way real.
It didn't make any sense.
My brain threatened to shut down at the sight.
This whole situation just keeps getting stranger and stranger...
“Ume...”
It was Ruro Ume, quite possibly the last person in the world I expected to be here, much less save me.
“That name is meaningless to me. Call me Ruro.” She states coldly.
Her face, her eyes, even her uniform. It is like time has stood still for her since the last time I saw her. She hasn't changed a bit at all even with all this happening, her mannerisms, her coldness, they are all still there. I shake my head.
I feel another headache.
Ruro stared off somewhere, remaining silent.
“Why did you save us?”
Her gaze focuses momentarily onto me, and then shifts back off into the distance.
“Because you're worthless dead.”
“How am I not? You hate me.”
“I didn't mean to save you, do not fool yourself into believing otherwise.”
Her words strike me harshly; there is both a pain and an anger rising up in my heart.
“Then why did you?” I remain calm regardless, pressing her for answers.
“Because the Priestess is strong, her death there had no meaning and only weakened my position. I did it as a favor to her.”
“Why?”
“Don't make me repeat myself.”
I stay silent, my anger continues to fester. She didn't care at all about me; I was just some sort of favor, some sort of burden she did out of some twisted belief of kindness.
She sighs.
“But I suppose someone as ignorant as you need these things explained to you. So, only this once, I'll indulge you.”
I stare at her, I want to ignore her but I believe her threat of only explaining it once is one she'd carry out only too happily. So I swallow my spite.
“My name is Ruro. The name Ume was given to me simply to fit it. As you know, I'm a student at this school. But obviously as you can tell, that was not my only reason for being here.”
“What is your reason? You're just giving me half-answers.”
Ruro glares at me. “I want to keep this as brief as possible, so I'll indulge your inability to pay attention to events that take place in front of your eyes.”
I can't take this woman much longer; I ball up my fists to suppress my anger with her.
“I was sent here to watch you, to observe your movements. And when the time came, to infect you.”
Infect me?
... She can't be.
“I was a Soeki, the Soeki of the Kiru you are currently in embattled with right now. I was his 11th Soeki, which is a pretty small number given his eccentricities.”
Was a Soeki.
“How do I know you're still not his Soeki?”
“Because we would not be having this conversation and all the people in this school would be dead right now.”
“Wouldn't the Soeki be immortal, like Dead Apostles?”
“Yes, the Soeki are granted immortality by virtue of their position. However, this Kiru is the vilest of them all. His twisted mind knows no ends; he's probably gone mad because of all his failures against the True Ancestors. And that when they finally disappeared, his mind was so overcome with joy that his mind finally ceased to function as even a normal vampire. He's always been a madman, because he was always weak compared to the Ancestors. And he took it out of his Undead, even his Soekis”
It feels like she wasn't even talking to me. It feels like she was simply reminding herself of something.
“My predecessor, she suffered because of his madness. You see, this Kiru is born of the most basic urges. Greed, Power, Lust. From what I understand, in the beginning, he simply wanted power, and when he gained power he became greedy, and after he became greedy he lusted. But as the True Ancestors began to disassemble his armies time and again, he had no power. And with that his greed was left unfulfilled, so he turned to the only thing that was left: Lust.”
Lust...
“No doubt, you have already been a victim to his machinations. You've undoubtedly had dreams involving lustful situations, situations that probably make you sick to your stomach.”
I can only nod; my face and hands feel hot. I was no longer angry at her, but at him for making me see such terrible things.
“He deceives you into thinking you like it. As though that will corrupt your will into his. He never seems to understand that he is alone in his perversion.”
She closes her eyes, her face twists slightly.
“You see, it is by no coincidence that all of his Soeki are females. It is by design. He uses them to create his armies, to command them and to abuse them.”
“You mean...”
“He raped them, he sodomized them. If they had girls, he sodomized them then killed them. He is more barbaric than the words can describe and you have no idea the carnage and horror this beast has brought to so many.”
I feels sick, sick and angry. The swirling amount and intensity of emotions make me dizzy.
“My predecessor got the worst of it, she was raped daily, and I don't know if it was because she was beautiful or if he simply had some sort of twisted love for her. But he raped her, beat her, and sodomized her in ways I won't bother to describe. Until she became pregnant, she bore him a daughter, much to his sick glee.”
She shook her head and opened her eyes.
“Eventually, he became so obsessed with her that he feared she would be killed by the Church or the Ancestor Princess. So he ate her.”
“Ate... as in?”
“Devoured her body.” she says, he calm voice never wavering.
I almost vomit... What she was telling me was terrible, my throat feels hot, my head burned. I feels so terribly ill.
“But that wasn't enough, her daughter, of course, resembled her more and more as she aged. She was still a child when he first raped her. He nearly killed her. And he raped her again and again. He raped her for years. And then he forced her to become his Soeki...”
My God...
She... She was raped... tortured by that madman for years... My body couldn't bear it anymore and I vomited onto the ground, falling onto my hands and knees.
I look up to see Ruro watching me with a blank look.
“Your reaction is interesting. But I will continue.”
I almost tell her to stop, but my coughing stops me. My throat is so dry and sore, talking is almost a burden.
“I served him up until a little less than a year ago. I was in China waiting for him to return with news on the status of the Ancestor Princess. When he returned, he announced she was finally dead, he was elated beyond belief. He was so happy he didn't rape me, which was rare. I knew what would happen now; he would force me to create an army of Undead. And I could no longer tolerate his abuse so I refuse.”
She closes her eyes.
“He raped me, I do not know for how long. Possibly days, he kept raping and beating me. And in the end, when I thought I would die, he stopped. He let me regenerate enough so that he could rape and beat me again. In the end, I begged for death and he granted it.”
My brain was frozen, the way she said such things without a care in the world or any sort of emotion in her voice. It just didn't make sense in my mind. Nothing she said make sense in the context she stated them.
“If he killed you...”
“He did, but he only killed me as a Soeki. Although his intention was most likely a more eternal death. He turned the virus that had infested my body against me. It began to kill me.”
She almost smiles. Almost...
“But for some reason, probably due to my sheer hatred. My sheer will to live to just see him dead, to see him suffer. I lived, I fought off the infection of a Soeki and became as normal vampire as I could be. Although I did retain at least one benefit I didn't anticipate.”
She looks up to the sky.
“We are still connected, and I still receive a quarter of his power from the Undead. Even though he has another Soeki.”
I finally manage to stand back up, still weary from her story.
She peers over at me.
“Are you done being weak?”
She goes back to barbing me. And it hurts even more now, knowing what she has been through.
“How can you say that? What you just told me was completely terrible! I couldn't help it.”
What she said next was unbelievable.
“Hypocrite.”
How... Why? I couldn't understand, why on earth would she say that?
“How can you say that with such a face?”
“Because it is only the truth. You and he are not that dissimilar.”
Snap...
I hear a snap in my mind.
This woman... this insufferable woman, with no concern, no emotion, not a care in the world... She only lives to hunt... She is a beast... She is the enemy... I must kill her.
'Why?'
I must...
In one quick motion I bring my knife from my pocket to my hand and flip the blade out.
The Enemy simply stares at me coldly. That horrible look, I must twist it into something...
'Stop...'
I walk toward her slowly, a smirk forms on my lips. Her arrogance will be her downfall, she underestimates me so much. I remove my glasses with my free hand and toss them to the side.
“Ah... So that is all it took?” The Enemy says in her normal arrogant voice. I'll make her suffer for being so stupid.
'Don't do it!'
In a split second, I had pounced on her. I lie on top of her and raise my knife to strike her point... Right on her forehead, to end her miserable and worthless existence.
'Don't hurt her!'
I stab the knife down to end her. But she catches my wrist and stops my hand short, she grabs the other wrist as well and I begin fighting her.
'Please, stop me Ruro...”
I must end her.
'No, STOP!'
“What's the matter, Shiki? Is it really so hard?” The Enemy states, her voice never having changed or flinched from earlier.
'Don't talk Ruro! Please stop this! I don't want to do this!'
I can't stand her calmness anymore. Our arms are vibrating violently, the tension in both or arms and the force we are both exerting are a strain on me.
'Please don't say it!'
“You bitch; I'll rape you and make you humble...” I growl at her.
Her eyes simply stare back at me. Their shape has not changed but I can see they are full of hatred the minute I say that.
Ah... I have her...
'You monster!'
“I will rape you; I'll make you beg for death. You probably like being raped after all this time, that's why you're holding back! You're worse than that Kiru; you're just a little slut!”
'Why can't I...'
Her eyes are overflowing with hatred but nothing on her face changes. I smirk. I have her, if I cannot kill her, I'll break her will, and I’ll make her beg for me to kill her.
'Why can't I stop myself...?’
After I think this, I suddenly fly backwards; I hit the ground suddenly and begin sliding back against the ground.
I come back to myself as I stand up quickly. I see Akiha standing in between me and Ruro, who was still on the ground.
“Nii-san, what the hell was you doing!” Akiha yells. Her hair was bright red; her face had a look of anger so great it scared me into silence. Apparently, she had thrown me off of Ruro.
I don't know what I was doing... I couldn't control myself...
“Do not harm, Shiki.”
To my shock, Ruro said this. Akiha turns to her as she finishes standing up.
“That was not him acting, it simply was his blood. He is not entirely at fault. Do not be too harsh upon him.”
Akiha is stricken silent; the color of her hair dulls but does not return to normal.
“Please, return into the school. The situation is under control and this is between me and Shiki.”
“But-” Akiha begins to protest.
“Leave us be.”
Akiha walks back into the school after a long silence, still very angry.
Eventually, Ruro slowly walks toward me. I do not bother to move, or say anything, I just watch her.
'I'm sorry.' Is what I want to say, but that's impossible...
“I can forgive you for that, because I provoked it. I can forgive your actions, but for your words...”
Faster than I can see she brought her knee directly into my midsection. The pain was unbelievable, I couldn't breathe at all, and I stumble back and hit the wall, sliding down it until I am sitting.
My whole body is shaking; my hands rest over my midsection to make sure it was still there, since it had become numbed with pain.
“Your words deserved a punishment. Now we are even.”
I watch her leave into the school. I simply sit there, barely able to breathe... shaking and feeling terrible...
I just stare at the sunset... Hoping my pain and regret would fade like the sunlight...
After I had recovered from my blow, I didn't dare show my face around the others. So I flee to the rooftop, sitting on the ledge.
Am I a coward? Probably.
But I couldn't stand being near them, especially Ruro. I had done so many unforgivable things that I feels like dying. My blood had taken over and for that instant, I was no better than Imaeki...
I shake my head and try to push these thoughts away but they keep returning.
I rub my face and sigh, as darkness begins to cover the landscape.
I sit there until after the night has fallen, apparently, someone had locked both the gates to the school. So that even when the Undead arrived, they'd have to at least make an effort to break in and by then we'd be prepared.
But I didn't care about that right now.
I hear the door to the rooftop open, and then close.
Footsteps, approaching me.
'If it had to be anyone, at least let it be Ciel. But please not Akiha' I beg the fates that be.
I hear some feet shuffling as a form appears out of the corner of my eye to sit near me.
“You runs, I expected as much.”
It was Ruro, of all people; I didn't expect her to come.
I glance at her, with very sad eyes.
“Save your sympathy Shiki, it's not needed or particularly wanted.”
I don't know why, but I can’t be angry at her anymore, I just feel sad. I turn my gaze back to the horizon, the orange light of the fading sun barely flickered on it.
“Why did you do that, Ruro?”
“Do what?”
“Tell me all that, then provoke me.”
“I told you because then you might at least begin to trust me. We need to trust each other at least in the slightest sense if we're going to fight the Kiru. Without it, we're just a paranoid mob.”
“That doesn't explain why your provoked me.”
“I provoked you because you are hiding your own power from yourself. Not even a near-death experience like when you was nearly killed earlier seemed to coax it out. It took extreme measures to bring it out.”
“That doesn't explain why you would want it to not be hidden.”
She turned to me with her usual cold look.
“You really are quite stupid. I'm amazed you've make it so far. But, it is a useful asset to us, keeping it hidden only leaves us at a disadvantage, without it you are practically useless. Even the Servant has more worth.”
The Servant? Ah, Hisui.
Then something from earlier before, it seems like ages, but it pops into my mind.
'You must never realize it, because you will lose yourself.'
I look back at Ruro, who is gazing up at the stars.
“Ciel said I should never realize it, that it would only result in my death.”
“She speaks of a different thing than I do, Shiki. Let's leave it at that, I know of your Nanaya blood though and that is your most useful tool for helping us. So, of course I am going to try and harness it. Even if the Priestess threatens me.”
“Ciel threatened you?”
“She is such a cold and calculating person for a Church member. She is an ideal assassin, as I suspect that is her role in the Burial Agency. She already knew what had happened to me, which was a surprise to say the least. She even knew I was an agent in the school.”
“Wait, What? She knew you was here to spy on me?”
“Yes, that woman holds more knowledge than I account for. And her means of getting it elude me, she is a slippery one. But, she is still somewhat human after all, she did get quite angry with me, I doubt she would have confessed what she knew under normal circumstances.”
I shake my head. 'Why must you keep things from me Ciel? I know that's how the Burial Agency probably works, but I don't want to be completely in the dark.'
I hang my head again.
“But...”
Ruro pauses for a second.
“You are not the beast like Imaeki is. If you was, I would have had to kill you.”
She glances at me and I meet her glance with my own.
“You held back, even as that blood took over your body, you still held back. It remained to be seen whether or not you would have fought it off had it not been for the Little Girl, but you was holding back quite a bit.”
“You held back as well...”
I say, mindlessly.
She turns her head back to the stars.
“I do not kill opponents who hold themselves back, it's much better to humiliate them in their own arrogance.”
Something nagged me, no; it had been nagging me since just after the encounter with her.
“Ruro, would you have let me... succeed if I couldn't stop myself?”
There is a long pause, as she closes her eyes.
“Yes. I would have submitted to you if you could not stop yourself.”
“But why?”
“So you can see the depths of your own madness, to see that even the sanest, most pathetic people only have a thin layer before they snap. I would hope you would have learned something from it. Gained insight.”
I shake my head.
“There is no insight in such things for me. If I had succeeded, I probably would have killed myself.”
“Then it's a good thing the Little Girl came.”
I sigh yet again, and look at Ruro.
“You are too kind Shiki. You restrain yourself even in the worst circumstances and submit to your fate rather than fight. You must cast that aside, or you will die, there is no doubt.”
I just keep staring.
“Know this, that if you die as you are, I will hate you with even more passion than I hate Imaeki. But if you become greater than you are now, even if you die in the process, I will love you more than you can know.”
I am caught completely off-guard by her words. 'Love?' Up until this point, I didn't even know she had any feelings... No, that's wrong, when I was on top of her, I could see the hate in her eyes, and her eyes was so full of it make me shiver just to remember it... She does have emotions, but it seems they are only negative, at least as far as I can tell...
Ruro stands up suddenly and looks at the courtyard.
“One last thing, Shiki. Trust the Priestess in combat, but do not blindly accept her words.”
“What do you mean?”
She steps down from the ledge and begins walking toward the door. I turn myself to watch her, curious about what she said.
“Exactly as I said.”
She disappears into the darkness, along with the creaking of the rooftop door.
After a few more minutes, I realize staying up here wasn't going to do me any good and head into the school again, making my way toward the third floor.
What I and Ruro discussed was still fresh in my mind, but what stood out the most was what she said last.
'Don't trust the Priestess' words...'
I have to meet Ciel; I have to find out what is going on.
I make my way into a large classroom we had cleared out that would be Ruro and Hisui's room. I had a feeling Ciel would be there, but I didn't understand why...
Ciel was basking in the moonlight in front of the windows. I slowly walk in.
“Hello, Shiki-kun.” She says warmly, but she does not turn around.
“Hey, Ciel.”
“It brings back memories, doesn't it? Being here together again.”
“Yea... All those times you and Arihiko would badger me in class, and we'd eat lunch together...”
“Yes, Shiki...”
An uncomfortable silence fills the air, my heart aches, those memories was precious to me and I knew that now, those memories would remain that way. There is no way things could return to how they was, not after all of this...
But I had more pressing matters to resolve, working up my courage I begin.
“Ciel, I have some questions. I want you to answer them honestly, no half-answers, and no silence. Just answer.”
“... Do you not trust me, Shiki?”
I can feel her frigid air, as her aura of kindness vaporizes.
“... I just want the truth. And I have realized that you may not have been completely clear with me.”
“Ruro spoke to you, did she?”
“...Yes.”
“That woman will only cause trouble. She may even be a spy; you cannot trust one who was once a Soeki.”
She was lying...
“You're lying.”
“Yes, I am Shiki. I have not been completely honest with you about these events. But that is necessary given my mission.”
“Why can't you just tell me?”
“Because such knowledge is dangerous. I cannot let everybody know everything. But it seems that Ruro is more dangerous with her words than her actions, she knows almost as much as I do about the situation.”
“Even if it involves me, it's dangerous?”
“Yes, Shiki, especially because it involves you. Being the Seventh means I go alone and I do so for a reason. I cannot reveal such things about Church affairs and knowledge.”
And just then, like noticing a huge wall even though you was standing in front of it. I realized something.
“Ciel... Why are you the only Burial Agency member we've seen?”
Ciel is quiet for a moment
“Because I am the only one here. There is a reason the Burial Agency isn't involved, this isn't the middle ages anymore Shiki, we simply cannot come and go as we please on such a scale. You have to understand the situation fully to see the need to not to involve the Agency. And since you do not, the full answer is lost on you.”
Another thing Ruro said that bothered me.
'She speaks of something different.' That is what Ruro told me when it came to that realization I must not make. It wasn't my Nanaya blood, because I still could control myself to some extent and I certainly feels like myself, plus I doubt Ciel would be talking to me if it was the Nanaya blood she was talking about.
“Ruro mentioned something about my Nanaya blood not being the realization you told me about before?”
Ciel's tone changed to an almost threatening tone.
“Did she tell you what it was?”
The air in room feels like she could just attack me at any moment if I even move. I feels such a hostile aura from Ciel that I almost feels like running.
“No...”
“Good...”
The atmosphere lifted a little but it was still extremely tense.
“Then what is it? What is so dangerous about it?”
There was a very long silence. She didn't move or say a word. Minutes passed without an answer.
“You said you would tell m-”
“Leave Shiki. I am done talking to you for tonight.”
She says in a terribly cold and painful tone.
“B-”
“Leave, now.”
Knowing I wasn't going to get an answer, I submit to her request and make my way to my 'room'. I was confused, hurt and uncertain about many things now.
How far could I trust Ciel now? She seemed to be hiding so much from not only me, but all of us.
But Ruro said herself to trust her in combat... So I guess she must be looking out for us then. She wouldn't have come this far in helping us if she didn't.
Making my way into the room, my head spinning with these confusing thoughts. Akiha was sitting on her sleeping bag. Apparently, Hisui had found the sleeping bags when she was cleaning out and searching the lockers for things to use.
I sit on my sleeping bag, which was right next to her and look at her, she was brushing her hair, which was black again, while staring at the ground.
“Akiha?”
“Yes, Nii-san?” She says, never averting her gaze.
“Are you upset?”
“Of course not, Nii-san, why would I be upset. You simply sexually assaulted a strange woman.”
She was angry alright, no mistaking it now.
“Look, I'm sorry... that-”
“That wasn't you, I know. But it still hurt to watch, do you know what it's like to watch the man you love do that to another woman, trying to kill her?”
“I...”
“I was scared, Nii-san. So scared and angry that I was forced to rely on my blood to stop you, and now I'm afraid I may rely on it more.”
“I'm so sorry, Akiha...”
She stops brushing her hair, but does not look up.
“Nii-san... would you have continued if it wasn't for me?”
I didn't expect that, I knew how to answer, but it wouldn't come out.
I realized, just then, even though I had talked to Ruro about it. It didn't hit me until Akiha asked.
I could have...
I probably would have raped her...
I could barely restrain trying to killing her...
I, without a doubt, would have raped her...
“Nii-san?”
She looks up at me, and her eyes go wide.
“Nii-san?!”
Her voice is alarmed, he quickly rushed to me puts her hands on my shoulders.
“Nii-san!”
I look at her, but something seems to be wrong with my vision, she is distorted and blurry...
“Why, Nii-san?”
She asks her voice fading.
“Why what, Akiha?”
“Why are you crying?”
I was crying and I didn't even realize it until now. I didn't realize at all...
“Akiha... I don't know... I don't know if I would have raped her...”
Akiha simply embraces me.
“Nii-san... Nii-san...”
I embrace her, hard; I feel if I embrace her any harder, that I may break her.
“Akiha... I love you... I didn't want to do that... I couldn't stop myself...”
I could feel the walls of my emotions breaking down...
It was flooding out again... My emotions was flooding out to Akiha again...
“I'm so sorry, Akiha, to be so weak around you.”
I apologize to her, again and again, for begin such a burden to her...
“Nii-san, don't worry... You are still my strong Nii-san; you'll never be weak to me.”
Her words soothe me slightly... I feel warmth again... After a long embrace I lift my head up to meet her eyes.
“Akiha?”
“Yes, Nii-san?”
“I love you... More than anything...”
I feel so stupid, after all this time. Even after all those timed we kissed, even when we slept together. I hadn't realized how much I had loved her until now. Akiha... the one who was always there to receive my emotions, the one who was always there to comfort me... The only person in the world I could completely and utterly trust with anything...
I needed her...
And I loved her more than I could imagine...
“Akiha... I want to be with you... Even after I graduate, let's stay like this... together.”
“Nii-san...” Her eyes softened and a beautiful smile curled onto her lips.
“Nii-san... I've wanted to hear you say that for so long... I couldn't tell you... It feels so wrong all this time... I feels dirty...”
“Akiha... You are the furthest thing from dirty on this planet... Never say such a stupid thing again...”
Our lips inevitably met for the third time. This time, it wasn't short; it wasn't simply to do it. It was full of passion, we couldn't help each other that point as we embraced, and kissing with a fire in our souls that I didn't know was possible.
I fell onto her and we continued kissing. And my instincts began to take over, I moved from her lips and began wildly kissing her neck, her breathing became increasing heavy as her gaze watched me.
“Nii-san... ahh...”
I hear her gasps as I continued to kiss her neck like a crazed beast, my instinct had been awoken within me and I feared I couldn't stop myself from having her.
“Ohh... Nii-san...”
Her breath was increasingly short as she began to moan quietly.
I pull back and began to undo the buttons on my shirt, following suit, Akiha undid the ribbon tie on her uniform, working her way feverishly onto her buttons. I quickly removed my shirt, and tossed it off to the side and continued kissing on her neck, her collarbone, then eventually back to her lips.
Our breath, our tongues, our minds, they was being intertwined in this impulse of lust; we had to have each other. Nothing else would do.
Akiha continued to fiddle with her clothing as she undid her skirt. Her face so hot and, she was panting like a wild animal and staring at me in such a sexy way.
That night, we would make love... It was so passionate, we declared our love for each other in a way that couldn't be disputed by our minds or bodies, we had taken the path toward a forbidden road and we both went down it together.
'I want to be with you forever Akiha, I still have to make up for those 8 years without you...'
'Please Nii-san, never leave me....’
Those was the last words I remember before drifting off to sleep...
I awoke in the morning; I and Akiha was sharing the same sleeping bag. She was sleeping peacefully, a contented smile adorning her face. I can't help but smile as I kiss her forehead softly.
I simply lay back, staring at the ceiling, admiring the morning sun's painting of the room.
I hear the door to the room open.
In our lust last night, me and Akiha did not account for the fact that just anybody can walk in at any time and considering the situation, it was going to be a sure bet someone would walk in.
It was only a matter of whom.
The door opened and in walked, of all people, Ruro. For once, I thanked her appearance, as she wouldn't react anywhere near as harshly as Hisui or Ciel.
Ruro just stares at us, Akiha slept, oblivious. It was rather obvious what had happened, clothes was strewn about the area around the sleeping bag.
There was a long and extremely painful silence.
“This is just... Too ridiculous. Whenever you two get done with your stupidity, breakfast is ready” Ruro manages to say under her breath as she quickly turns and walks out.
After that, Akiha woke up; I didn't tell her because she probably would have been utterly mortified. We both got dressed and headed to the cafeteria, we was both happy, and we sits at the cafeteria while Ciel served Curry. Well, it was Ciel so we didn't really have a choice.
I don't think Akiha knew how to cook, Hisui couldn't cook very well, I didn't feel like it at all, Ruro flat out refused in no uncertain terms, so it was left to Ciel.
We ate pretty peacefully. Hisui finally came in and everyone’s eyes shot to her.
She was wearing a school uniform, it didn't suit her very well in terms of attitude but it accentuated her beauty.
Ciel flashed a smile. “You look cute, Hisui.”
“I didn't have much of a choice, Ciel-san. Ruro-san insisted I wear this.”
Ruro followed behind her.
“The Little Girl should find a uniform as well, should battles come to us, and your current outfit will only restrict your movement.”
Akiha's eyebrow twitched at the 'nickname'.
She says it as though it was a command rather than a suggestion.
Ciel sighs and turns to Ruro.
“You're acting like some sort of field general.”
“Perhaps I am, but if the Little Girl gets her leg caught on that long skirt, she's dead.”
Akiha stood up. I expected her to begin a war with Ruro.
“That is sound advice, Ruro. But please address me by my name.”
“If you wish.”
Akiha sighed, exacerbated with Ruro. She left to the dressing room near the gymnasium with Ruro leading.
Hisui sits across from me. She look distant.
“You've been quiet recently, Hisui, anything the matter.”
“Nee-san... I am still troubled...”
She was still bothered by Kohaku's disappearance, I couldn't blame her.
“Hisu-”
Before I could comfort Hisui, Ruro came rushing into the room and announced loudly, yet retaining her calm sense.
“The Soeki is here. We must kill her here and now, follow me.”
I immediately scramble to my feet, as does Hisui. Ciel, who had begun to follow Ruro suddenly turned and yelled.
“No, Hisui, stay here!”
Hisui meekly nods.
“We'll be back, Hisui, don't worry.” I say to her as I dash off after them.
I followed behind Ciel, Akiha was just ahead of her, and she was now wearing a school uniform. But I had no time to admire it now.
We make our way to the painfully bright courtyard; the sun was shining directly into my eyes, toward where we was going.
Eventually, I stop just behind Ciel; Ruro was in front of us all, gazing up toward the top of the wall around the school. I shield my eyes from the sun but the figure is still a shadow. A small, shadowed figure was standing there.
“So, you are the 12th Soeki, it seems almost too fitting.” I hear Ciel say.
After my eyes adjusted to the sun... I and Akiha stood shocked, my eyes didn't want to believe what they saw, and they denied the image before them.
Akiha must have feels the same because all she did was intently staring, wordlessly.
In front of all four of stood Kohaku... The Dead Kohaku... That girl who was only a few days ago, in Ciel's apartment... She stood before us now, wearing an outrageous outfit. The outfit was skin-tight, black, what appeared to be leather; the outfit covered her entire body up until her neck, where there was only a small collar. On each of her arms and legs, she had 4 grips, which contained what I figured was daggers. 16 daggers on Kohaku's body... The second thing I notice is her eyes... Red...
Kohaku pulled one of the long, thin daggers from its handle and brought it up next to her face.
“Akiha-sama, Shiki-san, Ciel-san. It is so nice to see you again.”
She said that with such a smile... A smile we'd seen countless times before. It make me both sick and angry. Kohaku then shot Ruro an icy glare.
“Ah, a Stiletto. Typical weapon of an assassin.” Ruro says.
“And you, my predecessor, your existence will end here today. My Master has grown quite annoyed with your unexpected intrusions.”
“If he thinks you can stop me, he's more insane than I thought.”
Kohaku simply giggled, running her tongue up the base of the dagger up until the tip and letting out a sigh.
“I've always wanted to kill you, Akiha-sama, always, always, always. Now, my dream can come true.”
I look over at Akiha, she was enraged, and her hair was already crimson red. She was angry for the same reason as I: Kohaku had betrayed us, and now she was going to try and kill us. To please that monster, that madman who has caused so much suffering already. And he brought even more suffering onto Kohaku.
Kohaku winked and in the blink of an eye threw the dagger from her hand toward Akiha; the dagger look like it was shot out of a gun, which is how fast it sounded like it was going through the air.
Akiha gritted her teeth and dove out of the way, missing the dagger probably by mere centimeters.
But just after Akiha hit the ground, Kohaku was already standing over her with another dagger pointed about a few centimeters from her face. Akiha... smirked? Kohaku's face suddenly twisted into surprise as she jumped back. To avoid Akiha's hair as it shot out toward her; Akiha curses her miss as she stands up.
Kohaku begins twirling the dagger in her hand.
“I had forgotten about Akiha-sama's abilities. I will not make the same mistake again.” Kohaku politely bowed. It just angered me more; she was mocking everything she was before... No, this wasn't Kohaku; this was a monster that look like Kohaku. Kohaku would never do this...
Ciel was the second to attack Kohaku, making the Black Keys appear in her hand, she and Kohaku began to fight at a speed to which my eyes could not adjust, they mainly fought on the ground, but would occasionally take to the air, eventually they slowed down...
Kohaku was now holding two daggers; she must have pulled one out when they was fighting.
Ciel just glared at her, the Black Keys remaining in her hand.
“You put up an interesting fight, Ciel-san, I'm impressed.” Kohaku smiles at her. “But I grow tired of pla-”
She couldn't finish her sentence because Ruro had chosen this time to strike. She already behind Kohaku, about to thrust her hand right into her back. Kohaku suddenly ducked down, avoiding it. Ruro's face twisted into something resembling surprise just before Kohaku thrust her foot back and caught Ruro in the midsection. Ruro was sent sprawling backwards. Kohaku brought her leg down, and at that instant sprinted at Ciel, Ciel's eyes widened slightly at her speed, for only for an instant, because after that Kohaku had buried the dagger into her stomach region, Kohaku was knelled down, Ciel brought the Black Keys up, her face showing the agony she was enduring.
But it wasn't enough, with Kohaku's other dagger, she threw it into Ciel's weapon bearing arm, right into her forearm. Ciel suddenly stopped moving, her face twitching in anger.
“What's the matter, Ciel-san...?” Kohaku says in a malevolent voice. “Are you having trouble?”
Ciel simply glared at her. Kohaku pulled the dagger out from Ciel's midsection which caused Ciel to let out a small cry.
Kohaku smiled wickedly as she casually kicked Ciel's legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.
“That's one.” Kohaku announces as she turns to Ruro, who had regained herself by now.
Kohaku sighs and put her hands on her hips. “And here I thought Ciel-san would have provided much of a challenge, it seems I vastly overrated her.”
I couldn't stand my anger anymore, my 'blood' was boiling. I could feel what I feels before with Ruro. That other 'me' was being awakened and this time I welcomed it.
And I wanted it to control me...
I smirked, grabbing my glasses and putting them into my pocket neatly.
Kohaku notices and shakes her head while clicking her tongue.
“No, Shiki-san, I am not here to fight you. You're too valuable to be killed.”
“That's assuming you can do it, Kohaku.”
Kohaku gives a sigh of resignation.
“Fine, Shiki-san. If you are so desperate to get hurt, I will indulge you. But first let me take care of the failed Soeki.”
Again, in a flash Kohaku had already closed the distance between her and Ruro to almost nothing. With her dagger poised to strike Ruro neck. However, the outcome was different this time.
Ruro hit Kohaku, with a kick with a hard kick to her side. Kohaku let out a small yelp and went flying off to the side, however, before she hit the ground she regained herself and sprung herself up with her free hand and landed onto her feet.
Instead of being angry, there was a sick smile on her face.
“Oh, Ruro-chan... I never thought you would touch me, I'm so glad you are at least more powerful than Ciel.”
“Shut up, your words are meaningless in a fight.”
Ruro simply glared at her, her face still untainted by emotion.
And again, a fight broke out, faster than I could see, it was blurs zooming around, striking out at each other. Akiha could stand it no longer and began walking toward them.
“Nii-san,” she says to me as I watch her. “Stay here.”
“Just try not to get yourself killed.”
She simply nods.
But before Akiha could join the Frey, Kohaku sent Ruro sprawling into Akiha. Their bodies was sliding toward me but I casually jumped up and avoided getting involved in the mess. I land exactly where I had been standing previously. The only difference was Kohaku was standing no less than a foot away in front of me.
I just glared at her; it seems Kohaku had no more words to say. Ruro must have given her quite a fight. But before our battle could begin Akiha runs passed me and began her own battle with Kohaku. This one, however, was more lopsided, even with Akiha's wide-area origami and her own speed, Kohaku was simply far too fast.
Kohaku stared over the befallen and exhausted Akiha, who was panting and color from her hair was beginning to fade back. Kohaku raised up her dagger for a deathblow on Akiha as her eyes went wide.
But before I had known it, before I had any idea how to react. Before I could even take in the images before me.
I was already standing right next to Kohaku, my hand on her wrist. I stopped her from killing Akiha.
Kohaku simply turned to me, staring at me with hatred.
“Shiki...” She growled.
I said nothing, I couldn't feel my face, it's like my body was going completely numb. Kohaku tried to free her arm from my grasp but to no avail.
No.
She wasn't going to break my grip. She's too weak...
Kohaku, gritting her teeth in frustration attempted to kick me. But that, I had already suspected that was to be her move. My hand was already there to stop it, she eyes widened slightly as her foot met my palm.
I simply shook my head at her. I wasn't in control at all anymore, it was like someone else was controlling my body and I was simply seeing through their eyes.
Kohaku suddenly smiled, then let out a slight laugh.
“I see... My Master will be quite pleased with this development.”
And with that, she shot herself up into the air with her free leg, she was corkscrewing through the air, trying to hope that would get me to loosen my grip. But it failed.
I yanked Kohaku down out of the corkscrew and brought my elbow straight into her chest, a sick crack filled the air as I connected with her. Her eyes widened for a second, then faded into anger.
The force of the blow sent her flying, because I had let go of her arm.
She landed in front of the wall and quickly hopped backwards onto it.
“Shiki, Shiki, Shiki. You ruined my fun today, now I have to regenerate, but don't worry. Miss Kohaku will be back.”
With that I simply nod, as Kohaku blew a kiss to me and leapt out of sight.
I immediately turn to Akiha, as I feels the feeling in my body return, pain shot through me.
Akiha was looking me, concerned.
“Nii-san...”
I smile at her.
“I'm ok Akiha.”
But, the world was spinning, the school was turning sideways. Akiha was calling out my name.
'Strange, I didn't think today would be judgment day...' I think to myself as I hear a loud thud and lose my sight.
I wake up in the nurse’s room; I see Ciel, Akiha and Hisui crowded around me. With concern in their eyes.
Akiha is holding and petting my hand. I just smile at her, and she tearfully smiles back.
Ciel gives me a smile and Hisui looks relieved. Ciel looks at Hisui then at me, I knew what that look was asking, she was asking for permission to tell Hisui about Kohaku.
I shake my head.
“We'll do it together, Ciel.”
Ciel nods.
Hisui brings a tray with a bowl on it to me, resting it on the table.
“Please eat, Shiki-sama. Your body is weak right now.”
“Thank you Hisui.”
Hisui bows.
I eagerly look into the bowl and I frown.
“Why must I always eat damned curry?” I complain.
Ciel gets angry.
“What's wrong with curry?”
“Lots!”
“Liar!”
“You try and eat it every day!”
“I do!”
“That's because you're insane!”
“What did you say?”
During this whole argument, Akiha is still petting my hand as Hisui simply looks on, slightly amused.
I and Ciel argue for almost an hour, it ranged from simple disagreement at times to Ciel threatening to impale me with the Seventh Holy Scripture unless I ate it. Needless to say, I ate it, but I let her know how much I disliked it.
Ciel was fed up and had left, I had been unconscious for a long time, and it was already night time.
Only Akiha was with me in the room.
I smile at her after the chaos had left the room. Akiha and I share a brief kiss before we begin talking.
“How long was I out?”
Akiha pursed her lips for a second.
“About 12-13 hours, we was all really scared.”
“And... How one earth did Ciel recover?”
Akiha's face goes back to her usual cool demeanor.
“Ruro did something to her, I'm not sure. I'm assuming she healed her with some kind of magic. But she didn't wake up for about an hour; she was completely dead to the world before then.”
I was worried that something awful had permanently happened to Ciel.
“Akiha... I've seen Ciel survive a lot worse than that and still move. What did Kohaku do to her?”
“Ruro said something about some sort of curse... I asked her why Ciel couldn't seem to move and she mentioned something like that. I didn't ask beyond that though.”
I nod. A curse...
“Nii-san...”
“Yeah?”
She look at me silently for a few seconds, seemingly gathering her words.
“You look very terrifying when you was fighting Kohaku... You look so cold and distant.”
I return her gaze.
“I don't really know what happened, Akiha, I feels like something else was controlling my body. But it seemed to have driven her off so it couldn't have been that bad.”
Akiha still look uneasy.
“It was really... unnerving, Nii-san.”
I bring her hand up to my face and kiss the back of her hand.
“I'll never hurt you, Akiha. I'll protect you, like I did then. And I will in the future.”
Akiha's bright smile returned.
After I had regained enough of my strength to walk, I and Akiha went to the cafeteria. Everyone else had gathered there. Ciel is the first to meet my eyes; I already knew what she wanted to do. Eventually all of us, except Ruro, gathered around and close to Hisui.
Ciel begins speaking.
“Hisui, there is something we must tell you.”
Hisui's gaze lowered to the ground, her hair shielded her eyes from us.
“Nee-san is the Soeki...”
Everybody was caught off-guard, she already knew.
“How did you know, Hisui?” Akiha is the first to ask.
“Because... I feels her presence... It was different but it was her...”
I saw tears streaming down Hisui's cheeks; her shoulders had begun to shake.
“Why can't Nee-san... Why can't Nee-san ever be left alone...?”
Her voice was cracking, as if on cue, Akiha embraced Hisui, like before. Trying to comfort her.
But this time, I couldn't just let them be.
I stand up behind them and embrace them both. Akiha rests the side of her head against my shoulder, her eyes tearing up.
Akiha was angry before, when Kohaku was trying to kill everyone. Now, now she was simply upset that she has finally realized her friend was not just lost but corrupted.
These two have been through so much already; all I can do now is try to be there for them...
Ruro approached Ciel quietly.
“We must speak, Priestess.”
“As you wish...”
Ciel stands up and walks with Ruro out into the corridor.
It seemed like forever... Akiha and Hisui... Comforting them.
Eventually Hisui calmed down, she stood up and bowed to me and Akiha.
“I apologize, Akiha-sama, Shiki-sama. In the future, I will not cry about Nee-san anymore.”
I smile at her.
“There is no need to apologize, Hisui. And do not make such promises; there is no shame in mourning your sister.”
Hisui bows again.
“I shall prepare for bed, if you'll excuse me.”
Hisui walked into the corridor, but Ruro intercepts her. They begin talking; neither of us can tell what either of them is saying. But eventually, Hisui gives a nod and follows Ruro.
“First Ciel, now Hisui. Seems Ruro is up to something.”
Akiha looks at me.
“Ciel?”
“Yeah, she and Ciel went into the corridor to something earlier.”
Akiha's face turned more serious.
“That woman is planning something.”
“Probably...”
I sigh, resigning to Akiha's paranoia.
We sits and talked for a bit about pretty meaningless things, like what we'd do when we got back to the mansion. Joking how we was going to put steel bars over the new windows in the sitting room to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.
Eventually we grew silent.
“Akiha, let's go to bed.”
She gave me a nod and we began walking toward the third floor.
I thought as we walked: We have to kill Kohaku... We have to kill her... and Hisui, she's been through so much.
But even more than that, we have to kill Imaeki, and he is even more powerful than her. I had no idea how we’re going to overcome him. But the first step was to kill Kohaku; we couldn't do anything until then.
I and Akiha cuddled under the sleeping bag, she rested her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes with that beautiful smile on her face.
I was in paradise. Even in the middle of all this mayhem, this chaos, I had found bliss. My heart was filled with hope that we'd get out of this, that we could overcome anything.
I had no idea...
That tomorrow would be the worst day of my life.
I awoke next to Akiha, the sun brightly radiating the room. It was deep into the morning, I thought to myself. I sits up slowly and surveyed the surroundings.
Bright, an almost white light filled the room; the sleeping Akiha lay asleep next to me. I stared at her long, I had a feeling. Deep within me, one that radiating into every fiber of my mind: Something terrible was going to happen today.
I slipped my shoes on, exiting to room, letting Akiha peacefully continue her sleep.
I walk along the halls, deep in thought.
The last few days, they had gone by so quickly, all of these things that had happened reverberated within my mind. As if to enforce how serious the situation was with us.
I make my way to the cafeteria. I saw a small television sitting on the serving table; Hisui and Ciel was sitting on the table nearest to it, seemingly engrossed in what was on it.
Ruro was laying down on a table, her eyes closed and her face looking serious as usual, her hands behind her head.
I figured she was resting so I sits next to Hisui.
The broadcast was the same as when I was at Ciel's, a report speculating on what was going on here. Although they had seemed to come up with a general consensus on what it was: It was some sort of biological attack by some sort of anti-government group.
In the most technical of terms, they was correct. But I dismiss this and continue watching the newscast.
They continued to explain the story, and the Prime Minister had issued a State of Emergency two days ago. And an order to evacuate only yesterday.
So we was alone after all...
I figured this in the first place, but now they confirmed it without a shadow of a doubt.
Eventually, Ciel stood up, and glanced at Hisui, then me.
“Good Morning, Shiki.”
I look back.
“Good morning, Ciel.”
Ciel look down, but I couldn't place why. She went behind the serving table.
Apparently, we had run out of curry, so Ciel had put together some fruit dishes. I guess all she could cook was curry.
All of us, but Ruro and Akiha, sits and ate the fruit. Everyone was eerily quiet; I couldn't stand it and spoke up.
“Why is everyone so quiet?”
Ciel look up from her dish.
“Because today is the day is have to find Kohaku.”
Today?
“But how? She could be anywhere.”
Ciel simply look at Hisui, who was gazing at her fruit; she hadn't even touched a piece yet. She seemed dead to the world.
Hisui...
“You're going to use her to track Kohaku...”
Ciel nodded.
I remember yesterday, Hisui talking about how she could feel her presence...
“.. Is that really going to work?”
“It should, Shiki.”
Without thinking of an adequate reply, I stay silent.
Poor Hisui, she must be in tatters over this. But she just looks distant...
Eventually, Akiha joined us after she awoke. The breakfast was so silent, Ciel tried to make light of the situation, but it fell flat and make things even more awkward.
Eventually, Ruro seemed to wake up and sits up on her table.
“We must go now.”
Those was her first words of the day, straight to the action.
Ciel stood up.
“Yes, we cannot simply sit around anymore. We have to abandon the school and go on the offensive against Kohaku.”
Hisui seemed to flinch at Kohaku's name.
“Wait a minute.” A realization hit me, simply walking around would be a waste, the city is too big, even if Hisui can sense her. Plus we'd be fighting off the Undead at almost every turn on foot.
“We can't just walk around! That's suicide.”
Ruro looks at me. “I have that covered, don't worry. We should prepare. Do anything you have to do to make peace with yourself, we cannot have distractions. So do what you must then meet me in front of the school in 20 minutes.”
With that, Ruro slid off the table and make her way out into the corridor.
Hisui spoke up.
“Ciel-san...”
Ciel smiled at her. “Yes, Hisui?”
“... Can you lead a prayer for me?”
Ciel's face went serious, and then she simply nodded.
I and Akiha look at each other. We seemed to agree without words, we'll stay with Hisui.
We sit next to Hisui as Ciel began her prayer. We both grabbed a hold of Hisui's hands as the prayer goes on; near the end she gave my hand a squeeze. Her hand was shaking, but her face remained strong.
I can only image what she must be thinking knowing what she is about to do...
When Ciel finished, we all stood up.
“... Let's go.” Ciel announced.
We all make our way to the corridor when Ciel stopped.
“Go on ahead, I'll be back shortly.”
We all nod; I wonder where she is going?
We exited the building to see two extraordinary things.
A small sedan parked in front of the school and Ruro, wearing an outfit very similar to Kohaku's, except it had slits running up both of the pant legs and sleeves, the slits eventually ending at the knees and elbows respectively. Of course, without the daggers.
“... Isn't that a bit inappropriate?” Akiha is the first to make a comment.
Well, Akiha has a point. That outfit leaves extremely little to the imagination. But Ruro look beautiful in it; it seemed to suit her in a dark way.
“It is, it is appropriate for me to wear this to redeem for all the terrible things I committed while I wore it before.” Ruro says this with a colder than usual look.
Akiha stares at her face.
“Even you feel the urge to redeem?”
“Only to seek revenge.”
With that, everyone fell silent. After a bit, we hear the door opened, we all turned to face it. Ciel walked from the building wearing her Executioners outfit, her decorated arms showing fully. I hadn't seen her in that outfit in a very long time...
“Now, shall we go?” Ruro asks.
“Yes.” Ciel simply replies.
Ruro walks up the driver’s side, and puts her hand on the handle.
... And promptly rips the door clean off and throws it aside like a toy.
“... Why did you do that?” I just had to ask.
“Should we need to hastily exit the vehicle, it would be a burden to open the door.” She simply states as she sits in the car.
Ciel looks at me, Akiha and Hisui.
“Shiki, you and Akiha take both sides of the back, with Hisui in the middle.”
I nod; we all get into the car.
My adrenaline flowed; I was ready to finally end this...
Ruro seemed to be searching for something, looking around the seat cushion, on top of the visor and even in the glove compartment.
“What's the matter?” Akiha asks.
“... The keys seem to not be here.”
I groan, Ciel sighs and Akiha almost laughs.
“Did you expect they would simply leave the keys in here?”
“It'd be quite convenient.”
“That's why nobody would put them there.” Akiha retorts with a smirk.
I lean my head back.
“Great, we can't even go now.” I groan again after my complaint.
“You complain too much.” Ruro says as she does something drastic.
She grabs the mounting between the steering wheel and dashboard and proceeds to rip it clean off. Tossing it out the car afterwards and began poking around it.
After a few minutes, Ruro sits straight up, did something with the exposed area. I was curious as to what she did, but Hisui and the seat blocked me from getting a good look.
But it seemed to work as the engine came to life. I sigh in relief as we drive off to search for Kohaku.
As Hisui gave out updates as to where she was feeling Kohaku.
One thing I noticed about Ruro's driving. As opposed to the normal amateur driver (I was certain Ruro had never driven before. Since she never needed to.) Who is overly cautious, Ruro had no caution whatsoever. She went as fast as she could, commonly, I feels sick because of the sharp corners we took, as we nearly hit objects on the sideway numerous times.
“The brake Ruro! Use the brake next time!” I scream as she tore around a corner, nearly spinning us out.
As I expected, she gave no reply.
But as Hisui began saying she feels Kohaku close by, we began to see small groups of Undead loitering the sidewalks and streets. Ruro make some effort to avoid the groups, but little effort in avoiding the single ones.
Hisui's eyes lit up as she seemed to spot something.
Immediately, I notice it as well. Kohaku had suddenly appeared directly in front of us. And with a quick hop, she landed on the hood of the car.
As an immediate response, Ruro grabbed a hold of the roof and flipped herself onto the top of the car.
Ciel suddenly grabbed the wheel to stop us from spinning out of control and moved herself to the driver's seat.
“Priestess! Take us away from the Undead!” Ruro yelled.
“Hold on!” Ciel ordered.
Ciel sharply turned down a clear street and accelerated as much as she could make the car go.
I could hear Kohaku and Ruro talking but the wind was too loud for me to make out what they was saying.
But after about a minute, Kohaku leapt onto the roof to do battle with Ruro. The roof began to pop and creak with their weight. All of us but Ciel look upward, anxiously.
Soon after, part of the roof caved over Hisui. She cried out in surprise, as did Akiha.
“We need to get out of here!” I yell out.
Ciel yells back a reply. “Shiki, Akiha, you two jump out! Hisui, I'll get you!”
Before anyone could say anything, Ciel blindly reached back, grabbing Hisui and pulling her to the front and over her lap.
“Are you-” Akiha had began to ask but she was cut off abruptly.
“Get out!”
Obeying, we both opened our doors, albeit it took some effort due to the speed. I look at the speeding ground, anxious.
Akiha was already rolling on the ground when I decided to do it.
I slid myself out of the car, closing my eyes as I waited for the impact.
I hit the ground harder than I expected. Rolling, rolling, rolling... I feels pain shoot all over my body and a sickness in my stomach as the rolling kept going.
Eventually, I stopped. Ignoring my pain and sickness I immediately stand up to look at the car.
I had managed to see Ruro, who had caught Kohaku in some sort of hold.
She leapt with Kohaku into the path of the car.
“Ruro! No!”
I yelled out anyway, knowing it would be useless.
Ciel leapt out of the car, carrying Hisui with her as she landed far behind the car.
But just as she landed, the car had plowed into a building. The car exploded violently when it crashed, the sound was thunderous.
I regained myself as I realized I was running to the site of the crash, following behind Akiha. As we approached, Ciel and Hisui met up with us close to the site.
“Where is Ruro?”I finally manage to ask, panting.
Ciel shakes her head. “All I remember is she and Kohaku was in front of the car as I left. I think that was her plan, to be against the building as the car hit.”
I shake my head. “Why did she have to sacrifice herself...?”
I feels sick
Akiha and Hisui kept their eyes focused on the flaming wreckage. But before we could mourn, I hear footsteps behind me. Turning to face them. I couldn't believe my eyes, Ruro casually walked toward us, her usual look dominating her face, along with a few marks from her scuffle.
“Ruro?!” I shout out to her.
Ruro keeps her eyes sharp on the wreckage.
“That was simply a deterrent.” She says quietly.
We all again turn to face the wreckage.
I can't image anyone getting away from that, much less unhurt. At the very least, Kohaku had to be in pain.
After a short, tense wait.
“Are you sure she lived?” Akiha asks.
“Absolutely.” Ruro replies.
As soon as Ruro finished, metal began to creak and groan from the wreckage. The flaming remnants began to lift off the ground.
Instinctively, I yell out. “Get out of the way!”
Everyone runs or dove out of the way of the oncoming fireball. It hit the ground with a crash, and then screeched along the ground. I opted for diving.
Nobody was hit...
I slowly stood up, looking to where the fire formerly was, only to see a very angry looking Kohaku standing there.
Ruro chuckled a little bit. “I'm sorry, did you get hurt?”
Kohaku dashed with her usually ungodly speed, oddly, with no daggers that I could see. She began her attack with a series of aggressive punches, all parried in various ways by Ruro. Ruro had a sadistic smirk on her face as she ducked below Kohaku and threw an elbow straight into her abdomen. Kohaku let out a cry and fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.
“Humph.” Ruro simply snorts as she raises her hand for a deathblow. But before she could, Kohaku had leapt up with an amazing burst of speed and spin kicked Ruro straight into the ground. While in the air, and before Ruro could react, Kohaku threw two daggers through the shoulders of Ruro.
Kohaku landed in front of the immobile Ruro.
“You should know how these daggers work, dear Ruro.”
Ruro simply sneers.
“A paralysis enchantment, nothing special.”
Kohaku just laughs. I feels my throat get hot; I knew that we was in trouble. Kohaku was hit, but those daggers... Those daggers could end our lives in a heartbeat...
Kohaku pulled out another dagger and pointed it at Ruro.
“And now, I end yo-”
Before she could finish, Ciel had flew up to her side and kicked her straight into one of the office buildings, she slammed through the large pane of glass adorning the building and crashed through the numerous desks on the inside at an incredible force.
Ciel kneeled beside Ruro.
“It'll only take a second, hold on.” She said to Ruro as she reached for the daggers.
Before she could reach them, Kohaku's scream echoed throughout the area.
“You little bitch!” She said as she dashed from the building from where she had entered tried to kick Ciel, who ducked under it.
Kohaku... She seems to be weaker than before... The crash must have done some damage...
Kohaku and Ciel trade punches and kicks, it seems very even. Yeah, Kohaku is definitely weaker, but she's still fast. Ciel is pushed back by a heel palm of Kohaku's.
Ciel just stares at Kohaku, as Kohaku pulls out two daggers.
“Come now, Ciel, now you finally get to experience death.”
“Not by your hand, servant.”
Ciel brandishes the Black Keys as they just stare at each other.
A dangerous and tense silence ensues. But Kohaku is the first to break it as she leaps behind Ciel.
The clangs and crashes of metal meeting metal fill the air. Ciel's acrobatics versus Kohaku's pure speed. It's very even. But Ciel, perhaps showing her fatigue gets one of the Keys knocked away.
“Getting sloppy?”
Kohaku taunts Ciel, who returns nothing, not even a fixed glanced.
Ciel goes on the offensive, bringing her Keys behind her to slash. But Kohaku ducks under them and buries her daggers into Ciel's stomach.
Ciel winces badly, as Kohaku lifts her into the air.
“Feel that creep in your spine? It's your death... And I will enjoy it.”
“Ciel!” Akiha cries out as she runs out to stop Kohaku, her hair already red. I join her; we'd have a much better shot if we went against her at the same time.
Kohaku turns her head toward us, scowling. She pulls the daggers out of Ciel as I finish flipping my knife's blade out.
Akiha's hair swirls and attacks Kohaku, who nimbly dodges to the right. Luckily, right into my path.
I slash upwards, but she ducks under me with ease.
I'm not match for her, and I know that, but I have to help.
I feel this rumble in my stomach. It shakes me to my core, my bones feel like putty and I take off into the air.
I slam onto the pavement not too far away from Kohaku. I am twitching, almost uncontrollably. I can't feel anything below my waist and my head is pounding.
'Shiki...'
I hear a voice in my head.
But I only hear it once.
I return myself to the action at hand; Kohaku's arm had become entangled with Akiha's hair. A flame engulfed her arm.
Kohaku simply smiled and make no resistance to her, Akiha's sinister smile began to slowly fade.
“What... This isn't right.”
Kohaku giggles. “What's the matter Akiha-sama? Oh, you can't steal my heat or Mana? Well, there's a good explanation for that.”
Kohaku rips her arm free of the hair and front kicks Akiha straight into a light pole, which collapses immediately.
“You see, the Soeki and Kiru steal life and Mana as well. You cannot steal from something which does the same. Sorry, Akiha-sama, but we cancel each other out.”
Kohaku giggles again as Akiha staggers to her feet. She growls toward Kohaku.
But before Akiha could attack again, Kohaku suddenly appeared in mid air before her, driving her knee into Akiha's chest. As Akiha was sent sprawling to the ground, Kohaku flipped backwards and landed gracefully onto her feet.
She turned to...
Hisui...
Hisui, who had been silently observing this whole time, was now her target.
Hisui was going to be killed, no question...
But the news managed to get worse...
I feels a terrible presence, one I had feels before, when I runs with Ciel...
The man in the fedora and overcoat...
Imaeki... There was no doubt...
He approached Kohaku from behind, dwarfing her. He gave a sick, wide smirk.
“Is she the one?”
“Yes, my Lord. She can assist like I can.”
Hisui simply stared; she had no emotion on her face... But her hands was shaking.
Kohaku held her hand out to Hisui, with a smile I hadn't seen in forever from her. But it make me sick... It was corrupted; it'd lost its meaning...
“Hisui-chan... I've bargained with my Lord earlier, he will accept you as the apprentice Soeki because of your untapped potential, much like mine.”
Hisui stared at the ground, and then tears began flowing from her eyes.
“Akiha-sama, Ciel-san, Ruro-san, Shiki-sama... I'm sorry...”
My heart skipped a beat...
Hisui...
What are you doing?
Akiha screamed out. “Hisui, you can't!”
Hisui began to take small steps forward, her tears still flowing. Kohaku's smile and Imaeki's smirk widened.
It was torture, watching Hisui walk to her, I wanted to die... I didn't want to believe her.
“I just want to be with my Nee-san...” I hear her weakly say.
No... No, no, no, no... If she becomes as powerful as Kohaku, we're all dead... We can't even handle Kohaku...
Eventually, Kohaku and Hisui's hands meet. And they embrace, it was sickening. I feels like I could vomit at any moment...
Hisui's tears never stopped. And my hope vanishes with her tears.
Akiha was crying as well, unable to understand the sight before her. Ciel had managed to regain herself somewhat and free Ruro from the daggers hold on her.
As Ruro stood, she simply took in the scene. Ciel look grim, her eyes looking faint.
“Nee-san...” I hear Hisui say. “Forgive me...”
Kohaku's eyes narrowed as she reached for a dagger, she stabbed Hisui!
“Hisui!” I and Akiha blurt out at the same time. As a smile creeps onto the face of Ruro.
But... There was a dagger... In Kohaku's back...
Hisui stabbed Kohaku with her own dagger...
They both collapse to the side, still embracing.
Imaeki's face twisted to an annoyed look.
“You ignorant bitch.”
“My Lord... forgive me...” Kohaku whispers.
“You let her deceive you, what a worthless Soeki you are!”
Kohaku's eyes teared up. “No... My Lord...”
“Enough! I will not have a Soeki who can be touched! Such an unworthy specimen for a deity such as me!”
Imaeki rambled, he was raving about how she was worthless, how she deserved her fate. How he should have killed her.
“I will rectify that mistake!” He shouts as his eyes turn yellow... Like Arcueid's did...
'Shiki...'
The voice again...
“No!” Kohaku screamed. She kept screaming, her body twitching uncontrollably, blood began pouring from her eyes and mouth.
I look away, I couldn't handle it...
Imaeki laughed. “Enjoy your last moments, my former Soeki; you will die a death most painful...”
Imaeki just stood there.
We ignored him and we all slowly gathered to Hisui and Kohaku. To see if they still lived...
Hisui breathing was pained, but she was conscious.
We remove the dagger from her and prop her up.
“I'll... be fine, Akiha-sama.” Akiha helps prop her up. Hisui's wound was still bleeding, but she was in nowhere near the shape of Kohaku.
“The Servant shall recover, her wound is treatable.”
“What about Kohaku?” I ask her quietly.
Ruro just shakes her head.
“The virus is in her too deep. It's impossible even if it wasn’t; I have no idea how to heal it.”
I look, pleadingly to Ciel. She just lowers her head.
No hope... No...
I turn Kohaku over, and rest her in my arms. She was so cold...
Kohaku's mouth began moving... And after a few times, words began to come out.
“Pull... Pull the dagger out...”
I look at everyone else, not knowing what to do.
Ciel shakes her head. “We can't risk it.”
Before I could look at Ruro she had already pulled the dagger out of Kohaku with a sick sound emanating from it. She threw the dagger aside.
“She's being attacked by the virus that has infested her. She is in no condition to do anything but die; we should at least give her the right to speak.”
After the dagger came out, Kohaku's body sprung to what little life was left in it. She look around, and then smiled at me.
“Hello, Shiki-sama...”
Her warmth was back... But it was too late... I could feel my eyes burning up and my heart began to feel empty.
“Kohaku... you're hurt...”
I say something so stupid, I almost wanted to die.
Kohaku lets out a weak laugh.
“I know, silly...”
Hisui's tears had return, she was sobbing uncontrollably. Akiha's tears had begun as well.
Kohaku tiled her head back and look at her sister long...
She weakly held her arm out to Hisui, who grabbed her older sister's hand immediately.
“Nee-san...” She weakly said in between sobs.
“Don't cry Hisui-chan, Akiha-sama... It had to be this way... I'm sorry to have hurt you all...”
“Don't apologize, Kohaku, you had no control.” I say, my tears covering my cheeks.
Kohaku smiles again.
“You and Akiha... You look so happy...”
“You knew?”
“Ever since the day you and Akiha kissed... Hisui-chan can never keep her mouth closed...”
Akiha put her hand on top of Hisui and Akiha's.
“Kohaku...” Akiha weakly calls out. “You was always so helpful and loyal...”
Kohaku smiles again, every time she smiles, it feels like my heart is going to break.
“Hisui-chan, Akiha and Shiki-sama, please... Take care of each other, especially Hisui-chan; she can be so stupid at times...”
“No... Nee-san, don't go...” Hisui says, sobbing again.
“I'm sorry, Hisui-chan... Please... Take care of Akiha-sama and Shiki-sama... Make sure they have a good life...”
And with that, Kohaku's eyes close one last time. All that is left are the cries of the mourning... Me, Akiha and Hisui...
The life known as Kohaku, who I had known for only a year but she was so dear to me... It was gone... but she will never be forgotten... Never...
My depression suddenly subsided.
I stood up in a flash and threw my glasses off, turning toward Imaeki.
I was no longer in control, my mind, my body; everything was acting free and full of rage.
“Imaeki!” I scream.
Akiha stood up as well, her face twisted in rage.
Soon Ruro and Ciel stood by us.
“Imaeki! It's over!” I scream again. “You will be make to pay for what you have done to everyone!”
Imaeki just smiles. “Such a child... You can't even harness your power correctly.”
'Shiki... Stop... Listen... me...'
I hear a broken voice in my head.
I look around slowly for the origin of the voice.
Imaeki's eyes light up.
“You hear her! This is excellent!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Shiki, don't listen to him.” Ciel orders.
“Ah! The Church continues to want to hide the truth!” He bellows a loud laughter.
“You cannot hide it from him, it's inevitable for him to discover. It's just a matter of time before she breaks into his sensory perception more.”
“Not if I can help it.” Ciel retorts.
Imaeki waves his hand and Ciel is flung by an invisible force backwards, about a hundred feet. I turn back to face Imaeki.
“Shiki, what you are hearing is the voice of an untapped power within you. Within your soul.”
“What-”
“It is the power of a True Ancestor! A power that no mortal can hope to match!”
Imaeki grins.
“The power of Arcueid Brunestud.”
My eyes widen.
Arcueid...
'Shiki... I'm sorry...'
Ruro laughed.
“So this was all about Brunestud? I get it now. I understand why you chose Kohaku... A very clever plan, unfortunately, a plan that can easily backfire. You think he will just surrender?”
“He cannot harness a power like that alone. Without a way to unlock it, he is useless.”
Ruro continue to smirk. “Do not underestimate this one...”
Imaeki began to look annoyed.
I hear the sound of blades cutting through the air behind me; I turn to see the Black Keys pointed right at my chest.
Ciel's cold eyes seem to stare right through me.
Akiha screams. “What are you doing?”
“He has realized what lives within him. Now he is a danger to us all.”
“No, he isn't!”
Akiha tried to charge Ciel but Ruro grabbed her arms. Covering her eyes with her hands and holding Akiha still and unable to use her origami.
“Ruro! You too!”
“The Priestess is correct; you must not be allowed to live. The power within you is beyond terrible, and such a thing must be destroyed.”
“Nii-san! No! No!”
Akiha cries out, the tears running out from Ruro's hands makes me snap...
I give a dark look to Ciel.
“Then kill me.”
Ciel simply stands, unmoving.
“Then I'll kill you...”
I reach for my knife, but before I do, I feels an indescribable pain. Three sharp pulses enter my body.
I cry out, dropping my knife.
“Forgive me Shiki” Ciel apologizes, with tears in her eyes.
I fall forward, losing consciousness.
“I'll... Never forgive you... I hate you...” I declare as my vision turns white.
I see nothing but white...
'Shiki... Ah, you're here?”
'Hey wait, Shiki! Why are you here?!'
White... nothing but white...
I could even see myself... I tried to look at my hands, but there was nothing. I didn't exist...
But soon, I saw my body appear... My hands slowly came into being. And I hear the sound metal creaking rhythmically.
“Hey, Shiki! Did you become deaf?”
A voice...
A voice from the past...
A voice I hadn't hear in so long...
I turn to see a swing, no supports or anything, the chains just ascended into the white with no end.
And I saw Arcueid, lightly swinging on it.
“It's been a long time Shiki.” She says calmly, her innocent face, her oblivious nature. It was somehow here.
“Is this... real?”
Arcueid stopped and gave me a bright smile.
“Of course it is. Are you ok, Shiki? You act like you've seen a ghost.”
I take a few steps toward Arcueid; she stands up off the swing as a response to it. Her white sweater... her red skirt... her golden hair and red eyes. Everything that was Arcueid was here...
“Am I dead?”
“...” Arcueid stares at me silently, examining me.
“You've grown Shiki! You've gotten a little taller.” She says this and she stands on her toes and waves her hand above my head.
“So tall!”
I couldn't believe her, only Arcueid could act like this in such a situation.
“Arcueid, am I dead?”
She sighs and slumps her shoulders.
“This is supposed to be a happy reunion, Shiki. Or are you just going to bring it down as usual?” She says this as she puts her hands and her hips and pouts like a child.
“Arcueid... I just need to know.”
Her face turns serious suddenly.
“No, not yet. But whether you live or die is up to me.”
“How can it possibly be up to you?”
That didn't make sense; she's been dead for a year now. How can she possibly control something like that?
Arcueid sits back on the swing.
“You see, Shiki. It's a long story, and it's a story Ciel wanted to keep from you. Although you have no idea how difficult it was to live inside you.”
Wait... Live inside of me?
“How is that even possible?”
Arcueid closed her eyes.
“It started when Akiha gave you half her life in order to prevent you from dying. At the same time, you developed the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Unfortunately, when she gave you her life, encoded into her essence is her power. That power of absorption, it was twisted within you, you could never use it like Akiha but you could use it in special circumstances.”
I nod.
“Your circumstance is death. Just like your eyes perceive death, your body and soul absorb death. You absorb their essence, their strength, so to speak. But you was so scarred by the events of a year ago you will only fight when pushed to the utter limit. Ciel knew this, which is why she exposed you to as little battle as possible, which is why you attacked that girl, Ruro. And why, in the end, Ciel wanted to prevent communication between me and you. It's also the reason Ciel could hear your thoughts. You absorbed Roa, but you haven't been able to hear hers because Roa couldn't either. But I do, and if I get absorbed, you could hear it from her.”
“How did she even know you was within me?”
“Ciel probably knew from the very beginning that you could absorb the essence of others. Which is why she insisted on guarding you. How Imaeki found out, I'll never know, that man had ways of finding out things I still haven't figured out how he did.”
“You knew him?”
Arcueid's face turns icy cold.
“The last time I hunted Dead Apostles, before Roa, was 800 years ago. But that wasn't the last time I woke up, I woke up last about 650 years ago. To do battle with Imaeki. I think the year was 1350, 1351? I forget, but it was one of those years.”
“Where?”
“Europe, Southern France to be exact. The Church was at a complete loss how to deal with those threats, you see, the Kiru was raging a bit of a civil war that turned into a blown out continent-wide war. Millions was killed; the human history records it as the Black Death. And for good reason, the Undead infected everything; the war cost far too many lives and essentially ended the Kiru. But both the Church and Europe lost many of its authorities on the supernatural in that war. This led to incompetence, which led to the persecutions of alleged supernatural beings during the time.”
I shake my head; my entire view of European history had been shot in a few short minutes... So Imaeki was partially responsible for the Black Death? No, the Kiru themselves was.
“But now that the last of the Kiru, Imaeki is here. He must be killed, Shiki. He must atone for the horrors he has committed. Even if costs you your life, Shiki, you must.”
“How can I do that? I'm nothing compared to him! Even if I let my 'blood' take over, I doubt I'd stand a chance.”
Arcueid stares at the ground, her bangs covering her face.
“I could give you my power...”
“Wait... How?”
“All this time, Shiki, for the last year I have been staving off your body’s natural impulse to absorb me. I've lived in a bubble so to speak for this last year. I don't know why... Maybe to be closer to you, maybe because I'm afraid to lose you.”
Arcueid stands up, smiling, raising head to stare at me in the eyes.
“But I realize now, that I need to leave in order help you. And that even if you absorb me, I'll always be...” She puts the palm of her hand over my heart. “Here...”
I put my hand over Arcueid's.
“You always have been...”
Arcueid's eyes are wet and she breaks away from me and begins walking away.
“I'm sorry Shiki, it's been great. But... It's time for me to go and it's time for you to end the Kiru.”
I nod, not feeling sadness, but joy... That I could see her again...
“I love you Arcueid...” I say, just before she vanished from my sight into the whiteness.
“I love you too, Shiki...” She says softly.
Soon, she was gone...
I feels an incredible rush of heat into my body, as the whiteness faded quickly to black.
'Shiki?'
'Yeah, Arcueid?'
'Did you keep your promise to forget about me?'
'... I'm sorry, I couldn't.'
'... I'm glad.'
I hear faint voices. Akiha's...
Imaeki's gruff voice seemed to be raving...
Ciel's breathing was erratic...
I feels pain in my chest but the feeling of the Keys was gone. And the pain was more annoying than painful. Actually, I feels almost no pain.
My eyes snap open...
I saw the lines...
But no headache...
No pain...
My body feels hot...
I feels an incredible amount of stamina...
I couldn't believe the feeling...
I look at my chest and see the holes in my shirt from the Black Keys. But the wounds was gone.
Regeneration...
So fast?
I sit up, and then stand up.
Hearing the sounds from my moving, everyone looks at me. Only Imaeki seems unsurprised, even Ruro looks a bit surprised.
I simply glare at Imaeki.
'No, Shiki... No, no... I don't want to hurt you again...'
Ciel... Her thoughts...
'Ciel, don't worry...'
By instinct alone, I manage to give her a reply.
Ciel's eyes shoot wide open toward me.
'... Please don't read my mind any further.'
'Sorry....’
I step forward, Ruro finally releases Akiha. Who had been crying and yelling the whole time. She sees me and almost tackles me.
But I hold my hand up to her.
“Stop, Akiha, we don't have time. We have to get rid of this animal from the world.”
“.. Yes, Nii-san.” Barely restraining herself, she turns to Imaeki.
Ruro is grinning widely, the largest expression I've ever seen on her face.
“Now, Imaeki... Watch as your plan completely backfires in the blink of an eye.” She states.
I step forward, ahead of everyone and stare at the monstrous man. He removes his fedora, his face is scarred everywhere, both from cuts and burns, his gray and black hair is an array of messy spikes heading in every direction. His eyes glow a pale orange.
“He is still a mortal; the fragmented power of a True Ancestor will do nothing.”
In feels no fear, strangely, none at all. I feels only anger and the need to end this beast’s existence.
I grip my knife and smirk.
“Come, Imaeki, if I am so weak then strike me.”
I already knew the outcome, I could see it. I knew what was going to be. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
Imaeki growled, I guess that's an acceptance.
Even faster than Kohaku.
Even faster than anything I've seen.
He struck me in the face with his fist, the impact was terrible. Had I not acquired this power, my head would have turned into mush.
But...
“... not possible” Is all Imaeki can say.
From that impact, from all the power of the Kiru. The punch that would have killed anyone in the country except Ruro and Ciel.
All it did was turn my head.
I feels a minuscule pain on my face as I turn back to him.
I saw the frustration on his face, he look ready to explode.
With that he tried to kick my head next. But I'd had enough, he had his free chance.
I send up my forearm, it blocks his foot cleanly and easily. He growls in anger again.
In a flash, I cut the lines in his legs.
“You... you're a monster...” He says, his voice turning to panic.
Whoosh, whoosh.
I cut the lines of his arms.
“You...”
Slice, slice. The lines of his torso.
“I will... End you...” He says something stupid.
Cut, cut. His neck and head are cut.
I continue cutting him, mercilessly; the entire front of my body becomes covered in blood, dripping everywhere.
Before I knew it, I had cut the beast into over 50 pieces.
I flip my knife away, staring at the mess.
The others approach slowly.
“Is it over?” Akiha is the first to ask.
Ruro shakes her head.
“No, he's still alive. He'll regenerate.”
Akiha turns to Ruro, her eyes almost pleaded.
“But it doesn't matter. You saw what Shiki did to him. It'd be all too easy for him to do it again.”
“He deserves to suffer.” I say. “Let him regenerate and run, I will not stop him. He deserves to feel the fear, the panic. After what he has done.”
“Shiki is correct.” Ruro says as she turns around. “Let us get cleaned up, treat Hisui and then hunt him down after he regenerates again. He might even still be in pieces after we finish, so we have time to spare.”
Akiha stomps her foot. “No! Why don't we just end him here? Why waste time!?”
I look at Akiha. “Because he can't beat me. Plus, we need to treat Hisui, so we might as well go.”
Akiha growls, but says nothing else. Everybody gathers up, Ruro helping Hisui along. As we head toward a nearby hotel.
Everybody had their showers, Ciel treated Hisui and we was about ready to leave to end this battle once and for all. We all agreed that Hisui was to stay here, since she was still in no condition to fight.
However, Ciel had been extremely quiet ever since I woke up. As we was all in the hallway I pull Ciel aside.
“Ciel, what's the matter?” I ask frankly, since we didn't have much time.
“Shiki... You aren't the same... Even if you act the same you are no longer Tohno Shiki. You've become something else. Something I fear may be terrible.”
I put my hand on Ciel's shoulder, her eyes look too sad...
“Look, after this is all over. You'll see I haven't changed, you can't just say that while we're in the middle of these kinds of circumstances.”
“Even then... Your eyes... They will never be the same...”
My eyes?
“What do you mean my eyes?”
Ciel shakes her head and points toward a window.
I look into the window, trying to find my reflection. I do.
And I am shocked...
My eyes... was red
Like Arcueid's...
I hear Ciel's rushing footsteps leave down the corridor... She must be so worried...
We all meet up outside, to a very unfriendly greeting.
Undead... dozens of them.
There wasn't much of a battle though, they was Undead after all.
After Akiha drained the last one in the area, we look around. No sign of Imaeki.
Ruro suddenly pointed down the street.
“He is there. Hiding behind his Undead like a coward.”
We all look to where Ruro pointed. There seemed to be an unending wall of Undead, completely filling the street and sidewalks, making its way slowly toward us.
Ruro is the first to start walking toward it. Then Akiha, then Ciel, then myself.
We all walk in line, toward the Undead. With no fear at all.
We didn't need to fear, we was strong together.
Akiha reaches out and grabs my hand; I squeeze her hand reassuringly...
We will all survive this; we will all go back to our lives after this.
Imaeki... You will be dealt with...
The Undead was soon less than 25 feet away from us as we continued walking toward them.
This is our fate...
Destiny...
Ah, I remember now.
Crimson moon...
Let us decide our destiny today, here and now. And let us finally end this terrible war.
We all stop at once, the Undead less than 5 feet away from us and closing in.
“This is it!” I yell and I pull out my knife.
Akiha's hair flares red.
Ciel makes the Black Keys appear.
And Ruro makes a metal staff appear in her hand, something I hadn't seen her do before.
Let this final standoff begin...
I stared silently at the approaching Undead, unafraid for the first time. Not of the, but of anything. I finally feels I had the power to protect those I cared about.
Ciel and Ruro was the first into the Frey, jumping into the crowd of Undead and getting to work.
My and Akiha's hands was together still, but we finally broke away from each other and began our attacks on the Undead.
My knife plunged through Undead after Undead. They stood no chance against me, not as I was now... I cut down dozens in a matter of minutes, my blade and arms covered in blood.
I managed to catch Ruro out of the corner of my eye; she masterfully spun the staff around, dispatching Undead with a single swing most of the time. I noticed something odd though...
'Red...'
Ruro's hair had turned red, much like Akiha's...
I didn't know why. And I wasn't in much a position to ask.
Ciel was the next I noticed, as usual, she acrobatically claimed the lives of the Undead, throwing the Black Keys a few times to take out several at once. She look as impressive as ever.
I cut down several more Undead myself; I could feel their cold, coagulated blood spattering onto me. It disgusted me, but I had to go on, no matter what.
I cut two of the Undead that was standing next to each other, in half at the waist. I noticed I wasn't at all tired, I just smile a little. Knowing I have Arcueid to thank for all of this.
I look at Akiha next. She had no weapons other than her limbs and hair. This wrapped around many unfortunate Undead, sapping them dry of all their Mana. But Akiha did something strange...
She stood, unmoving as the Undead began to gather around her, completely surrounding her.
Was she tired?
She didn't look tired...
She stood, calmly, waiting for something it seemed.
Then it happened.
Slowly, Akiha's hair wrapped around her, coiling around her body like a red snake. A column of fire erupted from her body, engulfing all the dead around her in a blaze. It lit up the night with a faint orange glow before it died as quickly as it started.
The Undead around Akiha, they was gone, nothing was left.
Akiha opened her eyes and simply turned to her next target.
I focused back on my own situation, fighting through the Undead in front of me. They seemed limitless.
An endless sea of hostility.
Even if the Undead was completely outclassed by us, we couldn't keep at this pace forever.
We fought them for hour’s non-stop, even Ruro and Ciel began to look a little winded after a while. But for some reason, I feels utterly fine.
Ruro spun her staff above her head, the swung it horizontally in front of her, decapitating three Undead in front of her and leapt back behind me.
“It's no good Shiki, they keep coming. I didn't anticipate this many.”
“Kohaku is dead, so why are there any of them left in the first place?”
“Because Imaeki stripped Kohaku of her powers as Soeki before she died, so he inherited all of them from her when he did that.”
“Great...”
Ciel is next to join behind me, as the three of us begin fighting off the Undead next to each other.
“Shiki, we should consider pulling back.” Ciel look quite concerned. “We're far too outnumbered; we haven't even done anything even though we've killed hundreds by now.”
“No, I'm not going back. We're going to keep fighting, I promised myself to kill Imaeki and this may be the only chance.”
Ciel flashes a quick smile as she cuts down an Undead.
“Then we stay.”
Akiha joins us at last, kicking and Undead away.
“Nii-san... I don't know how long I can keep fighting.”
I turn to Akiha.
“You don't need to fight anymore, Akiha. You can go back to the hotel and rest.”
“What about you, Nii-san?”
“I'm going to stay, I can't leave.”
Akiha turns and kicks another Undead away.
“Then I stay as well.”
“Akiha...”
She flips her hair and smiles.
“I'm head of the Tohno house, after all. It would be shameful for me to retreat.”
We fight for another hour, side by side, dispatching the Undead. Until it seems everyone but me is exhausted.
Ruro slams her staff through another Undead's torso and steps back, panting.
“It's pointless, they keep coming.”
“No, look, everyone, go back and rest. I'll keep fighting.”
Ruro gives me a very serious look.
“You'll die.”
“So be it.”
I didn't care, I wanted Imaeki dead, and I wanted to make him pay. No matter what...
“Nii-san! Let's all go back!”
“Enough!”
I shout, but little did I know, I let out some sort of invisible blast that sent all of the Undead around us flying.
Everyone looks at me in amazement.
But before anyone can say anything. I remembered something... From long ago, something Arcueid had done...
'Marble Phantasm...'
Can I do it? If I have Arcueid's power, I should be able to...
Then, like an instinct kicking in, as soon as I remember Arcueid doing it. I knew how to do it; it was like my mind opened up, a smooth spring wind that came over my mind.
“Everybody, get back... Get as far back as you possibly can.”
“Nii-san...”
I turn to them and shout.
“Do it, now!”
Even Akiha nods as they begin to walk away.
I close my eyes and begin to concentrate. I keep the Undead at bay with a relatively weak Mana shield, another thing I had come across in my now unlocked mind.
I gathered my heat, my strength, my spirit. I feels it welling up inside of me.
My body feels incredibly hot and tense. The air around me began to distort, the Undead who still their hands on the shield lost those hands immediately.
As if detecting what was going to happen, the footsteps behind me sped up very quickly and grew fainter.
The heat was unimaginable, but it kept growing. My body feels so tense I thought it was going to snap. The air around me distorted so much that I could not make out anything other than colors.
My fists was clenched so tightly I could almost feel myself tearing into my own flesh.
I opened my eyes, like Arcueid had done a year ago.
And I let go...
And what I let go was beyond my comprehension. In an instant, the Undead around me simply ceased to exist, as the shock wave from it spread all around me, I hear glass shattering, cars being thrown into buildings, even the buildings themselves groaning in strain from its force. And as I watched it travel, cracking the ground under it as it did so. The Undead simply vanished into a cloud of blood, hundreds... Thousands, all gone in an instant. Until when I look upon the army I had seen a second earlier but there was none, only a street paved in blood and glass.
And at the end, Imaeki, who was standing there. Undoubtedly with a smug look on his face a second ago. Now looking panicked, no, maybe even frightened. His entire army had just been obliterated in a single move.
I laugh, I couldn't contain it.
“Hahaha!!”
As the glass rained down around me like tiny rain drops, I laugh. Letting go all the pain accumulated by this pain. Letting go of everything.
I just laugh.
I survey the damage I caused; it was catastrophic. Cars was twisted and torn apart. The office buildings on either side of me was tilted now, at what I thought was probably a dangerous level.
The metal from the buildings continued to give out groans.
The street was cracked as far as the eye could see; the sidewalk was torn apart and thrown in pieces all over the place.
It look like an apocalyptic sight.
I begin to walk toward the distant Imaeki.
I walked slowly, just to torture him. To see if he would give into his fear and run.
I didn't notice the hurried footsteps behind me.
Before I knew it, the others was walking beside me again. Their faces was blank, I could understand why... after that.
“Shiki, I love you.” Those words came from Ruro's mouth.
“What?” That threw me off quite a bit.
Akiha's eyes widened quite a bit and she gave Ruro a fierce stare.
“What-” Akiha is cut off.
“Remember, Shiki. What I said about becoming more than what you are.”
That's right... She said she would love me if I became more than what I was.
Akiha resumes.
“Look, we don't have time for this! But after this is done, Nii-san, we have a lot of talking to do.”
Akiha's stare is fierce and merciless.
I just stare straight ahead at my target, Imaeki, he hasn't moved but he looks much calmer now.
“Another thing, Shiki.”
I turn to Ruro.
“Yeah?”
“Let me fight him first, even if he beats me, I just want to fight him for the last time.”
I just nod; I can't understand what happened to her. I didn't want to either, I just knew she had to rid herself of that one way or the other and this seemed like the only way to her.
After the long walk, we make it to within a few meters of Imaeki and stop.
“Ah, so the Awakened Shiki truly is masterful.”
Ruro points her staff at Imaeki.
“Words are worthless now, prepare yourself.”
Both ends of Ruro's staff shot out concealed blades.
Imaeki simply laughs.
“Then come, girl, let's see if the child has surpassed the parent.”
Ruro rushed Imaeki, and Imaeki did the same in return, they clashed. Ruro's staff crashing into Imaeki's large forearm.
“Is this all, child?”
Ruro remains her calm and unspoken self.
Ruro turned away, doing a 360 degree spin and attempting to strike him the opposite side, Imaeki parried the staff. But not unscathed.
A large cut appeared on his forearm, bleeding decently.
“You have gotten better, I'm impressed.” He praised her then chortles. “But that is all you will get, little slut.”
Ruro brings her off-hand up in an attempt to slash his but he stepped back in time, staying in rhythm, she stepped forward and brought the staff crashing down. However, Imaeki stepped to the side just in time.
The pavement underneath where the staff hits is broken and pieces are scattered everywhere.
She pulled the staff out from the ground lighting fast and slashed at Imaeki.
But he caught the staff with his hand.
With a sinister smirk, he swung the staff over his head, Ruro still hanging on, and slammed Ruro straight into the pavement, smashing against the concrete.
Lifting the staff up again, Ruro still not letting go, he spun and flung the staff into the side of what appeared to be a bank nearby. The wall instantly exploded when she hit, dust and debris was scattered everywhere.
'That killed her...' Those was my first thought.
But as I runsforward, toward the bank I hear Ruro shout.
“Shiki, stop!”
She emerged from the rubble and dust, relatively unscathed. Her outfit was slightly damaged on the sleeves and there was blood coming from her nose, but other than that, she look perfectly fine.
I stop and just nod...
Ruro make her staff disappear and approached Imaeki.
“Let us do it your way.” She said as she seemed to disappear.
She appeared behind Imaeki, her leg in the air about to connect for a kick. When Imaeki turned, and sent his forearm crashing into Ruro's leg.
She rebounded from it and launched herself back toward him the instant she landed. She would be futile in all her attempts to harm him, her fists and legs being deflected or blocked altogether with ease by this behemoth.
All of her energy and focus seemed to be directed in every single attempt to harm him, sweat would come raining from her face with every effort.
Imaeki dodged one of her punches faster than I could see and delivered an effortless sidekick to her sternum and sent her crashing through the road.
“All these years, all of that Mana and training and you’re still as powerful as a child.” He gloated.
Ruro leapt out of the hole, her face scratched up and dirty but otherwise looking unharmed. She turned with her eyes closed to face him.
“I would rather be a weak child than a puppet to a delusional fool.” She retorted.
Imaeki dashed to her as a response, making a scimitar-like sword appear in his hand in the process.
As he swung, Ruro managed to make her rod appear at the last second and they clashed.
“Always the coward, until the end.” She smirked.
They would trade blows between weapons, however, in this arena, Ruro equaled her former Master and neither had the upper hand. Ruro elegant handling of the metal rod make up for Imaeki’s sheer power as she steered every fatal blow away from her.
Imaeki emitted a roar and split the rod in two with the sword, Ruro’s face tensed as she gritted her teeth, just in time to dodge Imaeki’s down stroke, which managed to cut the side of her face.
Blood began to drip off the side of her face as she returned to her normal cool self.
Imaeki makes the sword disappear and smiles, not moving.
“Your daughter will make a fine Soeki, a delicious one at that,” He mutters, “just like her mother.”
Ruro’s face twitched slightly and she charged him mercilessly.
‘Daughter?...’ I think to myself ‘She has a daughter?’
She attacked him almost recklessly, missing by a much wider margin then she did before. One kick was so off she buried it into the road like a warm knife through butter and continued attacking but Imaeki continued blocking.
However, he became sloppy and one kick hit his face.
The sound was terrible.
Her leg was broken.
Ruro fell to the ground, her leg distorted in a disgusting way.
“Ruro!”
“Shiki, stay back!”
She said, holding her open palm toward me. Ruro managed to balance herself on one leg, and she stared Imaeki straight in the eyes.
Imaeki grinned, pulling his fist back. Ruro leapt from one leg, slamming her full body weight into Imaeki. Who seemed quite surprised she did that, Imaeki's face twisted in pain. Imaeki stumbled back, nearly falling as Ruro tried on balance herself on her arms and one leg.
“You little bitch...” Imaeki growled.
Ruro laughed.
“Even with a broken leg, I can still hurt you. You're a pathetic beast, Imaeki.”
Imaeki's eyes practically glowed with rage and he prepared what appeared to be a deathblow of sorts of Ruro.
“Ruro!” I yell again, about to run to her again.
“No, Shiki! Let him! I've done all I wanted with my life! There is no reason for me to continue living.”
She gave out a weak laugh after she said this. It only make me more nervous.
“As long as I know he dies, and as long I see fear in him. My goal in this life has been completed.”
I start running, I can't let her just die. That's the only reason she wanted to fight him...
So she could die...
So she could see him in pain one last time...
And she could die knowing he'd soon follow...
I wouldn't make it... I knew it, but I still tried.
As Imaeki's hand began to drop, I closed my eyes...
Only to hear a roar of pain.
I open my eyes immediately and see a spike sticking out of Imaeki's side.
Imaeki stumbles to the side, shaking...
I turn to Ciel, who was holding the Seventh Holy Scripture. She smiles like she always did.
“We've had enough deaths today, Ruro. Just live for once. Live to see her.”
'Just live for once...'
I turn back to Imaeki, who was howling.
'What the hell did you shoot me with?!”
I had to end this now, and there was no better time...
I rushed Imaeki, I feels a sense of relief the closer I got to him.
As I make my way by Ruro, I could have swore I saw tears in her eyes.
Ruro's past...
Ciel's mission...
Akiha's worries...
Hisui's sadness...
Kohaku's death...
It all ends here. It ends now.
I stand in front of Imaeki, smoking pouring out from where the Scripture had hit him.
“It's over Imaeki... It's time for the Kiru to rest.”
“You idiot, the Kiru will never die.”
After he said this, he raised both of his arms to strike me.
“They do now.”
I slashed every limb from his body in one fluid, motion.
One undeniably powerful move, I had ended his threat of violence.
I simply cut him more and more. Every line, every single line, every single ‘death’ I cut. I simply slashed him until nothing remained except an even larger pile of meet than before.
“I... Will never die…” I hear his voice in my head.
I sneer at the pile of meat as it began to fade away.
“No, you will and have. You will no longer terrorize anybody.”
I turned and began to walk back toward the group, everybody just stared.
“It's ok, everyone. It's over...”
As I say this, my knees feels weak, they buckled. I stumble forward but Akiha catches me and embraces me, then Ciel joins in. We was all crying, even Ciel. It was over, everyone who had died... Had not died in vain.
And Kohaku... Kohaku was no longer his victim, she didn't die as his Soeki; she died as our friend, and we'll never forget that...
“Nii-san... It's over... Everything is finally over.” Akiha said in between sniffles. Her smile was the brightest and most hopeful I had ever seen. And it make me smile as well.
“Yea, Akiha, it's over...”
Ciel wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Shiki-kun, why must you make me cry?” Ciel said this, looking slightly embarrassed.
We just enjoyed our warmth and the elation of it being over.
I feels a weight on my back.
Ruro...
She was smiling.
I look at her; her head was right on my shoulder. Well... Her leg was broken so she had to support herself somehow.
“You did well, Shiki.”
I nod.
“Shiki.”
“Yeah.”
Ruro says nothing and just kisses my cheek.
Her lips was cold, but somehow, it make me feel warm...
Akiha glares at Ruro, exploding.
“Why did you do that?! Don't do such a rude thing to my Nii-san! Especially after such a monumental thing occurred! This is outrageous!”
She continued like that for a while, Ciel smiled a bit. But eventually Akiha kissed me on the lips!
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
“Nii-san, be quiet, I was kissing you.”
This is ridiculous; she's acting like a kid...
After that, we gathered ourselves, me and Ciel supported Ruro and carried her back to the hotel. When we told Hisui, instead of crying, she simply nodded, saying that Kohaku could rest in peace now.
The following week, many things happened.
We arrived back at the Tohno mansion, where we buried Kohaku in the forest behind the mansion. Ruro, Ciel, Hisui, I and Akiha was the only ones that attended. But I don't think that Kohaku would have minded all her friends being here...
The gardens look wonderful, the sun shone so brightly that day, as Ruro lowered the oak coffin into the ground.
None of us could do it, we just couldn’t, so Ruro and Ciel volunteered to begin to burial.
Akiha and Hisui stood quietly, as the coffin finally met its resting place at the bottom of the grave.
Hisui was staring at the ground, her face covered by her bangs, but I could see her tears flowing as Akiha put her hands on Hisui’s shoulders and began trying to comfort her.
Ruro stepped back from the grave and closed her eyes, as if in thought.
My eyes, by now, had become damp, my vision was blurry, my heart was aching and my head hurt so badly.
I had trouble accepting this, this result. That I could not save Kohaku, that I could do nothing but what that animal end her on a whim. That all I could do was mourn her now.
“I’m sorry Kohaku, please forgive me” I whisper to myself as I feel the tears overflow and Ciel begins.
“Kohaku lies before us now. Not because of any persons failure, but because of evil. Because of the terrible entities that exist in this world. And Kohaku, in the end, proved she was pure, her spirit in the end, indomitable and true. She was delivered from the world not by him, but by God, who could not stand by and watch her suffer in life anymore.”
Hisui and Akiha was openly sobbing by now, they was shaking and sniffling, my eyes could barely make them out as I myself could not restrain my emotions.
I couldn’t save her. And I hated myself for it…

Hisui slowly walked, along with Akiha, to the edge of the grave. Akiha handed Hisui some flowers, to which Hisui threw them onto the coffin.
“Why, Nee-san… Why couldn’t I have been stronger?” Hisui says in between gasps and cries.
The ceremony ended shortly after, with Ciel finishing the rites and Ruro filling the grave.
We had lost a friend whose value knew no earthly calculations, one who we will miss every day. We did not engrave a date of death or birth on her tombstone. Instead we replaced it with something more fitting:
Kohaku
One who was born into our hearts, and one who will never truly die. We will miss you.
It has been months...
I reflect upon it as several other students goof off, we're sitting, well, most of us, on the bleachers outside. We're having our school picture taken, but a lot of the class was missing. I rub my eyes, the contacts was bothering me, but they was necessary. If I had shown up to school with a different eye color, questions would be flying from every direction.
“Hey Shiki!” I feels a usually crash on my back.
Arihiko had managed to survive.
He told me how he was glad he skipped school to go to an amusement park. And by the time he wanted to o back, the trains had been closed down because of the 'outbreak'.
I gazed around me... A lot of people from the class was missing. I knew I had probably killed them that day... I feels bad, staring at the ground.
All those people. Who never lived to see their graduation or college...?
I just shake my head, feeling terrible. Until I feel a hand on my shoulder.
I look up and see a beautiful Akiha. She was wearing a light blue dress, with make-up, red lipstick and her hair tied in an elaborate braid.
“Nii-san, what's the matter.” Concern covered her eyes and I smile at her as best I could.
“Just thinking about all the people that could have been here...”
“It's no use thinking about them, Nii-san. They have been gone for months, that and their suffering is over now.”
Akiha runs her hand up from my shoulder to my cheek and smiles.
“It's graduation, please try to be happy. It's a once in a lifetime experience.”
I smile as she pulls her hand away from and me and goes back to the crowd of proud parents and classmates in front of the bleachers. I noticed that Ciel and Hisui was standing next to Akiha, wearing a dark blue and black dress, respectively. Hisui before had look quite homely, but now she look elegant and beautiful. Although her face was still quite stern, but it matched her outfit more this time.
Ciel's hair had grown out; it was now beyond her shoulders. Seeing her wear her glasses again was pretty odd, but it was a welcome sight, as when she wore them, there wasn't going to be a group of Undead or vampires walking around.
The ceremony was filled with the usual. Friends parting ways, plenty of crying. I wasn't too upset though. I and Arihiko was going to the same college, so it didn't matter, and besides him, my only friend was Ruro. Well, sort of.
Even after what happened, Ruro was still pretty quiet to me, we had a few conversations. One thing I remember distinctly was that Ruro wanted her broken leg to heal naturally.
Well, since she was a vampire it, it was only a matter of a few days before it fixed itself.
'I want to remember that this isn't a dream. That he is dead. That I no longer have to hide all the time or look over my shoulder to see if he wants his old Soeki back.' is what she told me.
She smiled more often, well, she actually smiled now. As oppose to before where she had a solid look of apathy.
'Hey, Ruro?'
'Yes?'
'Why did your hair turn red that night?'
'I'm half Kiru, half vampire. Such a mix breeds complex problems and reactions, let's keep it at that.'
She never gave me a full answer. But at least it was some sort of answer, it's not like I expected her to pour out with everything in her life.
The picture taking ceremony ended, Akiha was carrying my diploma in its cylindrical case. Me, Akiha, Ciel and Hisui all decided to walk the familiar path one last time. It was pretty quiet most of the time; I assumed everyone was reflecting on what had happened.
“So, where are you going Shiki?”
“A small college not too far out of town. I'm probably going to live in the dorms.”
“Yes, Nii-san chose to go to a decent school because of its seclusion. I disapproved but he refused anything else.”
“”I probably couldn't handle much else, Akiha.”
Akiha gave me a cold stare.
“I sincerely hope you visit the mansion on the weekends, Nii-san. Or I may be forced to visit your dorm if you leave me alone for too long.”
Her stare was threatening, she was quite serious. I can imagine Akiha showing up, barging into the men's dorms to see me and causing a ruckus.
“Don't worry. I'll come home.”
Her stare melted into a smile.
“Good.”
Ciel sighed.
“I have to go back to the Vatican for reassignment. I probably won't be here for a long time.”
I just stare at Ciel's sad face. That probably meant we'd never see her again, I feels bad again.
But Ciel perked up.
“You three should try to take care! You have a bright new life ahead of you!”
I couldn't help but smile; Ciel's attitude can do that sometimes.
We make our way to the gates and we stopped. The mansion had been damaged after we left it; the Undead had apparently sacked it in an attempt to find us. But now it was repaired, although some work was still being done on the second floor.
Ciel turned and smiled at us.
“Well, this is it.” She announced.
I nod at her. Akiha and Hisui just watch her.
I shake Ciel's hand, a firm handshake. If I could I would never let her go to keep her here. But that was unfair.
After we let go of each other’s hands. I see moisture in Ciel's eyes.
“I'm sorry, Shiki. For having kept things from you.”
“It's ok Ciel; I understand it was your job.”
Ciel look nervous and look at the ground.
“Ciel-senpai.” Akiha started up. “I regret having mistreated you before. Please accept my apology for my rude behavior.”
Akiha bowed deeply.
Ciel smiled. “It's alright, Akiha. But do me one favor.”
Akiha perked up. “Yes?”
Ciel opened her arms and grinned.
She wanted a hug. From Akiha.
Awkwardness fills the air, but Ciel's arms stay opened.
Akiha slowly took a few steps forward, her face a little flustered.
Ciel put her arms around her and hugged her. Akiha soon returned the affection.
“You take care of Shiki-kun now; he can be somewhat stupid at times.” Ciel tells Akiha softly. “He always needs someone to watch out for him.
“Don't talk bad about me when I'm right here!” I was annoyed.
Hisui puts her hand on my shoulders.
“Be quiet, Shiki-sama. She only speaks the truth.” Hisui says in a stern tone.
I sigh and slump my shoulders, defeated.
Their hug ends and Akiha smiles.
“Don't worry; my stupid Nii-san is in good hands.” She says with a confident smile.
Hisui let go of my shoulder and walked forward, sticking her hand out to Ciel.
Ciel look confused for a moment then shook her hand.
“Thank you, Ciel-san. Your support was invaluable, I will never forget it.”
Ciel smiles. “I appreciate it.”
Eventually, we all just stood there. Ciel coughed and turned around.
“I'll see you all later.” She said in a sad tone.
“See you later, Ciel.” I say.
“Senpai, stay safe in your journey.” Akiha says after me.
“Ciel-san, take care.” Hisui says as she bows.
And with that, Ciel walked down the path... I had a feeling I would see her again, but no idea when.
As we entered the mansion, we make our way to the sitting room. Where there was an unexpected visitor.
Ruro, wearing her school uniform, was sitting in a chair. And her gaze met us as she entered the room.
“You broke into our home?!” Akiha immediately shouts out.
Ruro stands up.
“I did not have much of a choice. Luckily, the window in a bedroom was opened.”
Probably my window...
“But, Akiha, I will not trouble you with any bad news today. I am simply here to tell Shiki that I am leaving the city.”
“That is bad news, Ruro.”
“Then I apologize.”
Ruro's hair was its normal brown again and had been ever since the day after Imaeki was killed.
Ruro walked out to the lobby to leave, when I spoke up.
“Where are you going?”
“Far away, don't worry; it's inevitable we meet again.”
With that, she opened the door and walked out, but I managed to speak up before it was too late.
“Will your daughter be ok?”
“… She’ll be fine,” She quietly replied, “Maybe you’ll meet her one day.”
I couldn’t see it but I was certain she was smiling.
And with that, she closed the door and disappeared from my life, the strange girl was gone now.
A few months later
After everything had ended back home, I had began to move into my dorm. Akiha was sad that I left, but we'd still see each other when I came home on the weekends.
I finished setting the last of my bags into the bare room when I saw a letter tacked onto the wall. It had my name on it...
I feels extremely uneasy all of a sudden as I pulled it down and opened it.
A small, vanilla folded paper was inside. I unfolded it and began reading.
'You cannot live a normal life, Nanaya Shiki, and for trying to do so. The penalty is death, but we will start with someone close first.'
No, what the hell is this?
Wait... Close?
Akiha!
I sprinted out of the room.
'They're after Akiha! I have to try to warn her!'
As I pulled my cell phone from my pocket, which I had acquired as a graduation present after Ruro had left, I dialed Akiha's number.
Skiing
Skiing
Skiing
Skiing
“Hello, you have-”
I hang up the phone in disgust.
She isn't answering...
As I nearly break the door down existing from school, I stop.
Three men dressed in outfits that I can only compare to Druid habits, with the hoods pulled up, stood before me.
“Nanaya Shiki, you are not of this world.” One says.
“So you must not live in it.” Another says.
The three readied their short swords, which had been pulled from under their garbs.
I didn't have my knife, but that didn't matter now...
“If you believe you can kill me, go ahead.” I smirk. I was confident, especially now.
'Let them try.'
The three men soon began their run forward, as I dropped down into a comfortable stance.
I had to get back and find Akiha...
I couldn't let them hurt her, I promised to protect her.
I promised it on my life...

The End... To be continued.