Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Hime.

Beta'd by: RevalisPyross

This chapter is a bit longer than the last five, so it took longer to rewrite. Thank you for waiting.

Natsuki blinked, "… Shizuru?"

"Of course," Shizuru replied without missing a beat, a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Why? Were you hoping for someone else?" She jested.

'Someone else'? What? Natsuki brushed the comment aside, "What are you doing here? It's safer for you to wait downstairs, out of sight," She replied while standing. How did she get up here without any of us noticing?

The brunette pouted, "After all the time I spent looking for you, you're going to send me back? Natsuki ikezu."

Natsuki blinked to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Is… Shizuru pouting? She stared, caught completely off-guard by the expression.

Baxter cut in with a big grin on her face, "Hey, it's that one chick from a couple days ago! Remember us?"

"Yes, I do, and I must thank you both; you were a huge help," Shizuru smiled at the pair.

"Nah, it was nothin'," Alexis waved it off. "If you ever need help with anything, just give us a call. And I do mean 'anything'," She added with a provocative Cheshire smile.

"Ara, anything you say? Well then, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Shizuru replied with small wink.

Wait a second, Natsuki frowned, her expression bordering on a glare. Are those two flirting? An uncomfortable spark of jealousy flickered inside Natsuki, an emotion completely foreign to the Second Column. Quickly deciding that she didn't like this feeling, she opened her mouth to tell Baxter off when something caught her attention: Hold on, I thought Shizuru was scared of demons. But now she's flirting with Baxter like they're long-time pals? Natsuki's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Hey Shizuru, could you come over here for a second?"

"Hm?" 'Shizuru' walked over, "What is it, Natsuki?"

Kuga scrutinized the brunette's face before finally meeting the other's eyes, "Who are you?" Her voice was low, demanding an answer.

Shizuru frowned, bewildered, "Natsuki? What's wrong?"

"I asked you a question: Who. Are. You?" Natsuki hissed, her green eyes starting to glimmer.

"What do you mean?" the other asked, "I'm Shizu—"

"Don't you DARE say her name!" Natsuki snarled, slamming the brunette into the nearby wall with a painful yelp before pinning her. She grasped the taller woman's wrists with her free hand and held them tightly against the wall. Her eyes shimmered brilliantly, reflecting her anger as her fully extended ears caught every sound in the room; she ignored her friend's alarmed calls, instead focusing on the imposter in front of her, "Shizuru is frightened of demons, and yet you expect me to believe that you're her when you're flirting with them?"

Her grip tightened as she continued, "Now I'm only going to ask you this one more time: Who are you and what have you done to Shizuru?"

At first, nothing happened and everyone stood in silence to see what would happen next. Then, suddenly, a low, degrading chuckle passed by 'Shizuru's' lips and she smirked, flashing Natsuki with a pair of pearly-white fangs and gleaming red eyes, "Ara, ara~ So you aren't as stupid as you appear."

Natsuki gazed at the face she'd come to adore looking at- gazed at how demonic it had become. Her rage bowled over as her aura became visible, "What have you done to her body!" She yelled, pounding one of her fists into the wall near the imposter's head. The brunette didn't even bat an eye.

Instead that irritating smirk grew ever so slightly, a mocking gleam in her eye, "And what will you do if I don't tell you?" The natural purr in her words intertwined with Shizuru's accent to create a dangerous and knee-weakening combination.

Instantly, Natsuki brought one of her large pistols to the other's neck, her fury clouding her judgment.

"K-Kuga! Look at who you're pointing that gun at!" Nao's alarmed voice broke through the haze in Kuga's mind and the Second Column jerked her hand away. She looked down at her hand, staring at it as if it wasn't her own, Was I just about to shoot Shizuru?

The imposter's mood instantly dropped to openly expressed hatred, looking down at Natsuki as if she was insignificant, "I know not what Shizuru-sama sees in you. She wants to go back home and yet you subconsciously tie her down to this world with a leash built out of emotions she cannot let go." Those bright red eyes flashed dangerously, her gaze narrowing, "I will prove my worth and find a way to wake her up without anyone else's help. I will show Shizuru-sama that she need only to rely on herself and that she does not need you!"

With those final, passionate words, Natsuki was instantly flung into the opposite side of the living room by a powerful kick to the stomach. She let out a painful grunt as her back connected with the wall before bouncing off and falling onto the wooden floor. Her body shuddered and she tried to get up on wobbly limbs.

Meanwhile, Nao rushed over to help her charge up, Baxter was scrambling to get a weapon from out of her shadow, and Kane stepped forward to immediately confront the imposter.

The one controlling Shizuru's body watched as the werewolf moved into an offensive martial arts pose. She smiled, amused, "My, does the puppy wish to play?"

Kane's lip twitched into a sneer at her words, a deep growl rumbling as she glowered. She glanced to the side and watched as Nao steadied the heavily breathing woman to her feet, Kuga-sama… The werewolf felt deep shame course through her body; could she not even protect the Column she served, let alone work under her? Her golden eyes turned forward to meet the fanged demon's stare, I will not let it happen again!

"You will pay for what you have done!" She roared before charging forward. As she neared the taller woman, she brought her fist from her side to connect to with the brunette's mid-section, transforming only her arm into its werewolf form as she did so.

Her curled, massive paw only met with the wall. The brunette had jumped away just in time, moving to the side, and she prepared her own attack by squatting down. Kane quickly followed, however, and changed her leg into its werewolf form, the strap on her geta breaking when she slammed her foot down into the floor in a drop-kick.

Thinking fast, the fanged demon preformed a backwards handspring. As soon as she was upright again, she immediately rushed forward at an inhuman speed, roundhouse kicking the unsuspecting werewolf.

Kane fell onto the floor, temporarily dazed, She's fast! I didn't even see her move! The warrior had never faced an opponent this swift before, nor had she ever read of a demon being able to reach speeds that quick in such a short amount of time. What is she?

Her sixth sense picked up on an incoming stomp and she rolled out of the way, quickly transforming fully into her animal form. She stood up on all fours, her clothes falling to the ground to reveal rich, obsidian-colored fur covering her wolf body.

Kane snarled, racing forward and body slamming the other woman, sending them both down. Before she could do any more, she felt an intense pain cut across her eyes and yipped, morphing into her humanoid form to cover the wounds. "God!" She yelled in pain, realizing she was slashed across her eyes when she felt the claw marks start to bleed.

Bang.

Shizuru's body stumbled back, her claws retracting back to normal as she looked at the bullet hole where her head was just moments ago. She looked up to find a shotgun barrel pointed right at her.

"Dammit!" Baxter swore, cocking her gun, "That's one more place I gotta patch up!" She was getting increasingly annoyed at all the holes appearing around her living room. That and she didn't enjoy her flatmate's eyes being scratched at.

"Don't shoot! Shizuru's still in there somewhere!" Natsuki's voice echoed through the apartment, drawing all the attention to her. Well, not all the attention:

The imposter took this opportunity to swiftly make a run for the window. She summoned her large bat-wings and wrapped them about her to form a protective cover as she smashed through the window panel. Unfurling them as she fell, the brunette winced when the wind caught her membrane, suspending her in high in the air. She quickly flew forward, ignoring the growing pain in her shoulder blades while scanning the area for a safe place to hide and think things over.

Back in the apartment, Natsuki watched in horror as the woman she had come to care for flew away. "Wings… She has wings now." I was suppose to get her back to the human realm so she could live a normal life. Her fist started to tremble at her side before she slammed it down onto the window frame, But she has wings now! She was suppose to live a happy life and forget all this but that thing changed her into a demon!

The building started to shake as the Second Column's growing anger mounted. "Hey, Kuga!" The imp spoke up, "Taking the whole neighborhood down won't get your girl back!" Nao yelled over the rumbling, starting to feel like a broken record. She was starting to get annoyed at Natsuki's fluctuating temper, I don't get paid enough for this shit.

Natsuki was brought back to the present and the shaking stopped, "You're right. We have to get to Shizuru before that thing changes her anymore." She looked at her Helper, "Sorry, Nao."

"You damned right better be sorry." Nao scowled, "I save only about ten thousand people each time your temper flares up."

Natsuki nodded, "I'll be sure to keep my anger in check." Normally she had no problems keeping her emotions in line, but ever since Shizuru entered her life, all of that control seemed to go right down the drain. Why does that woman affect me so much? What happened to all that famed cool? Black locks fell over her shoulder as she lightly shook her head, Now's not the time to be thinking about that.

The elf turned to the redhead, taking up the air of a true Column member, "Follow Shizuru's body. Tell me if anything happens or if she stops to rest somewhere."

Yuuki nodded at her order and beat her wings rapidly to hover upward. She took off through the window in a red flash, speeding in the direction she saw the imposter go.

Natsuki turned to the pair, "Baxter, take care of Urufu and be ready for my call at any time." Without waiting for a reply, the Second Column ran out of the apartment and rushed down the stairs. Hopefully my bike is fast enough trail after those two…

Kokoro was panting from exertion. She'd been flying for twenty-five minutes straight without rest; each time she thought it was okay to land and take a breather, that imp would appear right behind her. I have to lose her. The spirit frantically searched the area, But where can I hide—Ah-ha! Kokoro almost beamed, recognizing the Council Building in the center of the Demonic Realm.

She turned, momentarily out of the redhead's sight, before wrapping her wings around her body and diving into an open, arched window. She all but crashed onto the marble floor, swiftly scrambling to hide behind one of the thick, stone pillars. She dismissed her wings and leaned her back against the column; she breathed heavily, her tail uncoiling from around her torso, lying limply around her lap. Her clothes clung to her form uncomfortably and she lifted her arm to wipe beads of sweat away from her eyes, Now, to find a way to wake Shizuru-sama.

An unfamiliar scent passed by her nose and she quickly ducked. Looking back, she found a small kunai stuck in the wall. She frowned, I never get a break, do I? The succubus rolled onto her feet, correctly anticipating a second throw, and turned to the direction it was thrown.

Red eyes flashed and the spirit scanned the darkened ceiling, "I know you're up there—" She stopped in mid-step when she momentarily lost track of the assassin's aroma. The next thing she knew, she was hissing in pain as her mid-back was slashed across with a knife.

After wincing, she instinctively kicked the figure behind her. Before the person could fly backwards, however, her long tail reached out and constricted around their neck, harshly slamming them down into the ground. Gone was Kokoro's blank gaze, replaced with anger and irritation as she stared down at the werefrog known as Akira.

Kokoro's eyes trailed along the girl's long tongue, seeing the small hunting knife at the end of its length. That crimson gaze moved back to meet defiant brown, "Not the smartest thing you've ever done, girl." The spirit lifted her foot and harshly pressed down on the were-demon's chest, "Now tell me where the documents are stored within this facility." She applied more pressure, making the ninja under her gasp for air, the girl unable to close her mouth for fear of biting off her own tongue.

Kokoro paused in her actions, smelling yet another person's scent. She frowned, realizing whom it was. Turning her attention back to the recovering ninja, she moved her tail from the girl's neck to wrap it around the ninja's calf, "You'll have to excuse me; something else has come up."

Her strong tail easily tossed the werefrog into the air, crashing the girl's body into the other's. They both fell to the floor in a bundled heap, and Kokoro was on them in a second. She stomped her foot down onto Akira's torso, listening as a few ribs cracked under the intense pressure. Okuzaki was knocked out cold while Nao was pinned under the werefrog's body.

Kokoro reached down and wrapped her hand around the imp's throat, making sure to pin the redhead's tail with her foot, making Nao defenseless, "Perhaps you can answer my question instead." She spoke in an even tone, but her expression was anything but amiable.

Nao sneered, clawing at the hand squeezing her neck, "Why the fuck should I tell you anything?" She spat.

"Because I will kill you if you do not," She replied calmly, secretly pleased by the brief flash of fear in Yuuki's eyes. She tightened her grip to back up her claim.

She saw a glint of metal in the corner of her eye, but before Kokoro could react, the pole-end of a weapon slammed painfully into her side, causing her grip to loosen. She instinctively jumped back a good ten feet and looked back to find a mysterious woman standing between herself and the imp.

Cautiously, Kokoro stood up, ignoring the throbs coming from her right side. She moved into a defensive stance, her instincts screaming at her to get out of there, This woman is strong. Kokoro could feel her legs tremble from the subconscious aura the newcomer was emanating.

She also looked possessed. Skin, hair, clothes- everything but her eyes were cloaked in an unnatural ebony color. The woman stood posed, ready to attack, controlled by some unknown force. Her eyes gleamed a bright yellow, trained on their mark, and her scythe was held in a firm grip that boasted practiced precision.

Her senses on high alert, Kokoro quickly rushed past the two and pivoted when she felt she was a safe distance away. Her guard up, the spirit glanced up to find the woman… still next to Nao?

The brunette was confused, but she didn't question it. If the obviously formidable woman didn't want to chase after her, all the better. She turned around once more and dashed deeper into the building, on high alert just in case the newcomer decided to change her mind.

Back towards the entrance, Nao was leaning up, supporting her upper body on one hand while the other gingerly rubbed her sore neck. She watched the stranger's back suspiciously, ready to flee at any moment; she was in no condition to put up a decent fight. "Who are you?" She finally asked.

The tall woman turned her head to glance over her shoulder. She glanced at the imp with shining yellow eyes. Instead of responding, the mysterious person looked forward and soundlessly walked away, walking right into a portal that suddenly appeared before her. The vortex closed as soon as the woman fully passed through. Bewildered, Nao continued to stare at the spot the other vanished, The hell?

She quickly snapped out of it, "I have to call Natsuki." She reached into one of her pockets and pushed one of the numbers she had on speed-dial.

"Haruka-chan," Yukino rushed up to the Demon Lord's seat, out of breath from running. "It's the human! She's—"

"I know," Haruka sat behind her desk cut, a deep frown on her face as purple eyes glared at the double doors further down. She turned to her wife, "Yukino, go onto the intercom and tell everyone they have one minute to evacuate the Council Building." She stood up from her chair, "Then I want you to seal this place in a barrier- nothing goes in and nothing comes out!"

A small gasped escaped past the werecat's lips, "But that means you'll be trapped inside!" Yukino's magic skills were highly revered, her binding and barrier spells even more renowned than her elemental capabilities. Haruka often used Yukino's spells to train and keep herself in top form.

The blonde nodded, "I know what she's after, and what she's capable of. If it comes down to it, I will take her down by force!" As if to drive the point home, Haruka summoned her weapon:

Reaching down into the floor, she pulled out an oversized morning star, its chain links unable to swing freely due to the spiked ball's massive heft. She laid the metal staff of her weapon across her desk, letting the ball rest on the ground with an audible thump. This was the Element she received from the Angelic Order upon receiving her title of Demon Lord.

Haruka turned to Yukino, "Do you really think I can't emancipate one human?" She smirked.

A wave of relief washed through Yukino. She gave the ogre a small smile, "It's 'exterminate,' Haruka-chan." The familiar, routine act of correcting her wife did wonders for her nerves.

A perplexed frown, "That's what I said." She shook her head, moving on, "Now isn't the time for word games. Get on the intercom and warn everyone. Then, escape through the back door and form a barrier around the Council Building once you're safely outside."

The werecat promptly picked up the phone at her own desk and pushed the intercom button: "This is Yukino Suzushiro with a message for everyone in the Council Building: please evacuate the vicinity. I repeat, please evacuate the vicinity. In a worse case scenario, the Demon Lord will have to unleash all her power; if you are trapped inside the building when this happens, you will not be spared. You have one minute to vacate the premises."

She placed the receiver down and transformed into her animal form. She placed the large, open spell book down her spine so it would stay with her as she ran. Her green eyes lifted to meet her wife's, "Stay safe." She was off, sprinting on all fours towards the doorway at the far end of the room.

"Hmph," Haruka scoffed. "'Stay safe'? What does she think I am, some second-class demon?" A smile formed on her face in spite of her words; there wasn't anything that could calm the Demon Lord once she had her mind set on something, but her wife could at least cool her down enough to think things through sensibly. And Haruka was going to need all of her senses for the upcoming fight; she was about to face off with a Demon E—

The double doors opened to reveal Shizuru standing in the doorway, "I was told there's an evacuation going on?" Kokoro asked with a pleasant smile.

Haruka narrowed her eyes to the figure making her way down the red carpet, "I'm sure you know why."

Kokoro's smile twitched into a smirk, "Oh, I have a pretty good inkling…" She approached the Demon Lord and sat on the wooden desk, enjoying the annoyed expression it produced, "As for you, I have no doubt that you know why I'm here." She held out her hand patiently, "So, if you would be so kind, please hand them over."

The horned demon's already short temper was being tested and she fought to keep her morning star on her desk, "I know exactly why you're here, Demon Eater!"

Kokoro's face lit up, "Ah! So you do know what I am. Good, good. Then you also know that I'm here to pick up any documentation you have about Demon Eaters." Then I can find a way to wake Shizuru-sama up and provide her with the information she needs to survive.

It was Haruka's turn to smirk, "We don't have much information about that topic. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

Kokoro's smile dropped, "Some information is better than none."

"None of which you're getting!"

Kokoro lunched forward without a warning, and Haruka was just barely able to move out of the way. "Give me those documents!" The spirit hissed, quickly getting off of the toppled chair.

"You'll have to kill me to get to those papers!" Haruka replied, moving into an offensive stance.

"Consider it done." Kokoro rushed forward, jumping up and getting ready to send her feet into the Demon Lord's gut, only to find a metal staff blocking her path. Haruka rebound the succubus back a good thirty feet.

Luckily, a succubus' legs acted like springs, absorbing the shock of any harsh landings, or channeling it back out of their legs to use; that was the trick behind Kokoro's powerful kicks. The spirit used the shock of her landing to kick-start her next dash, running twice as fast as before.

Suzushiro tensed when she momentarily lost sight of the Demon Eater, looking around the room for her enemy. A few seconds into her search, she felt something wrap around her leg, and before she could react, she was tripped up and flung into her chair and desk, her morning star crashing into Yukino's workplace.

Kokoro was crouched on all fours, her tail swishing pleasantly above her as she waited for her opponent to surface from the debris. "Hmhm~ Had enough? This can all end if you just give me those papers," She purred, her bright red eyes glimmering in delight.

A low chuckle resonated from the pile of rubble, cutting Kokoro's gloating short. Red eyes watched as a single hand pushed through the thick, heavy wreckage, lifting it as if it was a stack of papers. Kokoro took a few cautious steps back, looking on as Haruka simply stood up and tossed the wooden boards and planks aside. The blonde brushed herself off while fetching her morning star.

The ogre turned back to the succubus, "Did you really think a weak toss like that could harm the Demon Lord?" She smirked at Kokoro's sour expression, revealing her bone-crushingly powerful canines, "I guess this fright will be easier than I thought it would be."

"No one's fighting anyone," A new voice cut it, and was quickly followed by the room shaking violently. A cracking noise caught the attention of all and Haruka could barely utter out a surprised 'Huh?' before the ceiling above her head came crashing down, entombing her under thick slabs of marble and concrete. The shaking stopped.

Kokoro blinked at the sight, "Hm. Well that's convenient."

"Hey, you! Thing in Shizuru's body!"

The spirit turned to find both Natsuki and Nao standing inside the room, "Yes?" She drawled dangerously.

"I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work," Natsuki started. "You might not believe me when I say this, but you're the reason she won't wake up!"

"What?" The succubus hissed and her eyes started to shine brightly in response to her anger, her tail snapping from side to side. "Oh, I see what this is:" Kokoro spat, "Now that Shizuru-sama's a demon, she's no longer your responsibility. Therefore, you want to eliminate her before she starts acting like a true Demon Eater!" She switched into an attacking stance, "Well I won't let you!"

Natsuki glared, "What the hell are you talking about? I care for Shizuru!" The thought that this… thing doubted that infuriated the elf like nothing else.

"Cared enough to cast aside her feelings and focus on yourself!" Kokoro retorted, rushing forward. Natsuki and Nao sidestepped, and Kokoro skidded to a halt, getting ready for a second charge.

"What're you talking about? I've been trying to get her home this whole time!" Natsuki yelled back. How was that selfish?

"You're so focused on getting her home that you're blinded to how she truly feels! Do you even know why she was upset last night?"

Natsuki frowned, confused. "Last night? What about last night?"

The intense anger slowly melted away and in its place came sorrow, "You really don't understand?" There was a heavy pause before Kokoro shook her head, "When Shizuru-sama wakes up, I will find someone worthy of her, someone that will return her feelings and will accept her for the demon she has become!" She met Natsuki's gaze evenly, "You are in the way."

"But Shizuru won't wake up if you don't dive back into her subconscious," Natsuki replied. How she wanted to challenge Kokoro's other claims! She couldn't, however. Not now. She knew that if she didn't get through to Kokoro right now, Haruka would probably put a bounty on Shizuru and Kokoro wouldn't be any closer to waking up her charge.

The spirit raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, "Oh?"

"Yes, Suzushiro told us the gist of it outside." Yukino Suzushiro. "She said that you're pushing her consciousness deep into her mind without even realizing it. That since you're two whole levels higher on the food chain, that your aura is naturally overpowering her; Shizuru- no, any human wouldn't be able to deal with something like that."

Kokoro looked struck, "That's…" Me? I'm keeping her like this…? She glared, "Lies! My whole existence is to serve under her and make her happy! I would never push her into the back of her mind!"

"I know you wouldn't," Natsuki held her hands up to pacify the other and show that she didn't mean any offence. "I know you wouldn't purposefully do it, but it's on a subconscious level. The fact that you're here, consciously talking to us, means that you're keeping Shizuru trapped in a comatose state without even trying."

The spirit was silent, mulling over Natsuki's words. She thought back to when Shizuru first didn't respond, right when she took control of Fujino's body. Everything clicked. Her words. They ring true, don't they? An ironic smile appeared on her face, All I wanted to do was to help you, Shizuru-sama, but it seems that I can only do that at the cost of your very existence. The smile fell, I just wanted to live up to the name you so kindly granted me, but it looks like this is one part of your 'heart' you should be without.

Steeling herself, the spirit lifted her gaze to meet Natsuki's. She wouldn't let anyone see her weakness. "Do you have a mirror I can borrow?" I will give you back what I have taken; I can only hope that you will forgive me.

Kuga turned to Nao who begrudgingly handed her hand-size make-up mirror to Kokoro.

The succubus flipped it open and looked right into her own red eyes. She focused on them intensely before starting the hypnosis process. She was going to put herself to sleep, deep in the recesses of Shizuru's mind, only to surface when called upon. The spirit watched a second ring form around her pupils, moving along with the first iris in an entrancing pattern.

I'm so sorry… Kokoro felt her knees getting weak, becoming tired. Shizuru-sama…

Shizuru's body lurched forward, the mirror clattering on the floor. "Shizuru!" Natsuki lunged forward, skidding on her knees and catching the brunette's body before it hit the ground.

Soft groans soon followed until, eventually, Shizuru's eyes fluttered open, "Natsuki?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki smiled before hugging Shizuru close, "You're back!"

"Natsuki," A small, weak smile formed on Shizuru's face. Her whole body ached, and she couldn't remember the last two hours, but being in Natsuki's arms made her feel safe. She nuzzled her nose into Kuga's neck, enjoying the wonderful scent she produced. "Mmm..." So nice, Fujino smiled blissfully as she pulled herself closer to Natsuki's body. I could stay like this forever.

Shizuru soon purred contently, biting back the urge to lick that nice, inviting throat. She lightly pressed her ear to Natsuki's collar, indulging in the sounds of the current that flowed just beneath the surface. Natsuki, you smell wonderful.

Her canines suddenly started to hurt and she flinched a little as they throbbed. Shizuru opened her mouth, eye closed and brows furrowed in pain, now desperate to sink her teeth into something to make them stop hurting. Fangs extended, she started to make her way towards the most irresistible aroma she had ever experienced: Natsuki…

"… -zuru?"

Shizuru jerked, now fully aware of her surroundings. What? She was frozen in place. What was I…?

"Shizuru? I asked you a question," Natsuki's voice came from above. "Did you not hear me?"

"Ah, no. Sorry…" Hesitantly, Shizuru drew back from Natsuki, closing her mouth as she did so. "I didn't hear you." She finished distractedly. What was I about to do? She then noticed Natsuki giving her a look and flashed an apologetic smiled, "Could you repeat?"

"You were moving around quite a bit and I wondered if I was holding too tightly. I asked if you were alright," Natsuki replied, still scrutinizing Shizuru with her gaze.

Suddenly feeling exposed under that green stare, she made to give the most convincing smile she could to hide her discomfort, "Yes, I'm quite alright." She looked to where she was sitting on Natsuki's lap, "But if it's not too much trouble, I would like to get up."

"What?" Natsuki glanced down to find her hands had subconsciously linked around Shizuru's waist, keeping the brunette on her lap. "Er!" Her cheeks flared up and she quickly removed her hands from Shizuru's midsection, helping the succubus stand up.

Shizuru inwardly cooed at the sight of a bashful Natsuki and gave in to the urge to lightly kiss one of those pink cheeks, "Ookini." She pulled back just in time to watch the color deepen into a rich red. So cute! The last foot of her tail swished back and forth delightfully, reflecting her mood.

"RAH!" Both Natsuki and Shizuru jumped at the thunderous roar. They watched as the nearby pile of concrete slowly lifted upward. Underneath it was Haruka, holding it all high above her head with both hands. Aura radiated from her body in intense waves and her bottom jaw protruded outward to reveal ogre tusks. "KUGA — A!" Her bellow shook the building for a second time.

She was pissed.

"Wait, Suzushiro!" Natsuki preemptively slid her arm into her trench coat, gripping the handle of her gun firmly in her hand. "Shizuru's back in control of her body. She's not a threat anymore."

"Doesn't matter!" Haruka threw the marble slabs aside and picked up her oversized morning star. "Her existence is a danger to demon kind everywhere and she needs to be despised of immediately!"

"'Disposed of,' Haruka-chan!" A tiny voice came from the entrance of the room. They all turned around to see a panting Yukino leaning against the open doorway.

"Yukino!" Haruka exclaimed, "Didn't I tell you to wait outsi—"

Natsuki yelled over before Haruka could finish, "Suzushiro!" She watched as they both looked over and quickly clarified, "Yukino-san, could you tell me what's going on? What did you mean when you said 'Demon Eater'?"

Shizuru stiffened beside her.

Under Natsuki's scrutinizing stare, Yukino shifted uncomfortably. Her green eyes darted to Shizuru's form for a second before looking back to the Second Column, "A Demon Eater eats demons."

"No, really?" Nao cut in, her voice dripping in sarcasm. She rolled her eyes, "How about explaining what we don't already know."

"That's just it," Yukino adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit. "We barely know anything about them. We only learned about them recently because we were warned by the Holy Lord herself."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow, "God?"

The werecat nodded, "She told us to be wary of a new entity. A 'Turned Devil,' she described." Her tail swung back and forth in her unease and she sighed, "You know the Holy Lord can't give Haruka-chan more than short, riddled prophecies of the future, so we started an investigation of our own and found out about 'Demon Eaters.' They were only supposed to be a rumor, a creature of legend; the thought of a human turning into a being that ate demons was preposterous… until Fujino-san arrived.

"The idea of a human making it into the Demonic Realm is virtually unheard of- maybe once every three-hundred years. Even then, they're usually killed within the first few minutes. Fujino-san wasn't.

"You arrived her with her, Kuga-sama, asking to take her home. We agreed, but we were worried about what might happen, so we asked Akira-kun to follow you and eliminate Fujino-san if anything strange happened."

"'Eliminate'?" Natsuki eyes narrowed and Yukino quivered under the glare. "So that's why Okuzaki was there last night."

Yukino fought against the urge to transform and run to safety, even as Kuga's aura continued to grow stronger. She might have been a highly skilled magician, but she was still no match for the Second Column, an elf who naturally wields the elements. "P-please, Kuga-sama! You must understand! W-we were just—"

"It's for the safety of my people!" Haruka cut in, meeting Natsuki's glower with one of her own. "I will annihilate any enemy who poses a threat to this realm! Angel, Demon Eater- anything!"

"But she's not a threat anymore! Shizuru is in control of her own body now!"

"But for how long?" Upon seeing Natsuki's confused look, Yukino continued somberly, "We hardly know about 'Demon Eaters,' but we do know this: Much like a demon who has more power than they can handle, they go mad. Mad with an insatiable hunger that cannot be satisfied.

"She is Demon Eater, one step above the food chain from the rest of us. She's built to attack and eat us the way we're built to attack and eat humans. Once that hunger is triggered, everyone in this realm would become an edible target."

"Which is why we must get rid of her now!" Haruka ended, moving her morning star to rest on her shoulder.

Natsuki… A shivering hand moved up to gingerly feel her retracted fangs. Images of just moments ago flashed through Shizuru's mind and she barely repressed a shudder. Was I really going to… to Natsuki? Was her mere presence putting Natsuki in danger? I don't want to hurt anyone.

Didn't she already kill those two teenagers?

"Then we deal with this that way we deal with demons who can't control their power," Natsuki replied evenly.

Yukino blinked, "What?"

"It's simple: we just get Shizuru a Seal."

Yukino frowned, "We have no Seals that would be strong enough to contain a Demon Eater's aura."

"Then we go to Heaven and get one crafted," Natsuki shrugged. "No big deal."

Yukino and Haruka looked to one another. They turned back after a bit and Haruka spoke up, "She would still be eating demons."

"We'll put her on a strict 'no-demons' diet." Natsuki smirked, knowing she was winning the argument.

Haruka frowned, "Where will she stay?"

"My house, of course." Natsuki flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned, "She'll have Nao's bed."

"What!" Nao glared at her charge, "Like hell she is!"

There was a long period of silence where Natsuki and Haruka just stared at each other. Finally, Haruka sighed, closing her eyes in defeat, "Fine, she may live with you." She opened her eyes, "But if anything goes wrong, I'm holding you both respectable."

"'Responsible,' Haruka-chan," Yukino smiled.

Natsuki nodded, "I understand."

A feeling of relief flushed through the elf and she smiled. Before she could celebrate, however, another spoke up: "Natsuki?"

The biker turned at Shizuru's voice, expecting to see a bright smile on the succubus's face, but was only met with an anxious frown. "What's wrong?" She asked, confused.

"What if something does go wrong?" The brunette started, fear swirling in her dark red eyes. "What if I attack you? The last thing I want to do is put you in danger and if I don't have control then I might—"

"Shizuru."

Shizuru stopped. "… Yes?"

Natsuki gave her the warmest of smiles, "It'll be fine." She continued, "We'll go to Heaven and get you a Seal. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong, trust me."

Shizuru's eyes widened, "Natsuki…" The warmth from Natsuki's smile spread through her body, enveloping her in a soothing embrace.

"Yukino and I will come too," Haruka added. "I got a request from God to talk about something. Might as well get it over with today." She started to make for the front door, "Make your way over to the Terminal, we'll meet you over there in a bit." Yukino fell into step behind her.

Natsuki turned back to Shizuru, grinning, "Shall we?" She held out her hand.

A small smile formed on Shizuru's face, feeling as if a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders. She made to reach out for Natsuki's hand, when a loud cry jolted her.

"Booya!"

Everyone turned to the front of the room to see Baxter and Kane burst through the door. The shadow demon held up her gun while Kane crouched down on all fours, in animal form, ready to attack.

"Where's that bitch? I've got one serving of kick-ass ready to go!" Alexis cocked her shotgun and glanced around the room with a confident smirk.

"Uh, you're a bit late," Nao replied as she took out a nail file. She started to work on her nails, "Everything's already resolved."

Haruka face-palmed, shaking her head, "Baxter…"

"… Oh." A heavy silence followed and Alexis slowly placed her shotgun back into her shadow. "Um," a cough, "well… This is awkward."

She fidgeted uncomfortably before turning to Shizuru, "You're not a bitch, by the way…" An awkward smile, "Just… putting that out there…"

To Be Continued.

Sorry, no Demonology entry this time. You guys got seven more pages (on Word) than usual so I thought you could do without. =P And for the mysterious woman that protected Nao, if you had trouble envisioning what she looked like, just imagine Mikoto's berserker mode from Hime, but covering the whole body.

Note: Kokoro is not 'gone.' She's merely dormant, so she's still there. If Kokoro were to disappear, Shizuru would basically lose her ambition (the feeling Kokoro represents), thus becoming very un-Shizuru.

Fun Fact: Alexis pronounces Kane's name "Cane" (like a walking "cane") while everyone else pronounces it "Ka-ne," like it's suppose to be pronounced. The way the Japanese pronounce her name it sounds like the Italian way to say dog. "Urufu" is also the Engrish way to say 'wolf' in Japanese. Kane Urufu. =)

If you like what you've read, or see something I can improve on, please leave a review with any questions or comments you might have. ^^