A/N: Ok so it isn't another chapter of Bite Me Sensei but I just wanted to post something to let people know I'm still in fact, alive despite the fact that this story isn't exactly very popular but oh well! Chapter 12 of BMS is nearly finished though so smiley faces all around!
Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HiME, all characters belong to Sunrise... but these characters own me and my very existence.
Chapter 2- Forever Angel
Present Day
Natsuki… I see you.
"Shizuru… don't leave me again" whimpered the sleeping dark haired Demon as she tossed and turned in her sleep as she had done all night. Her head was full of such vivid images, bright orange flames completely overwhelming a house, a tall dark haired man and a pair of bright crimson coloured eyes. Before she knew it the flames were consuming the woman with the brightly coloured eyes right in front of her as Natsuki crouched beside the dying woman powerless to do anything about it and as Natsuki glanced up, she saw the knife in the man's hand. It was stained with blood and drop by drop, the blood fell to the floor and the man was gone in a flash of light.
Natsuki… My Natsuki… Natsuki cried as the woman breathed her last breath in her arms- it was just so vivid that she could even feel the pressure on her arm from where the woman had been.
Reality, however, put her in a slightly different position as Natsuki soon was woken by the loud slap of someone's hand against her face.
"Natsuki, wake up you idiot and turn your fucking alarm off too. Some of us don't need to be up yet." Natsuki turned to her left and was stunned (and surprised) to find Nao in the bed next to her.
"Nao, what the Hell are you doing here?" Natsuki pulled the covers up to cover herself up- thankfully she was still dressed and it looked like Nao was exactly the same. Natsuki reached over to the buzzing alarm clock but couldn't find the off button and so ripped out the clock and hurled it at the wall- smashing it into a hundred pieces. "We didn't, you know, do anything did we?" the dark haired Demon said as she propped herself up on her elbows as she looked at the amused younger woman.
"You know I should be insulted that you don't remember ravishing me last night. Hmm… relax buttercup nothing happened… we got too drunk last night and I crashed here."
"You couldn't teleport back to your own room?" Natsuki kicked the covers off of her body and gently eased her way out of the bed. Her head was throbbing and by the way she slept she felt the pain of cramp in her leg and massaged her calf until the pain subsided. Nao on the other hand rolled over so she was now in the middle of the bed.
"Remember the last time I tried teleporting when drunk? I'm still banned from the UK in case you've forgotten." Nao snickered as she tried to get cosy.
Natsuki hummed in agreement and chuckled at the memory. That night, a few years ago, Nao had gone on one of her most infamous benders and tried to teleport to her own room when suddenly she grew curious as to what the Queen of England's bedroom looked like- only to end up there by mistake. She also ended up with a very expensive souvenir which Natsuki had to return which lost her many brownie points with the younger redhead.
"Alright well I've got to go to work so stay here as long as you like but be gone by the time I get my lunch break." Natsuki pulled out a tank top and her blue overalls from the cupboard.
"Sure sure… oh and you were sleep talking again."
Natsuki pulled up the trouser part of her overalls and tied the arms around her waist "Really? What did I say?" she said as she ran her fingers through her jet-black hair and pulled it into a messy ponytail "And what do you mean 'again'?"
"You said something about someone called Shizuru. I guess you were having quite a bad dream so I resorted to hurting you to wake you up- well actually you woke me up so I hit you. And sometimes I get bored so I mess with your stuff whilst you sleep. You talk a lot about Shizuru- whoever the hell that is."
"I don't know any Shizuru's… I think" Natsuki shook her head as she grabbed her phone and put it in her pocket. "I never remember any of my dreams either. Keys are on the table- lock up when you leave and don't think for a second that I'm letting you off messing with my stuff, I'll kick your ass later on!" Natsuki slammed the door behind her and ran to work- fortunately it wasn't too far to go but she always needed the morning jog to wake her up. In the last five or so years Natsuki had found work at the local garage run by humans and even though her father wasn't necessarily pleased that she was working with the humans- she managed to convince him otherwise.
However Sergey had pushed her to allow him to create a new portal near her new apartment so if she was needed for more patrols she was nearby.
Shizuru, who are you and why do I never remember you? Should I talk to Father about it? No…He's got enough on his plate.
Natsuki ran around the last corner and slowed down to a walking pace as she walked through the entrance to the garage.
"Alyssa? You in?" Natsuki knocked on the wooden office door at the back of the building and heard a high pitched voice tell her to come in. The tall blonde woman was standing behind her desk and was rifling through bits of paper work. Natsuki quirked a brow in curiosity as she studied her boss- she didn't often see Alyssa this flustered.
"Hi Natsuki. I have a lot on so this will be short so don't bother sitting down- I'll only be kicking you out in a minute." Natsuki shut the door behind her and leaned her back against it- noting that her boss indeed looked troubled. Trouble at this time in the morning? Not needed at all!
"What is it?"
"That apprentice Kazuki, he was killed last night and his body was found this morning. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it would you? Was it… Demons? Was he on some Demonic hitlist or something?" Alyssa hesitated before saying anything else- it was often hard to remember that technically Natsuki was a lot older than she was and her favourite employee wasn't necessarily human.
Natsuki frowned as she took in the news "It isn't unusual for humans to get caught in the crossfire Alyssa. It could have been one of ours or theirs who killed him. The killer might have been a human." Although I doubt it Natsuki thought as she tried to keep her voice levelled and calm which was proving difficult to do. She never liked it when Alyssa insinuated that the main perpetrators of the crimes in Japan were Demons and only Demons.
"Besides... Demonic hit men? You watch way too much TV."
"I suppose you're right- Charmed had a marathon a few nights ago. As a head's up, you might want to get a move on; Miyu will be arriving any second." Alyssa threw the documents back on to the table and took a seat so she didn't see Natsuki shaking her head.
"No. If she has any information, I'll need to hear it, especially if it did involve my kind." Natsuki's green eyes watched as Alyssa just shrugged and a bright light filled the room and in a couple of seconds the guardian Angel of the Searrs family emerged.
"Alyssa-oujo-sama… Natsuki-san." The pale-blue haired Angel bowed low to her master and gave a curt nod to the Demon who reciprocated. "I come with information. One of our most senior guardian Angels went unaccounted for yesterday. Mashiro-sama saw into her mind when she arrived and confirmed that your human was killed by her. Apparently the Angel was acting out of vengeance against the human for ending the relationship between him and her charge... who later took her own life. When the charge dies, so the Angel assigned to them dies too- I suppose she didn't have much to lose by killing your man seeing as she would die anyway."
"Kazuki said that he caught her cheating on him and they split up. I don't suppose he knew that she was going to go so far as to commit suicide. "
Natsuki hummed in agreement to Alyssa's comment- the young apprentice had been with his girlfriend since they were in middle school and it was common knowledge that he was planning to propose. That was until he caught her in bed with another man… a Demon to be precise. Natsuki thought it was a cowardly act... ironically enough Natsuki always believed in confronting her inner Demons and suicide was never an option in Natsuki's book. I suppose it's each to their own really the mechanic thought as she processed the information and she wondered how much her father knew about it.
"There are a lot of things I don't think he knew, I doubt he knew she was protected by a Guardian." Natsuki thought out loud, although Miyu nodded as she agreed.
"Natsuki-san, I take it this is the first you've heard of it?"
"Yeah. I haven't checked in with my Father for a couple of days now." The Demon princess didn't care much for Miyu who- although Miyu always treated Natsuki with the respect due to a future ruler- made her feel uneasy by her lack of emotion in everything she ever did "You've forgotten something pretty important though."
"Oh? And what is that?" Miyu asked as she turned to the Demon heiress.
"After the last bout of Demon killings ended 13 years ago tensions between our two worlds have been getting worse, and now it's not only our two kinds that are being killed but humans are being caught up in it. Who's to say that this won't tip the scales again? An Angel killed a human, but the lover of the human's partner was a Demon who is most likely going to want revenge too. The instigator of the last killings wasn't found but he went quiet and if things continue to escalate… I think he'll start up again." Natsuki folded her arms across her chest and saw that the Angel in front of her seemed to be considering her observations.
"I see your point and will raise it up with the Archangel Mashiro-sama and Council member Kanzaki."
"Reito Kanzaki? Why would you tell him?" Natsuki couldn't believe her ears. The name Kanzaki sent shivers down her spine and her fingers balled into fists at her side.
"Because he, like the Archangel and your Father, is one of the last remaining power-beings from the last Sacred Council. He should know about this." Miyu's voice was cold and emotionless as she refused to look at the pissed off Demon in front of her.
"That thing is also a murderer who killed my Mother." Natsuki hissed at the stoic Angel in front of her who didn't seem to bat an eyelid which only worsened Natsuki's mood.
"Did you not say earlier that humans got caught in the crossfire Natsuki-san? Saeko Kuga was not meant to be there that day but she was and she perished just like the other 325 Angels that were purged... including my own mother." Natsuki took a step further to the Angel, baring her sharp canine like teeth in an unspoken threat. Back in the days when Natsuki was mortal, all those centuries ago, Natsuki's village had harboured a traitorous high-ranking Angel and as the Head of the village- Saeko Kuga had granted the Angel residency. Saeko Kuga had been totally unaware of whom she was harbouring and when the Archangel Mashiro decreed the purge throughout her own race, Natsuki's mother was stabbed through her heart. After all those years, Natsuki had never forgotten the cruel, menacing face of the Angel who killed her mother right in front of her very eyes.
Alyssa noticed that things were getting a bit too intense for the time of day and so she decided to intervene. Truth be told she had never seen Natsuki when she transformed into her canine alter ego so she was a little hesitant to stop it- however she was acting threateningly towards her guardian Angel and so that was not cool at all.
"Alright, calm down the pair of you. It's too early in the day for this and I have a lot on. Natsuki, the press want to talk to us about Kazuki. He had no family here so we apparently we're like the next best thing… though I don't think your dad would like it much."
Natsuki took another step back and shook her head. "No, it'll be too great a risk. I should go anyway; something in here smells bad and I have to finish the Honda's MOT before the owner collects it later on. If you'll excuse me." Natsuki didn't even wait for confirmation to leave before she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.
"Akio, did you find the spark plugs for that Honda? The owner will be here in a few hours and I still need to change the oil and do some last minute mods." Natsuki called to the older man whilst she looked around her work-bench- flipping empty boxes around.
"Yeah, need any help?" The greying older man passed the box to his younger colleague. Technically he ran the garage whilst Alyssa wasn't there and he was one of the more experienced mechanics. Natsuki shook her head and scoffed at the offer.
"I think I can handle some spark plugs thanks." Natsuki sighed sadly as she thought about young Kazuki and she felt an all too human shiver run up her spine as she shuddered to think about what could possibly befall the world if her suspicions were right "Anyway it looks like we're going to be even more swamped with work now."
"Yeah… poor guy and he was so young too." Akio shook his head and sighed sadly "It's always the young ones that die too soon… you should be careful Natsuki."
Natsuki scoffed- she was probably the most dangerous thing in the human world and if anything, everyone else had to be careful "I'm always careful Akio- I'm a big girl and can take care of myself." Akio laughed and nodded his head- clearly the young girls toned abs and biceps weren't just for show… she could probably kick his ass as well!
"Yeah well… there's evil in this world Natsuki and whoever killed Kazuki will rot in Hell." Both Natsuki and Akio stopped smiling as they thought about their murdered colleague and Natsuki thought back to what Alyssa had told her.
An Angel… rotting in Hell? An Angel in Hell… Impossible.
"Ara, Tomoe… could you reschedule my meeting for 1 o'clock please? My car should be ready to be collected then and I'll be able to drive myself." The crimson eyed woman smiled as her young apprentice on the other end of the phone told her it would be done.
"Ookini Tomoe-chan, I shall see you at the office in less than two hours." And with that Shizuru ended the call and smiled as she noticed her driver had turned down the road of the shop where her car was and she could vaguely make out the sign of 'Searrs Automotives' on the right. A couple of minutes later the Mercedes came to a halt and after thanking the older driver, Shizuru bid him goodbye and entered the shop. She looked at her watch and frowned as she realised she was incredibly early which was probably going to be an inconvenience but she was going to be paying a lot anyway!
It was messy and incredibly loud as the music on the radio was blaring and drowning out the sound of mechanical drills. Shizuru looked around to see if there was anyone to hand and smiled as her eyes rested on a pair of legs sticking out from underneath her car. However before she was going to speak, Shizuru heard a barrage of curses and the sound of liquid pouring before a young woman with a slender frame emerged from under the car- completely drenched in oil.
"Shit shit shit… Akio? AKIO?" Natsuki groaned as she tried to wipe the oil off her face- however her hands were just as filthy and so her actions were just pointless and the more she wiped her face, the more her eyes began to sting. She had heard the sounds of footsteps rushing towards her and the scent of some sort of floral perfume that seemed to be masking another, a fresh and more aesthetically pleasing scent.
"Its okay, stop wiping your eyes, that'll only make it worse." The voice of soft, soothing and laced in the most beautiful and elegant Kyoto-ben that Natsuki had ever heard rang through Natsuki's ears and soon she felt someone taking her hand and guiding the young Demon to the back where there was a washbasin and a surprisingly clean cloth.
"Shit this really hurts. I'm sorry whoever you are… you're probably getting dirty." Natsuki tried to blink to help clear the gunk out of her eyes. It was painful but she could just about make out the outline of the woman that was gently washing her face- however she heard the small gasp from the woman and the sound of the cloth falling into the sink making a splash. "Are you alright?" Natsuki breathed in more of the woman's scent- it was becoming quite intoxicating.
Shizuru stood wide-eyed in shock as she looked into the deep emerald pools of the girl in front of her, she felt her heart skip a beat and her head became cloudy and bombarded with images of her viridian eyes. The same entrancing viridian eyes of the person she had been irrevocably in love with centuries ago. That person who after nearly four centuries had passed, Shizuru could only remember the smell, the name and the colour of her eyes. She has Natsuki's eyes… "Yes, yes I'm fine. How do you feel now?" Shizuru leaned in closer to the young mechanic to breathe in her smell but felt disappointed when all she could recognise was the smell of motor-oil.
"Um… fine I think… I think it's getting better. Thanks." Natsuki was definitely starting to see much clearer and was able to make out the stunning features of the woman's face- however the clearest feature was the colour of her eyes. They were the most incredible and mesmerising shade of crimson and just beautiful.
"Who are you?" Natsuki asked.
Shizuru chuckled as she forced herself to stop staring at the woman who greatly resembled her past love- forcing herself to remember that Natsuki Kuga had been killed in cold blood- presumably by Angels who feared the amount of power she could have released had she known of her own family tree. Natsuki Kuga was dead and this woman in front of her was definitely not her Natsuki "I'm the owner of the Honda… Shizuru Fujino." Shizuru held out a hand however frowned when the young girl scowled and promptly ignored the gesture completely.
"Shi… your name is Shizuru?" Natsuki asked- devious as to what game the universe was playing with her. Only this morning she had found out about some Shizuru that had appeared to her in dreams- was she really expected to believe that the woman in front of her held the same name? Was there such a thing as too big a coincidence?
"Yes it is. I have my driver's license if you wish to see it?"
"No. Aren't you a bit early anyway? You aren't expected for another twenty minutes- you'll probably be waiting thirty until I get this fixed. You might as well wait in the room in the back or settle things with the boss whilst I do this." Natsuki wiped her face once more with the towel next to the basin as Shizuru nodded and hummed in agreement.
"Yes I think I should. Well thank you anyway and… may I ask your name?" Shizuru smiled and tried not to laugh as the young dark haired girl eyed her suspiciously and seemed wary of her "Just in case I need to make any recommendations."
"Kruger. My name's Kruger." Natsuki said in her husky voice. For now something seemed slightly off about the woman- Shizuru- who just stood there smiling.
"Not even going to tell me your first name? Ara, what a shame." Shizuru exhaled an overly dramatic sigh and pouted.
However, not taking the bait, Natsuki shrugged her shoulders "What's the point? It's not exactly like I'm going to be seeing you again am I?" Natsuki turned her attention to the Honda- sighing when she looked at the mess the oil leak had caused- and remained oblivious to the sudden disappearance of the brunette's mask as Shizuru's eyes widened in shock at the young girl's brash and rude behaviour... especially when she had done nothing to deserve it!
"No, I don't suppose we will. Have a good day Kruger-san." Shizuru remarked as she turned around and knocked on the door before entering Alyssa's office- causing the blonde woman to look up from her paper work and smile. "Ah- Fujino-san, please come and sit down."
"Good afternoon Alyssa-san. How are you today?" Shizuru asked as she sat down on the chair in front of the small cluttered desk.
"Kinda wishing that tomorrow would come a little sooner if I'm honest- though I doubt it'll be any better than today."
Shizuru hummed in agreement- the violent murder of one of the apprentices at the garage was big news- and very dangerous news "I hope that boy's murderers are found soon. I can't imagine what his family are going through right now."
Alyssa nodded and scratched her head as she neatly shuffled some paperwork before glancing at the clock on the wall to her right "Yes well… You're unfortunately a little early; although I doubt Natsuki will take too long with your car so…"
Shizuru's eyes widened at the name "I'm sorry did you just call her Natsuki? The girl fixing my car is called Natsuki?" Alyssa frowned in confusion.
"Yeah… it is. Is there something wrong with that?" Alyssa asked, slightly amused and maybe still a bit confused.
"Nope, not at all, I was just a bit curious about her that's all. Has she been here very long?" Shizuru tried her best to look as uninterested as she possibly could in the young oil-soaked mechanic, however her curiosity was peaked. Those eyes… her name… Natsuki.
Meanwhile, Natsuki tucked a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she changed the last of the spark plugs and she couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy about the aura that she could feel. It was weak but undeniably that of an Angel's- but she deduced that Miyu must have remained close to Alyssa since she had left Alyssa's office in such a hurry earlier on. It was strong enough to feel slight discomfort, but weak enough to not feel threatened.
However, soon Natsuki's senses tingled once again as a very familiar smell moved through the air and she turned around to see Nao walking up to her.
"Nao? What are you doing here?"
"That's the second time you've asked me that today and again you're not going to like it."
"No? Why's that?"
"Your father's pissed. Like 'I'm going to blow up an entire village because fuck you' sorta pissed." Nao tapped her foot impatiently as she watched Natsuki process things.
"Alright, so what's happened?" She asked as she moved closer to her friend; whilst also keeping an eye out for Akio.
"Alright but first things first- Me, I'm the Messenger so don't go apeshit on me for just being the bearer of bad news. So, news has reached the 'Underworld' about what happened here last night and so Sergey sent a scouting party to investigate who killed Kenny-"
"Kazuki" Natsuki interrupted.
"Whatever, anyway, the long and the short of it is that they know it was an Angel. Although how they found that one out I don't know" Nao looked away as she rolled her eyes "They found the Demon who had the affair with the girlfriend, actually he pretty much gave himself up… and so Sergey sent me to find you. He has summoned you to him."
Natsuki watched as the younger girl- who still looked utterly bored as per usual- shifted slightly on her feet as she tried to avoid the Demon Princess' gaze "There's something else isn't there?"
"I know who it is... the Demon that is. It was Jun Hitsugaya."
"Jun? One of my captains?" Nao nodded nonchalantly whereas Natsuki sighed and ran her fingers through her ponytail as she looked at her boss' door "Alright- I'll tell Alyssa I have to go".
Nao hissed and wrinkled her face in displeasure "Will she ask questions?"
Natsuki shook her head "No, not if she knows what's good for her. She'll probably hear what'll happen from Miyu."
"What is going to happen?" Nao asked as she followed Natsuki to Alyssa's door.
"Nothing good that's for sure." Natsuki said with a shrug as she knocked on the door and heard Alyssa call her in. Natsuki opened the door timidly and stood in the doorway as she realised that the Honda's owner was still there and both women wore matching smiles; making Natsuki feel even more unnerved.
"Somebody's ears must have been burning… we were just talking about you." Alyssa joked as she leaned back in her swivel chair.
"Oh… wonderful and here's me thinking you had a lot of work to do." Natsuki crossed her arms across her chest. "Fujino-san… your car is ready. Alyssa, something came up and I have to go." Alyssa sighed but nodded – she knew better than to ask why all of a sudden Natsuki had to disappear… especially in front of a human!
"Thank you Natsuki-san for all your hard work with my car. It was a pleasure meeting you." Shizuru spoke softly as she elegantly left her chair and held out a hand to Natsuki who seemed to just look at the hand before looking back at the brunette who wore a smirk.
"How do you know my name?" Natsuki asked as she ignored the small huff coming from her red-haired friend who stood beside her and urged her to wrap this little 'social chit-chat' thing up. Shizuru chuckled slightly as she glanced at Alyssa who smirked as she leaned forward- resting her elbows on the desk. Natsuki frowned "Thought so. Anyway it wasn't a problem… it's what I get paid jackshit for." She smirked when she saw Alyssa's smile fade; out of politeness Natsuki took the outstretched hand and both women gasped and stared at each other, wide-eyed as a bolt of electricity coursed through their bodies at the sudden touch.
Oh wow that's lame- here's me thinking that thing only happened in movies Nao thought as she fought against her gag reflex after witnessing the weird handshake thing. Nao looked down at her arms and frowned as the little hairs stood on end, and she subtly sniffed the air and caught the very faint trace of an angel aura.
Quickly growing concerned, Nao barged into the little room and grabbed hold firmly of Natsuki's wrist as the older girl let go of the chestnut haired woman's hand- the same chestnut haired woman whose crimson eyes widened in shock as she saw a glimmer of orange flame in the redhead's eyes. A Demon? That red haired girl is a Demon?
Nao however failed to notice the strange and even more unsettling look from the woman as she quickly addressed the blonde and Natsuki "I'm really sorry to be a kill-joy and ruin such a touching moment, but Natsuki… we need to go… now." Natsuki said her apologies to both Nao and Alyssa before turning back to Shizuru- their eyes met for a split second and Shizuru wished that she had just grabbed the young mechanics hand and dragged her close out of harm's way. But what could I have done? Expose ourselves for what we really are and get killed? And get Nat… get that girl killed too? I don't even have my powers any longer… I can only hope that she knows how to take care of herself.
"I guess… take care... Fujino-san." Natsuki quickly bowed and left the room… dragging a snickering Nao along by the wrist.
Ooooh that was priceless. If only Chie was here to see that… Nao thought to herself as Natsuki dragged her out of the shop literally like a bat out of Hell! "So tell me… who was the chick with the weird eyes?" Nao asked as Natsuki released her death grip on her arm as the two walked through the portal back into Hell itself.
"No-one… a client." Natsuki tried to ignore the little currents shooting through her body and instead concentrate on ignoring the stares of every Demon the two women walked past. Despite her status, Natsuki knew that many in the Demon world resented the fact that Natsuki was not only just a created Demon, but one created and then adopted by the Demon Lord Sergey. Many wondered what had made her so special that it was her that was adopted and made the heir to their world when any one of them could have been instead.
"Yeah? And what was with the Angel aura? You must have felt it too."
"Course I did. It was weak though, Miyu was there earlier so it may have been residue of hers."
Nao scoffed as she quickly turned the topic of conversation back to that 'client' "I think she fancied you… no idea why she would but…" Nao laughed when she heard Natsuki growl from in front "Oh come on… you were in there. Seriously though, how long has it been since you got laid?"
"Nao!" Natsuki turned on her heel and growled the young redhead's name.
"That long huh?" Nao sniggered and continued to follow the Demon Princess down the long and winding maze of corridors. "Look if you want, I know a couple of people that would kill to go on a date with you. Just one date, a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' kinda thing and you'll never have to see them again. You just say the word." Natsuki sighed- this was getting old… older than her. I wish people would stop trying to set me up on dates… it's getting boring, seriously!
"No. And that's a no for future reference too. You're starting to sound like Mai… and Dad." Nao shivered and winced at the last word.
"Can't you at least humour me? Just one date? Most of them will have probably killed for less." Nao asked in a sing-song voice as she bumped her shoulder into her friend's.
"I'm only doing this to shut you up."
Nao scoffed "Ha, yeah sure, when Hell freezes over."
The closer the two got to the chambers of the Demon Lord, the more nervous the red haired Demon became and with good reason too. Natsuki took a deep breath before knocking on the large oak doors and winced as she heard her father's deep and booming voice grant access.
"If you want, you can stay outside." She asked as she turned to her best friend who despite the nerves, still scoffed at her friend before following the princess into the Dragon's den.
"You calling me a wimp Kruger?" Natsuki smiled wickedly at her friend before turning back and opening the heavy oak doors.
"Ah Natsuki darling, thank you for coming." Sergey beamed a smile at his daughter and walked around his desk and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders and pulled Natsuki into a warm embrace. Natsuki smiled softly and pulled away from her father "Nao told me it was something serious." Natsuki said as she turned to look at her friend who stayed as near to the door as she could without falling through it.
"Thank you Yuuki-san, you may leave us be." Sergey frowned slightly as he turned his attentions to the shirking figure of the young girl, however as she turned away, Sergey stopped her "Actually perhaps it is better if you were here after all Yuuki-san. Please… stay with us for a moment longer." Natsuki eyed her father up suspiciously as she wondered what sort of game he was playing by keeping Nao there and she frowned when she saw him wink at her as he walked back to his mahogany desk.
"As you wish Sir." Nao closed the door and entered the room once more- raising an eyebrow at Natsuki as if to ask 'Why am I staying?' to which Natsuki responded with a shrug and an apologetic smile.
"Do you know why you're here?" Sergey asked as he momentarily gazed up from his desk to gauge his daughter's emotions.
"Kind of. Nao explained that the perpetrator was an Angel, but it was a Demon who had the affair and ineffectively caused the suicide of the Angel's charge." Nao looked at her friend in confusion and mild disbelief- she hadn't known most of what Natsuki had told her father, so why had Natsuki just lied like that? What she didn't know was that Natsuki had to be careful not to mention the fact that it had been Miyu who had told her this information- fearful as she was of her father's wrath and cruel temper.
"Well since he gave himself up voluntarily, usually the punishment of death would have been overturned. However due to the consequences being as they were in which a human died... an innocent human bearing that in mind... well unfortunately my hands are tied." Sergey said with a cruel smile and a shimmering glint in his brown eyes- causing Natsuki to become suspicious.
"What's happened to him?" She asked as her green eyes narrowed at her father- however before he could answer, a low-pitched but piercing scream filled the room. Natsuki clenched her fists by her side "Jun? You're torturing him" she hissed in disbelief, Sergey sighed sadly "Natsuki… my dear Natsuki… I'm quite hurt that you would accuse me of doing something so barbaric… but yes. He's going to find it fairly difficult seducing anyone with no eyes, tongue or hands."
As soon as the words passed through Sergey's lips, a door to Natsuki's right opened up and a male Demon entered the room. His round torso was exposed and almost completely covered in blood, blood most likely from the poor creature Natsuki and Nao had heard screaming. Natsuki found the temptation to kill the disgusting creature in front of her for coming into the chamber coated with blood- blood coming from a man that she had known for going on 170 years- very difficult to resist.
"Begging your pardon Sir?"
Sergey smirked as he saw the colour drain away from Nao's face, however as he turned to face the panting, sweaty and fairly overweight man in the doorway, his face became much darker and much more serious "Speak."
"We have finished with the torture, is there anything else you need of us Sir?" The man sniffed and wiped his nose with a bloodstained hand, causing the blood to be smeared across his face and he watched with anticipation as the Demon Lord pondered the question before turning to his daughter.
"Natsuki?"
Natsuki's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked away from the disgusting creature standing at the doorway to the more menacing figure of her father "Yes?"
"What would you have me do to him? He is your man after all." Sergey asked as if he was a father asking his child what they would like for Christmas.
Natsuki looked at the ground, contemplating the fate of the Demon whose life was hanging in the balance. In her eyes he was already as good as dead anyway, but she wasn't entirely sure that the punishment that he faced and was already facing was entirely just. What kind of life was she subjecting him to by keeping him alive? What sort of example would she be setting by keeping him alive? Her mind made up, Natsuki first turned to Nao, and as their eyes met, the younger girl nodded slightly and turned her gaze to her shoes.
"Let me do the deed, let me finish him." Natsuki declared quietly but sternly as she spoke over her right shoulder.
Sergey raised a brow in surprise "Are you sure?"
Natsuki turned to fully face her father and nodded once, firmly as she tried to take a hold of her senses as the gravity of the situation sunk in. Now she regretted letting Nao come into the room with her. Not once had she ever let a friend witness an execution. Sergey- content and pleased with how the events were panning out- sent the torturer to fetch the condemned man to his chambers. The man nodded once at his master and disappeared down the steps before re-emerging moments later with the bloodied and weakened prisoner, and with no grace at all, he threw Jun to the ground at Natsuki's feet. One glare from the young woman and the torturer scurried away to his pit, whilst Natsuki took a further two steps toward Jun. As she grasped his bloodied arms- gently easing him into a position so he was steadier on his knees- she whispered an apology as she raised her arms and rested her hands on the either side of his face.
"Turn around Nao." Natsuki called out to her friend- she had never let someone witness an execution and she wasn't about to start any time soon.
Nao quickly turned around to face the door, however winced as she heard the deed being done and a loud thud on the floor seconds later. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily to stem the wave of nausea as she gathered the strength to turn to face her friend. Natsuki however nodded and unclenched her fists as she looked at what was once one of her own men- a trusted member of one of her own squads and one who had saved her life on many occasions.
"I'll take my leave now."
Sergey nodded silently, watching his daughter bow slightly before she turned and nodded for her friend to follow as the two girls left.
"Nao?"
"Yeah?" Nao had to walk fairly quicker than usual to match the Demon Princess' fast paced march back to her flat.
"You know one of those people that would kill for a date with me?"
"Yeah?"
Natsuki stopped suddenly and turned to her friend "Tell one of them to meet me at Rocha's tonight at 8 and not a minute before or after. And tell them not to mention it to anyone or I'll kill them." Nao was a little taken aback but shrugged it off- clearly the older woman's cages were rattled and she needed some release. Finally… I don't know how she can go without sex for so long… I think she's going to need some action in the bedroom tonight. I know I will.
"Sure. 8. Rocha's… she'll be there." Nao replied as Natsuki nodded.
"Good. I'll see her later then." Natsuki continued walking back towards the portal; leaving Nao to go find a victim for her royal pain in the ass to chew up and spit back out.
It's been 25 years since the last attack, if it has to happen, then let it happen now she silently whispered into the cold and silent air of the night as her crimson eyes scanned her surroundings and found herself blocked, with no escape to the left or to the right, stood two figures hidden by the shadow of the building next to them.
"Shizuru Fujino?" Spoke one of them- a woman.
So be it, enough of running "You know my face well enough by now... you know who I am." Shizuru glared at her assassins.
"Sure do. Enough with the games this time. You're on your own and there's nowhere to run... please don't try to run." The male angel spoke. Shizuru looked him up and down- the guy was huge. The woman was fairly short and small in stature, however Shizuru had learned a long time ago to never underestimate an enemy or judge them based on their size.
"If you want me... you'll have to come and get me." Shizuru spoke calmly and with a smirk.
So this is it, I suppose I'd better prepare myself to fight till the end.
The young demon shivered in the cold as she tugged her jacket tighter around her and breathed a sigh of relief as she turned down the path that led away from the restaurant back to her Ducati. The date was over and Natsuki could finally hear her own thoughts again. It had taken a lot of self-restraint to not deck the irritating girl that Nao had set her up with and it would have taken even more to go home with the girl- yet Natsuki wasn't sure that after what happened today that was even able restrain herself.
A noise from behind her stopped Natsuki in her tracks and she rolled her eyes as the smell whirled through her nostrils.
"So that was over quick wasn't it? What was wrong with this one?"
"Perhaps I wasn't quite in the mood. How long have you been here Nao?"
Nao snorted "You know how long I've been here. You know you're missing out- she was actually a good lay... a bit vocal but I didn't mind."
Natsuki shook her head "Are there any demons left that you haven't slept with?"
"Hey, I'm doing my best to get around them all as fast as I can. Besides I see it as my responsibility to test-drive them before I offer them to you."
"Oh gee Nao, thanks." Natsuki muttered sarcastically as she turned her back to Nao and continued walking down the path, however she felt a shiver run up and down her spine before becoming engulfed in a world of searing pain. Nao, who had been walking a couple of paces behind sprung into action as she managed to catch Natsuki before the blue-haired demon hit the ground hard.
"Holy fuck, what happened?" Nao whispered to herself as she shifted her weight so she could keep Natsuki upright, but when she placed her hand on the Demon princess' back, directly where her heart remained in its frozen state, Nao noticed the area was searing hot.
"Chie, Aoi get here now." Nao called out to the cold air and in a flash, Natsuki's personal bodyguards were with them "You see what happened?" Nao asked to which Chie nodded
"Yeah we saw everything. We'd better get her to Youko."
"That won't be necessary" Natsuki grumbled as she came to and stood straighter on her feet "I'll be fine, but there's Angels somewhere nearby." Natsuki watched as Nao started to walk slowly away from her "You feel it too Nao? Chie? Aoi?"
"Yeah... I can't work out how many there are." Nao replied.
"There's three" Aoi spoke softly as she closed her eyes and concentrated "I can feel three auras, one is extremely powerful, one there's little there at all but the other one is fairly strong."
Natsuki nodded "You know the law, it's time to go hunt." Natsuki nodded in thanks as Chie materialised Duran from nowhere and handed it over to the demon princess.
"Come on. Let's go."
Meanwhile Shizuru fought to keep her balance as she dodged yet another blow from the tall and muscular hulk of an angel. The woman she had managed to knock out fairly easily. The woman had been quick and agile, but she had terrible balance and whilst charging at Shizuru, Shizuru took a quick step to the right and deflected the charging woman and sent her headfirst into the wall behind Shizuru.
However, much to Shizuru's surprise, she felt herself awash with a newfound surge of energy and power and her opponent's moves were becoming easier to predict as she parried each stroke. What's happening to me? Haruka, Yukino, please come to me Shizuru called out in her mind to her guardian angels, hoping that they were in earshot and able to reach her. Shizuru landed a strong kick to the guy's abdomen and as she pulled her leg back to strike the kneeling man's head, she felt an arm snake around her throat and an arm.
"You thought you could get rid of me so easily huh bitch?"
Nao watched from a distance as Natsuki ran as fast as she could towards the small pack of angels and as the demons got closer, they noticed the shift in auras from the angels.
"Two more just showed up and they're much stronger, that means there are five of them." Natsuki called to the group behind her. She didn't need to know if they heard her or not and so she pressed on. They were close and the pain in Natsuki's chest was becoming harder to ignore, as she pressed her hand up to her chest, she ran a finger down the scar over her left breast and winced from the pain.
"Gah... why is it doing that again?" She muttered to herself "Nao, go over to the next building and come in from behind them." Nao nodded as she quickly transformed into her black widow form and quickly crawled up the wall of the buildings where she transformed back into her human form, awaiting Natsuki's return. She shook her head and blinked as she couldn't quite tell what she was actually witnessing. She could see two angels on the ground, one had another angel kneeling beside her, whilst two of the angels seemed to be fighting each other.
Shit... they're actually fighting each other, goddamn it Natsuki Nao groaned as she started to carefully ease her way down to the ground. She could see the other three turn the corner and she knew she had to step in, and quickly.
Unaware of what was actually going on, Natsuki unsheathed her sword, ready to slice someone, however when she got closer she realised that two of the angels seemed to be fighting each other and the blonde, strong looking one had got one of the smaller dark-haired angels in a headlock.
"Natsuki, what do you want us to do?" Chie asked as she took a step closer to Natsuki, whose green eyes seemed fixed on the figures on the grounds and the angel kneeling beside one of them.
"Aoi, go to the big guy and get rid of him. Chie go keep an eye out, Nao and I will deal with the others." Natsuki ran towards the struggling pair of angels and shoulder barged the pair, which sent both flying before landing roughly on the ground. Natsuki took the opportunity to destroy the smaller of them and turned her attention to the larger blonde woman who staggered up after taking brunt of the shove.
"Oh you're going to pay for that." Haruka growled loudly as a pair of gold tipped wings shot out from her back. Natsuki eyed the wings with curiosity, the gold tips on the white wings denoted a Guardian-status... but who's guardian was she?
"Bring it." Natsuki took a breath before launching her first assault which connected squarely with the blonde angel's jaw, however the blonde simply seemed to shake it off.
"You're paying double for that one." Haruka growled as she caught a hold on Natsuki's collar and head butted the young demon. Natsuki's vision blurred slightly however she could see Nao jump and land on the ground before running straight past two of the angels and gripping Natsuki's left arm.
"Natsuki wait a second-"
"Wha-?" Before Natsuki could finish her question, Haruka landed a blow on the demon's jaw and roughly tossed Nao aside.
Meanwhile, Yukino watched with horror as she saw her partner fight, causing her to be distracted from the task at hand, for which she needed Haruka to help complete. However as she watched, she finally caught a glimpse of the Demon fighting her lover and she felt her breath hitch as she saw the young demon's eyes. Yukino smiled briefly before looking down at the limp and lifeless body of her charge and silently mouthed her apologies as she stepped in between the blonde and the demon before both could attack.
"Haruka-chan stop! Both of you please stop." Yukino cried as she tried to push Haruka back.
"Yukino?"
"Haruka-chan, take a look at the woman you were about to hit. Take a good look." Yukino spoke softly and felt the corners of her lips curve into a small smile.
"Huh?" Haruka frowned as she glanced from Yukino in front of her and an equally confused Natsuki, who was being held back by Nao.
"I- what?"
"Take a good hard look and then tell me who does she remind you of... and who you think she might be?" Yukino took a step to the side and held onto Haruka's hand for good measure as she watched and could hear the bits of the puzzle fall into place in Haruka's mind.
"Yukino is that-?"
"I think so Haruka-chan." Yukino watched as Natsuki shook Nao off before running to where Shizuru lay on the ground and the blue-haired demon knelt beside the still woman. Yukino released her grip on Haruka's hand and walked over to Natsuki and Shizuru.
"Did you do this?" Yukino winced internally at the malice in the demon's voice.
"No, we arrived here to try and stop this from happening. Do you know her?"
Natsuki shook her head "No... not really. Well, I met her today for the first time." Haruka snorted, however when she got a disapproving look from Yukino, she turned around.
Natsuki lifted a hand to stroke away some hair from Shizuru's face. She could hear the faint traces of the woman's heartbeat and the soft breaths the woman took.
"We'll leave her to you then."
Natsuki gazed at the brown-haired angel in surprise as she and the other angel disappeared without a trace. The remains of the other two angels disappeared too, leaving barely any signs that they had even been there at all. Aoi ran to meet Nao, who had walked over to where Natsuki remained kneeling.
"That's the chick from the garage... how come we couldn't tell it was her?" Nao asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
Natsuki shrugged and shook her head "I don't know Nao, but there were definitely five angel auras right Aoi?"
"Yes Natsuki, I could sense five."
"What are going to do with her then?" Chie asked as she rejoined the group. The other three women eyed-up Chie who had the body of a young teal-haired woman across her shoulder.
"Who's that?" Natsuki asked.
Chie shrugged- which she found harder to do with a woman on one of her shoulders "Some creepy woman was watching us, I must have chased her half a mile before I caught her, she screamed so I punched her. I thought I'd leave her to you to deal with."
Natsuki rubbed her eyes and flicked her hair "Fine, whatever. Thanks Chie."
"So... we're doing nothing right? I mean there's nothing we should be doing right?" Nao asked as she looked at each member of the group.
"Nao..."
"This is not our problem Natsuki. Humans get caught in the crossfire all the time, how many times have you told me that?"
"Nao this wasn't crossfire, I know you must have seen it before any of us did. These Angels fought each other and Shiz- this woman almost died. We're taking her to Youko, and that's not up for debate." Natsuki picked up the injured woman bridal-style "Aoi, open up the portal for me."
"Natsuki- what makes her so special?" Nao asked as Natsuki winced at the tone of her voice- was there no end to this woman's defiance? Even now after so many years?
"I suppose we'll have to wait until she wakes up and find out then won't we?"
Blurry... hazy, that's how the world appeared to her right now as crimson eyes fluttered open and tried to get used to the light shining upon her. She had no idea where she was or how she came to be there, yet she vaguely remembered the fight that had taken place. She remembered the pain of the flames as they licked at her throat, how the cold metal pierced her flesh and tore through her. Yet she remembered feeling the heat go away, how suddenly her world that had been lit up by the flames from her memory seemed to fade into darkness and how she felt herself being tugged into a new sense of warmth and light. She remembered seeing the face of the woman she had loved more than life itself before she slipped once more into darkness and slumber.
"Hey hey, your guest has woken up Natsuki-oujo-sama." A loud, high-pitched a cheery voice rang through Shizuru's ears and as her vision began to focus she turned her head to the right and saw her, she saw the young woman she had met earlier today... if it was even the same day although she doubted it.
"Looks like I was wrong when I said we'd never meet again huh." Natsuki smirked as she crossed her arms
"Welcome to Hell Shizuru Fujino."
And that concludes Chapter 2. I really hope you liked it, like I said, I know it's not the most popular of stories but still, I really wanted to get something uploaded and Chapter 12 of BMS has been one hell of a challenge for me! Please feel free(obviously) to leave a review, I really can't stress how much your reviews mean to me. Also, I have no knowledge of mechanical stuff, my experience comes from lifting the hood up and then promptly having it fall on my head and a concussion- so I have no idea how long it would take to change spark plugs and change the oil!
Tiny xxx