Beast of Prey At the time, it didn't matter how she found them, or why she was there. It didn't matter that a host of revelations had just formed, like stars in the night sky. It didn't even matter that everyone was stunned several times over, either from the secrets suddenly revealed or the fact that She was there, as if the man in white had summoned her by telling those around him her twisted history. Nothing, in fact, mattered at all, save that the goddess of death had come, and the people there were under attack, and their very survival was at stake. Still, they had to attempt diplomacy. "Who is this?" demanded Yohko, perhaps seeking an excuse to draw the attention away from her. Luckily it worked; the past was not nearly as important as the present was, especially since five people recognized the woman at the door (and four of them had died due to her actions). Rin and Kailin wanted to know as well, but before Marissa or Snowblood could tell them, the mysterious man in white spoke up. "This is Kali, one of the beings created from the Dark Scion. Am I correct to assume that you have come here in search of something?" Kali didn't answer. She snapped out a long, bright, sizzling energy weapon, cleaving ruts in the floor and everything else it touched. Perhaps she was there to fight, then—but was she the type to speak first and kill later? "I have been drawn here," she answered, "by some force very familiar to me. I have reason to believe what I'm seeking is here. Who are you, and who are these people?" "I am sorry," he said, not sounding that way at all, "but these are questions I will not answer." "Really." She lashed out at him with the weapon, but he caught it in his bare hand, and squeezed it like a banana. Kali and those that had felt the sting of her weapon were clearly surprised, but those who had seen the man suffer far worse were not fazed. He cast the glowing beam away—it struck and cleaved right through a vase—and stared her down. She just snorted, immediately knowing that nothing could come from confronting him. Instead, she whirled around and snapped her weapon broadly, cutting a large line around the inner lobby. A second slash sent that section of the building crumbling, and now MERCS was exposed to the elements, with Kali barely standing on the inside. "I must kill more," she said eerily. "I must kill more. That is my job. I am to kill and kill and kill again, until I find her, until I find my sister. If any of you know where she is, tell me and I'll spare you. If not..." She grinned wolfishly, snapping her weapon again. Anyone could tell she was serious—it was a fight she wanted! The battle itself was quick, and with few exceptions, bloodless—but incredibly violent all the same. Kali had somehow become stronger since the last time anybody had seen her, and not only used her weapon but her own body as well, fighting with blinding strength. Only Kristen Masterson overpowered her; all others were beaten back, including Kris, who was slashed faintly with Kali's energy weapon. Alisti glared at the woman, wanting to take her rage out on somebody after Skye rescued Kamaguchi from her wrath, and blasted her with her disintegration. Kali reacted with amazing speed and precision: her weapon formed an enormous spherical shield around her, absorbing the mighty blast without showing any signs of breaking. Alisti spat, but she had put too much of her skill in that shot, and blacked out. Kali advanced on the unconscious woman, her eyes and mouth wild with bloodlust. She would've cleaved the girl and her wheelchair in half if Skye hadn't stepped in, transforming into her dragon-self in order to protect the disabled girl. Kali soon found herself a worthy foe, and a rather frightening one at that, and the two locked horns and wrestled while everyone else watched, and waited. This ended up being one of the few pauses in the fact action; Kali soon got the upper hand and tossed Skye away, hurling her into the midst of bodies waiting for their chance. "Step aside!" came a new voice to the battle. The crowd parted (most of them by force) as Soma von Zomren, Pandora the Gambler, came storming up to the intruder with a look of volcanic hate in her eyes. "If anyone's going to kill this beast, it's me! People like her make me sick. Everyone clear out—this bitch is mine!" "And you are...?" sang Kali. Pandora roared angrily. "The last person you'll ever see!" She shook her head, jiggling the 8-Ball lodged in her eye socket, and grinned as she awaited results. The words she spoke next—"All signs point to victory"—gave even the sturdiest person chills. Suddenly a field of strong inertia took over Kali, rendering her frozen as Pandora's infamous roulette wheel spun, determining her demise. It came up on Electricity, and the Gambler grinned. She had successfully, albeit briefly, robbed Kali of her powers, just as she had so many times in the Tournament. The goddess of death was only stunned, however, as a blast of lightning, flimsy in comparison to Thunder-Claw's jolts, snaked out of her enemy's bandoliers. She had felt her muscles go frail and her legs turn into jelly, and for awhile was afraid. The blast was inconsequential; the sudden loss of her monstrous strength worried her more. But then she remembered her energy weapon, and snapped it out like a whip. Pandora stared in shock as the glowing beam of death came her way, but the fatal cut never came. A sword had stepped in and blocked the attack, giving her precious seconds to back off. Kali grinned at her newest victim. It was Alyssa Hunter, the Siren. "Noble deed, little girl. That sword of yours must be made of strong stuff if it isn't broken." "I won't...let you...kill anyone else!" shouted the Siren. Kali just laughed. She whirled around suddenly, and snapped her foot out, kicking Siren away before she could react. It was Joyce and Sarah who came after her next, one using her powers to summon legions of mosquitoes to blind and sting Kali, the other holding back, gnashing her teeth, preparing for what she knew she had to do. For the very first time in her life, Joyce would willingly use her power, and she would have no remorse about it at all. Kali had killed too many people; she needed to be eradicated. Even the goddess of death had fears. Kali was soon brought to her knees, overcome with hideous visions that, to her, seemed as realistic as her own skin. Not only did she see her worst nightmares, but she experienced them as well: the pain, the sorrow, the helplessness, the overwhelming sense of dread...her mind was being drawn and quartered, her screams coming louder and louder and louder until... Until... No! Celine! Don't you hurt her! Fear is a powerful emotion, but sometimes love and devotion can be mightier still. Kali's will to survive was soon totally ignored as visions of her lost sister's torture and pain were brought to her, and the will to protect her beloved overcame even her deadliest horror. She screamed viciously, breaking Joyce's attack and her concentration, and lashed out so quickly that nobody could've stopped her. But that didn't stop G-Force from trying. Even if it meant her life, she would repay her debt to Sarah by protecting the girl's only friend. With all her might, she shoved Joyce away before Kali's weapon could eviscerate her, but her bravery came at a terrible price: the weapon sliced her instead, cleaving her leg clean off right above her knee. Such horror could not (and should not) be described; it was simply and purely pain, magnified unbearably, and blood, rivers of blood. People screamed—Merry turned white all over—but the chaos was quickly contained by the strange visitor, the unlikely one, the one who was dressed all in white. "I will take her," he announced, picking the wailing Sally up in his arms. "I shall go inside and see to her wound. The rest of you should stop this menace before she kills anyone. Do not worry," he whispered to Sally, whose blue face had turned nearly gray by that point. "Soon you will be mended. Just hang on." He pointed to the woman's mutilated leg, and it floated to his hand quick as a thought. Nobody saw them leave—some said they just disappeared like that—everyone was still focused on the battle, especially Merry. But with no more brave souls to act like heroes, Kali was again free to eliminate the young girls. Her weapon lashed out a second time. And was stopped again—but this time by the bloody sword of Kathlyn Shival. "Don't you lay a finger on them!" she spat. Kali matched Bloodbane's fiery stare perfectly. Some passion inside of her fueled as she locked eyes with the silver-haired woman, feeling her strength, her alien power, her will and her dominance. Something about this woman was familiar to her, like they had met once long ago and had known each other through very intimate bonds. Was it her shape, her face, the eyes and hair? Was it her power, so frightening in similarity to her own? Kali recalled that the cylindrical weapon she had owned at conception came out of her body; perhaps this woman, who didn't even know her own identity, had that Something Kali was searching for, the link that united them. She hid her weapon and stood to consider things. Kathlyn waited impatiently, not sure what was going through the dark-haired woman's mind. At last some light came to Kali's face, and she smiled and said, "It's you. You were the one that summoned me here." "What's that?" Her smile deepened, and as unbelievable as it was, especially to those that had felt her inhumane wrath, it became outstandingly gorgeous. "I'm right, aren't I? You are...my sister!" "...What?" It was like throwing a brick in her face. Lyn had never seen this woman in her life. But some static formed in her mind, clouding her initial response, making her reconsider everything. She herself had no idea where she came from or who she really was. She had merely been discovered, named, and raised by those monks so many years ago. It was quite possible that she did indeed have a sister, and as dissimilar as they were, it was even more possible that this deadly woman, standing in front of her, was indeed that same long-lost relative! Kali seemed to glow with elation. "You're my sister," she said again, "Celine Avalon. Yes, yes...you look exactly like her. You fight like her. You're strong like her, and beautiful like her. Yes, yes, there's no mistaking it now. You're my lost sister!" "...I am?" "She is?" spat Mora, who didn't believe it any more than anyone else did. Kali's beautiful smile became sad, and she approached Lyn slowly, as if wanting to make sure she was right. "You have changed," she noted, staring at the woman at length. "But you are still the same as well—my lost sister. You are indeed." To Lyn's shock, the vicious woman they had all been fighting not three minutes ago took her in her arms and embraced her. Lyn was simply too stunned to fight back, and a part of her seriously was beginning to think that she was of relations to this monster. It certainly would've explained a lot! "Hold on!" shouted Aura, one of Lyn's few real friends. "You've seriously got the wrong person! Lyn doesn't have a sister, or any other family! How can you suddenly come up and give us that crap? You've probably got some awful scheme in mind, and you're trying to hypnotize her or something." "Shut up, Aura!" snapped Lyn suddenly. "How the hell do you know I don't have a sister?! Even I don't know any of that stuff! She may be right! Of course, she may be wrong too, but...I want to find out!" She then looked at Kali, but now she was a different person, shining with curiosity and wanting. "More than anything I want to know, want to believe. Perhaps this is the path to my destiny, or...maybe to my destruction. But I will walk it regardless, for what do I have to lose? I have no past and no friends, except one, and a bastard's daughter who I can't stand the sight of." "Screw you, bitch!" snarled Mora loudly. "So what do I care if you run off with this thing? Go ahead, I dare you! Hey, we'd be better off anyway, wouldn't we? Right guys?" She turned to the others for support, but they couldn't say a thing. Everyone was still trying to absorb what they had heard, and was wondering whether it was really true or not. Mora just snorted, tossed a final I-don't-care curse at Shival, and stormed off. The others stayed to see what would happen, and they got a good show. "I want to come with you," said Lyn to Kali, her eyes glowing with desire. "I want to find out if you really know who I am. If you're wrong, I will have lost nothing, except my hopes. If you're right...then oh, the things I will have gained!" "You can't be serious!" shouted Merry. "Shove it, you dyke! I'm not asking for your all's opinions! This is my choice, and I'm going to make it no matter what!" Then, softly, to Kali, "Lead on. Wherever we may go, whatever we may do, I will be there." Kali smiled sweetly—again, an unexpected emotion from one so bloodthirsty—and took Shival's hand into hers as she walked away into the distance, leaving the fight peacefully. "Well," huffed Xianq, "that was certainly an unexpected experience." ......... Yohko Kamaguchi had quite a few problems on her hands now. There was first the obvious lack of a wall to the lobby (which Kali had so deftly cut apart), but that could be fixed with the proper amount of time and money. A much more pressing matter came to her as she studied the destroyed section of the building—in the form of Sanaa, impatient and clearly upset about something. Her look was shared among many there, specifically those that Mr. White had referred to when he pegged Kamaguchi as the source of their troubles and curses. She noticed them, and instantly knew what they had on their minds. "...What is there for me to say?" she said emptily. "The truth of the matter is that yes, I was behind some of the experiments that were run in the secret laboratory that was destroyed some time ago. But I was not the acting force behind it! At the time, I was merely one of many scientists who were devoting themselves to a large project titled ‘Genesis'. This Project Genesis was originally intended to study the characteristics of the so-called superhuman gene, that which makes you all different from people such as myself. "Our first director passed away before I joined the project. He was replaced by a man named Taichou, who some of you know as the head of this facility as well. Taichou not only wanted to study the superhuman gene, he wanted to see if it could be infused with other matters of life. If you'd like, I can explain in detail to prove I wasn't some cruel mad scientist." "I think you had better do that," growled Kristen, who was among those named by Mr. White. Yohko nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Very well. I'll start with you, Kristen. Your brother was actually one of the scientists that worked for us, but it was for a very short time. He was only interested in...shall we say, ‘gifting' you, and left us once you were, erm, properly equipped. Such a shame, too; he was a true mastermind and could've helped the project meet its dream in a few years." "You knew my brother?" The look on her face was unmistakable surprise, mixed with fear. Yohko confirmed it with a nod. "Do you know what he did to you?" "He told me," she replied darkly. "He didn't hide anything from me. It's taken me ages to accept what he's done, not that I was ungrateful. I just...could not believe it." "Believe what?" asked Xianq. Kris sighed and turned to face her friend. "I never told any of the Divas, but...I'm not the real Kristen Masterson. Actually, to be frank, I'm not the original. I'm actually a clone of Kristen's. The real one died several years ago, the victim of a simple robbery. Ha! What irony. The woman who would become the great BK Power was taken from some girl who got killed by a humble bullet..." She smiled sadly and hugged herself, still probably traumatized by what her life had been about. That did not cover the amazement of Kris' friends, who had no idea the young woman had such a frightening history. Julie shuffled up to her "love interest", looking at her quizzically. "So...what this mean? Was Krissy's brother friends with doctor woman?" "He joined us briefly to...restore his sister, yes," answered Yohko. "And just like that, once his job was completed, he was gone. So what Mr. White told you was true, although I did not have a very big role in it—nor did I have a big role in your creation, miss Lurker." To hear that Kristen Masterson was a bi-product of scientific engineering was one thing, but to learn that the Lurker was also engineered was another. Just by looking at her, a person could assume that she was not fully human. "What? Me? Why, how? Tell me, tell me, explain it all, doctor." Yohko sighed wearily and adjusted her glasses again. "...Very well. About thirty years ago, an alien spacecraft carrying intergalactic biologists crash-landed on this world. Now I know some of you find that hard to believe, especially with all the tabloids, but I have the records, and the Lurker, to prove it. When a team went in to investigate the craft, they found a terrifying monster who had slaughtered the crew. They succeeded in destroying it, but wanted to salvage the monster's DNA, as well as the DNA of the crew. When I was asked to contribute, courtesy of Mr. Taichou, they had already made several unsuccessful attempts. The...fetuses they used did not turn out...according to plan. Only one came out successfully—a little too successfully. This is where you come in." "That strange!!" exclaimed Julie, who even then was not at a loss for words (though everyone else was). Before this news could sink in, Kamaguchi turned to Kailin and Joyce, who shrank back from her stare. "The two of you, on the other hand, had your powers well before you ran into me, as I'm sure you're aware. I will admit that I did have a direct hand in experimenting on miss Kailin, but once again I was under the watch of Director Taichou, who insisted I continue to study the gene that separates normal humans with superhumans. Kailin, with her unusual skill of pyrokinetics, and Joyce, with her phobiakinetics, as I've dubbed it, were prime choices for Project Genesis. "If you hate me, I don't blame you," she added, not sounding totally sympathetic. "But the fact of the matter is that we were under the guidance of a man who wanted to erase these barriers and bring the normal ones and the abnormal ones together. He even had it in mind to breed two from both sub-species, but whether anything came of that is unknown. I am sorry if you both experienced trauma, but sacrifices have to be made if we are to end the discrimination that has spread. Surely you've seen it." Joyce and Kailin said nothing. "The accusation concerning Jane Brewe is completely false," she said after awhile. "I do not even know who that person is. If she is linked to me at all, it is due to a branch of research I had contributed to, one that might have been used to develop her. Perhaps she was the one that Director Taichou wished to see in his cross-breed, but I do not know." ME! Alisti blared angrily. SPEAK! SPEAK! TRUTH! MONSTER!! "Calm down," huffed Kamaguchi, "you'll get your turn. You yourself were practically born with your powers as well. Diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor in infancy, and not expected to live to age three...but you did. At age five, however, you were undergoing brain x-rays when the machine caught fire and gave you a dose several times the lethal amount. Strangely, you survived, but became permanently disabled, hence your...limitations." BITCH. DISCOVER? "It's a long story. You remember your old pal Nicholas Ester, don't you? That was quite a mess with him. I was treated to his personal files shortly after I was assigned to the government wing that was observing your behavior. When he died—or when he was murdered, whichever you like—you became volatile and uncontrollable. To put it simply, I merely watched you and kept records on you, but knew you were too dangerous to actually experiment on. What goes on inside that mind of yours still thrills me..." ANIMAL! KILL! KILL! BLAST!! Don't waste your talents on her, Skye warned her as she pulled Alisti's chair back. Being the only person who seemed to genuinely connect with the harsh, rabid girl, Skye calmed her down to the point where she was no longer as menacing. She didn't harm you, she just studied you. There is no sin in that. STILL. HATE. I know, I know. Many here feel the same way. Let's let her finish what she's saying before we pass judgment. Alisti growled quietly, but acquiesced and spared the doctor's life. Even Skye looked visibly relieved with this new development and backed off, giving Yohko room to breathe. "If I remember correctly, Nort also referred to my involvement with one Shalis Torth," she resumed. "Now this I do admit to having a hand in, but my method was not diabolical. The poor girl was attacked one day when she was only twenty-two years old. She had all her limbs broken, her eyes and throat slashed, and her heart shot. Project Genesis was collaborating with Enteragon at the time, and my specialty in nanotechnology was crucial to her revival. Her arms were replaced with holographic ones she herself researched in, and her eyes and heart were replaced with advanced prosthetics. I was not the one who implanted a cranial chip that allowed her to communicate with computers; that was the work of a person who is now dead." "You seem to have led a very prolific life, doctor," snarled Amielle. "Rather all over the place, aren't you? I find it hard to believe that all of this is a coincidence." "I go where my work calls me," she answered. "It just called me in so many places, that's all. Project Genesis did envelop many fields. I suppose I should conclude with the origins of Marissa and Sanaa." "Don't," barked Wainright. "That secret is between the three of us and nobody else." "But don't you think your friends deserve to know where you came from?" "I'm sure they don't care." "We really don't," said Aura—but Yohko told them anyway. "Let me at least tell you about lady Sanaa. For her, she was simply one more sample in a series to find the secret of creating the perfect warrior. She was basically created in our laboratory from a leftover egg taken from a fertility clinic—I have no idea who her mother was. Since she had no legal protection as a created being, the scientists—the group I worked with—took their time sculpting DNA. Sanaa, number 1138 (or was it 1139?) was the only survivor of this process. However, the subject ended up female instead of male. A failure before she takes her first breath." "Stop it!" snarled Marissa. Sanaa, of all people, calmed her. "Go on. I've been searching for my past all my life; lay it out bare for me, doctor. Don't leave any detail out." "As you wish," sighed the older woman. "You, my dear, were a failure, but one with possibilities. Over the next twenty years, you were subjected to hell on earth. Exposed to extreme cold and scalding heat, flesh-splitting winds, crushing depths of water... Your young body was soon as tempered as steel. Yet, against all odds you didn't break. The genetic engineering was deemed a moderate success. Next came formal education: martial arts, small arms, demolitions, sabotage. Military training gave way to life-skills training. You were taught how to function in a free society even though you were not free. "Soon you were sent on your first mission: a foreign diplomat was smuggling secrets to his government. Untouchable by international law, it fell to you to take care of him. You did so with no problems. Several more missions followed, each increasing in difficulty and complexity. On a recent deep cover mission, you posed as a maid for a family suspected of funneling money to terrorists. the family was headed by a recently widowed woman in her early forties. The mission was going nowhere with absolutely no evidence of terrorist dealings when the unthinkable happened: Number 1138 fell in love. She had been trained in dealings with the opposite sex and in seduction, and not to become romantically entangled with her targets. However, the training had never touched upon romantic entanglements with her own sex. Suddenly Sanaa began to question her duty and her orders. Afraid of losing power, her controllers ordered the death of the widow. "Some months later, 1138 resurfaced as a soldier of fortune, offering her skills for money. However, she chose her missions and method of execution. The government kept tabs on her but did not pursue her. The new administration disbanded the experiments by Executive Order...and if it were known that a test subject escaped, it could tear the military intelligence branch apart. Oh my." She had a cruel chuckle, removed her glasses, and grinned. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that last part." "Are you enjoying this, you sick bitch?!" spat Amielle. Sanaa held her back as well, giving her a level stare. She had discovered who she was, and had been reminded of what she used to be—which is what she had truly wanted all along. Now she had a new life, a life with better possibilities—a life with Marissa, her literal soul mate. "The day's getting on," said Kamaguchi, ignoring Amielle's acidic glare. "We've wasted enough time already. I hope what I have said will now quell any doubts you have in me. Basically, yes I did play God with many of you, but I was merely working for another, working for my ideals as well as his. If you have any problems, I suggest you take it up with Director Taichou. As for me, I shall retire to my room. I doubt any of you will want to see me for awhile." She dismissed herself and was soon gone, leaving the others to bask in the open range of the sliced-open building. "I...had no idea," muttered Alyssa, clinging to the closest arm she could find. Joanna blushed a little. "Um...yeah. A total revelation, it was. Uh...may I be excused?" She slipped out of Alyssa's grip and walked off; her friends watched her leave, wondering what made her take off like that. They each soon found other things to occupy themselves, but Aura followed her, feeling somewhat indebted to Joanna for being there when she "came back from the dead". ......... Things slowly seemed to calm down after that. A construction crew was scheduled to work on the building; everyone else found some purpose or another, not a one of them concerned in the least for their lost colleague, except for two people. One of them, Aura Valeria, had at least a standoffish Ferret to occupy herself with, but the other just plain moped. Mora the Cobra felt unusually empty once the absence of Bloodbane sunk in, and despite declaring her hatred for the woman, couldn't help but miss her a bit. "That damned bitch brought out the worst in me," she tried to reason. "She was rude, conceited, unfriendly, selfish, piggish, and never had anything nice to say to anybody. I'm glad she's gone." But you never got to know her. You never bothered. "That's not true," she told her conscience. "One time we...we connected, like that. That one time...I felt like I could see who she really was. Just...a confused, lonely, sad little girl..." So do you care for her? "No!!" Then why are you moping? "I'm not moping!" Yes you are, Mora. You miss her. As unsociable as you are, you miss having challenging people around you. That's why you broke up with Henrietta, and Alyssa, and Josie, and Nomi, and all those other flings. They didn't challenge you at all. They were just too easy. "Shut up! What do you know? I loved them—they just didn't love me back!" Alyssa loved you. She wanted to be Yours. "She...she's like a little sister to me now!" You ended your relationship with her because she was too easy. She didn't push you. She was not your equal. "Shut up," wailed Mora, tears in her eyes. "Just shut the hell up!" You're talking to yourself, you know that? You're trying to create a state of denial. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Weeping, weeping, weeping. Why does everyone leave me? Why am I so repulsive? Why, why, why? "Lyn," she whispered, "come back." Aura saw Joanna White sitting down, eyes closed and breathing stilled, as if she were in a trance. Not wanting to disturb her, the checker-haired girl sat and waited. It didn't take long, a minute perhaps, for her to wake and notice she had a visitor (the faint blush she had was no less detectable). "Oh! Uh, hi Aura. I'm sorry I dozed off like that. Sometimes I just slip in and out of things if I get too bored." "That's unusual," she said with a smile. "Um, may I speak with you for a moment?" Joanna smiled. "I admit, I'd like your company." "Good. Wow, we have a lot to talk about, huh? What's your reaction to everything you heard earlier?" "Frankly I'm taken aback," she admitted. The woman leaned in closer, whispering, "(But to tell you the truth, I kind of knew it all along.)" "Oh? How'd you find out?" "(Well, remember Rin and the others telling you about how the doctor and I worked together during the tournament? Well...I used to feel ashamed of my involvement there, because I thought I was doing something terrible.)" "You mean stealing that money?" "I never did feel much remorse for stealing money," she replied emptily. "I mean, I'm trying to change... Anyway, I'll let you in on a secret." Then a whisper—"(Dr. Kamaguchi had me visit all the contenders, plant nanotech devices on them, and report back to her. That's the real reason she went to that tournament. I thought she was going to use those devices for evil, so I never told anyone for the shame of it. But it turns out she was just researching them for her Genesis thing!)" Joanna smiled, but Aura looked surprised. Planting nanomachines onto fighter's bodies? "How in the world did you do it?" "With my secret power—watch!" Joanna smiled, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went into a trance again. Aura didn't have to wait long—she jerked in surprise as she felt something poking her back. Joanna quickly came to and laughed before apologizing. "What was that, telekinesis?" "No, it...it's hard to explain. Basically while my body is sitting here, I can send a ‘ghost copy' of myself anywhere I want, provided it goes back to my body after ninety seconds." "Why ninety seconds?" "It sort of works like swimming," she explained. "As long as I'm able to hold my breath, I can perform the ghosting. My record's ninety seconds, so I can't ghost for long. That's how I was able to go into their rooms and plant the devices, and that's how I was able to steal the money." "Amazing," whispered Valeria. She felt like she was going to have a meltdown, there was so much information crammed into her mind. First Mr. White, then Yohko, now Joanna! Good thing she was sitting down at least, or else she would've fainted. "Also," said Joanna, her tan face turning red, "I want to...express my happiness over having you here. I'm...really glad you're safe, Aura." "Thank you." She smiled and leaned in to hug Joanna, but the older woman jerked away. "Uhm—sorry! I...I'm not used to...well, uh...sorry! I...better go." She got up quickly and left before Aura could stop her. Valeria tried to pursue her, corner her so they could talk, but it was no use. It was as if Joanna had turned into a real ghost and went away. With Ferret gone and Rin and Setsuka outside sparring (the words they used were actually, "We're going to settle our differences once and for all"), Kailin and Kathy were left to fend for themselves. They couldn't have been more relieved. Sure Kailin loved Rin, and she was beginning to see Setsuka as a good friend, but sometimes it was best to be with people her own age, especially now that so many secrets had been revealed. The poor young Inferno was doubly traumatized: not only did she still harbor the guilt of nearly incinerating a friend, but she had learned that it was Yohko, her own benefactor, who had caused herself, Marissa, and BaoBao so much pain. Were it not for the gentle, loving, silent arms of Kathryn O'Hare, Kailin might've suffered a nervous breakdown, or worse. Kathy had seen her own problems in life: she finally told Kailin all about herself, about her abusive childhood, how her mother had been murdered and her father abandoning her, about how her horrible adopted father had beaten her daily, and her best friend who had also been beaten. Sarah, Kathy said with a quivering voice, had finally given up on life, and struggled only to see her friend so she could die in her arms. "I killed her father," she whispered quietly, no emotion in her voice at all. "And then I killed my own. I murdered them...but they deserved no less. After that...I ran away, promising to protect those who could not protect themselves, and vowed to never let another friend die in my arms." She then smiled sadly, sweetly, and caressed dear Kailin's hair, so gently and lovingly, like a real angel. Hsu said nothing. "I will just be here," Kathy assured her, taking her friend's hands and kissing them. "I will be here, silent and nurturing, whether you are awake or asleep. I shall give you my love in hopes that you can recover...in hopes that the beauty you have will no longer be marred. What I am saying...Hsu dear...my dear Kailin, is..." She smiled and chuckled sadly, feeling the tears now clotting her eyes and scarring her face. Kailin sat up—she had buried her face in her pillow—and at once her heart went out to poor wonderful Kathryn, her closest friend and more, the girl she cared for and...and loved. "I am trying to say," Kathryn said, straight to Kailin's face, "is that...I love you." And then without hesitation, she took Kailin's face in one hand and her wrist in the other, pulling gently until at last they kissed, weeping bittersweet tears. My Guardian Angel... I love you too, Kathryn. ...... He felt at least 400 years younger by now, and he looked dashing enough to kill with a smile (note to self, he thought, let's try that out sometime). But his eyes were not fixed upon a lover, but two people walking innocently ahead, speaking when they wished and abating their tongues when they wished not. They held hands. They walked so close. He raised a pale eyebrow as they stopped, one gazing at the other, a sense of longing in her eyes. He would've been elated with lust, staring at them, if he wasn't gripped with such doubt and anger. "Kali," he growled to the portal, "do you really think she's your sister? That is not the woman I created!" "Oh, let them have their fun," came a saucy voice from afar. The man snorted, dismissed the portal, and turned round to face his guest. She strolled in, decadent with beauty, and gave him a grin that could've wiped out a nation. "Deception is, after all, a sweet part of love and sex, don't you agree?" "Sometimes," he answered coolly. "In our case it definitely is. Oh, I should probably tell you: your, erm, ‘charges' are not fulfilling their duty. Only some on that list are dead, and not one of them died by their hands." The exotic woman shrugged indifferently. "Any other day I would've yanked their brains out of their noses and made them suffer, but it's too close to the Cataclysm to bother with silly things like that. I'll let it slide, because this is such a special occasion. I've a feeling we may both achieve our goals." "I know your goals, Kissa," snarled the man. "I'll have nothing to do with you once my dreams are met." "Oh, pity, I was hoping for an orgy. It's been some time since I've had a man remotely close to my age." "And people say I'm a freak," muttered he, Malchior, the Scion of Darkness. Yeah, feeling and looking 400 years younger definitely had its perks, but to suffer an alliance with this old mummy might not have been worth it. Still...she could have her uses. Kathlyn Shival? Bah! If you think she's your sister, Kali, wait until you meet the real Celine Avalon. Next time: A Far Greater Darkness
Back to Champions Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction