Hands shaking, Mitsuki nervously made her way out of the store, closing it and locking it behind her. She held the diary close to her chest, quickly making her way down the street. For an entire week, the store had been all but closed while she dutifully read the contents of the tome. For the most part, Kazuki had neatly and calmly explained everything that happened, but as the content became increasingly...disturbing, her concentration had failed her. She began to ramble , her hands shaking, and spilling the ink on the pages at certain points. Eventually, the words lost their whimsical, innocent quality, and became more precise and analytical, more like the Kazuki she knew. Mitsuki understood most of it though, and oddly enough, she believed the words of her former employer. It was a frightening prospect though. The idea of vampires anywhere was enough to give her the creeps, and the fact that they had been in Tokyo made unpleasant chills go up her spine. And of course, there was the fact she had mentioned Minako. Briefly, but it was enough to help explain the odd woman. "...she's taken me to meet the 'others,' as she calls them. How many more of these abominations are there?" "...they seem oddly human, despite their pallor and...unnatural births. The strangest one thus far is the blonde they call 'Minako.' It is an uncommon name, and she explained to me that they all recieved other names when they arrived here. She seemed rather...upbeat for someone who had been changed into this. She insisted that it was not so bad, that Setsuna would be a 'perfect soulmate.' The thought of being bonded forever to that...creature makes me miss my father more than ever. I wonder if he is looking for me? I wonder if he is well..." Kazuki had also, later on, described strange hunters of 'their kind,' who seemed to be just as old and just as resilent as they were. They didn't sound very nice, but then again, Kazuki was never very pleasant about people she didn't like. After a while, Mitsuki had finally decided she'd had enough of waiting for this detective. She was afraid to sleep now. She didn't know who this person was, but she had a faint inkling. Before the diary had stopped, Kazuki had explained that the others were, "becoming sloppy eaters." And she had mentioned "police investigation." Mitsuki stared at the diary in her hands, and remembered the strange case of the 'serial vampire' a few weeks ago. It didn't take a rocket scientist to make a connection. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "Is she awake?" "Still asleep..." Setsuna frowned and stretched out her arms, moving her head back and forth to ease the pain in her stiff neck. "How long have we been in this truck?" Hotaru turned to her and shrugged. "I don’t know. A few days, I think. I’m hungry." Haruka coughed and moved slightly, being careful not to disturb Michiru, who had rested her head on her shoulder. "You’re not the only one." Makoto yawned and looked over to Serenity, who mumbled incoherently in her sleep. "Is she going to sleep forever?" "Defense mechanism," Kazuki muttered from a far, dark corner of the truck. "She’s sleeping so that she won’t have to wake up and deal with Demando. He won’t wake her up, odd as it is, he respects her enough not to disturb her, at least in sleep." "You vampires are weird," Makoto said, shaking her head. "Newsflash, you are a vampire, dear," Michiru said sleepily, snuggling closer to Haruka. "Hey, only because of you two!" Makoto said angrily, baring her fangs. Michiru chuckled low in her throat. "Ahh yes...and I’d do it again too, you know. You tasted quite nice." Makoto gulped, and Kazuki snorted. Haruka stifled a laugh, her eyes flickering with well-controlled amusement. Setsuna spared a glance at Serenity, and then stared around curiously. "Is Minako even in here? She’s been quiet..." "I’m here." Setsuna started slightly in surprise at the sound of Minako’s voice, but gained her composure quickly. "You’ve been strangely silent. Are you alright?" "Been better." "Do you miss the mansion?" Kazuki drawled, closing her eyes. "Don’t worry, I’m sure your wardrobe will be replenished soon enough." "It’s not that!" Minako snapped. She quickly covered her mouth in surprise, but Kazuki’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that so? Then what is it?" She sounded annoyed, but there was a slight hint of interest in her tone. Minako looked down at her hands. "It’s nothing." "Well it has to be something; you haven’t been talking. At all. Does anyone besides me find that odd?" Michiru asked. The others nodded in agreement. "You never stop talking," Haruka muttered. Minako flashed her a dirty look. "Gee thanks." "Are you sure it’s nothing?" Setsuna asked. Minako gazed at the older vampire, feeling increasingly nervous. "I mean...no, it’s nothing." "It’s something," Makoto said, tilting her head to the side, "or you wouldn’t be so defensive." "It's nothing. Drop it," Minako said irritably, turning away from the others. Kazuki rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Setsuna stopped that immediately. Instead, she scoffed and changed the subject. "What do you think will happen once we get there?" "I have no idea, actually," Setsuna remarked. "Perhaps he'll tell the hunters about us," Hotaru said quietly, "and keep Lady Serenity." Kazuki bristled. "You can't be serious. They're long gone." "You'd be surprised," Haruka muttered. "What hunters?" Makoto asked, scratching her head. "The kind that kill vampires. Honestly, don't you read horror novels?" Kazuki said. "Vampire hunters? Like um, Bu--" Setsuna cut her off. "Somewhat." "Somewhat?" "Well, they don't neccesarily stake us, you see. Because it doesn't work. Neither do crosses. Or holy water, for that matter." "You can tell a hunter is experienced if they have something to lop your head off with," Kazuki added dryly. Makoto shook her head. "Wow. And they say monsters aren't real." The others gave her dirty looks. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ Ami was downstairs in the hospital, making small talk with one of the receptionists, when Mitsuki tumbled in, looking frazzled and oddly frightened. "Is there a problem miss?" The receptionist asked. "Yes! I mean...yes, there is a problem. Can I see Detective Hino, please?" There was a desperate edge to her voice. "Young lady, only family members are--" Ami interrupted. "Why do you want to see Hino?" "Because...because I know...I know about the things that have been...see, Kazuki left me this, she knows Kazuki, right?" Mitsuki held up the diary, and Ami blinked, moving to hold the girl by her shoulders. "You say 'you know?' How much do you know?" She stared intently at Mitsuki, and something unspoken passed between them. "Everything." And that was all it took for Ami. "Come on, I'm sure she's awake. We'll get all of this figured out." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ Rei decided she hated hospital food. She could barely taste the stuff, and what she did taste made her sick. She grumbled and tried to get comfortable in the hospital bed. Everything is all her fault, Rei thought, clenching her fists, I wouldn't be in this place if not for her! "Why am I thinking of this anyway? She's gone now...nothing to worry about." "Who's gone?" Rei looked up to see Ami standing in the doorway, with a nervous looking young lady behind her. "I have a guest for you. She says she has something from Kazuki, and she says that she knows." "Knows what?" "Everything." Rei looked at the waifish girl behind Ami and shook her head. She wouldn't last a second against one of those things, especially Demando. Wait...Demando? Why am I thinking of that girl taking on one of those things? There is no way she's going with me, the doctor either. Wait...go where? I don't even know where Demando is... She winced and rubbed the side of her head, and Ami cleared her throat to get her attention. "Anyway, Rei, she might be able to help you...and the police find these creatures and put a stop to them. We've...seen what they're capable of," she said, no doubt remembering Makoto Kino, "and we know that they are a threat." Mitsuki walked over and handed Rei the book, biting her lip. "This is...Kazuki's diary. I just...she told me to wait for you, but then I...I got a little frightened." She chuckled weakly and Rei stared at the front of the book. "Hmm...never thought that someone like her would have a diary. I doubt this has the details of her prom date though, huh?" Mitsuki shook her head gravely. "Not by a long shot." "Looks like you have a lot of reading to do, Ms. Hino," Ami said. "I figure we should both read it. Doesn't seem like a very light book, and I think you need to know about this just as much as I do...that is, if you want to." Ami appeared to be steeling herself, and then nodded her head firmly. "I've gone this far...I suppose hearing a bit more won't kill me..." "That's the spirit...now, let's get to work," Rei said, opening the book. "I doubt we'll be getting much sleep anyway."
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