"What's with those two? Seen a ghost?" He asked, tapping his fingers against the wood.
Nana spoke first, Takabi standing in front of her, flames cackling in his palms.
"You.. Can't be alive." Tears began to build in her eyes. Nana's calm breathing quickly became frantic. "Kairas, I saw your body! You were stone cold, colder than you ever were! There wasn't a single sign of life!"
"Kairas," Takabi repeated, questioningly.
The black haired boy stood up and walked around the table, still dressed in his dirty rags.
"Your name sounds so familiar… And your face is just like mine."
Kairas smiled at him.
"Who are you," Takabi asked.
"So it is true. You don't remember who I am." Kairas sped forward, faster than either of them could see, and placed a kick on Takabi's chest. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and sent the two flying outside, rolling into the street and hitting the sidewalk across the road.
Kairas stepped out from the house, his foot sliding forward slightly on the porch. "Let me remind you, Brother." Black ice rushed up towards the two. Takabi sucked in as much air as he could and jumped to his feet, raising his hands and summoning a wall of flames that stopped the ice from advancing any further.
"Nana, are you okay?"
He looked back through the steam that formed and widened his eyes. Her head was draining of blood, leaning against the concrete. She was out cold, but didn't seem to be in any mortal danger. "Fuck!"
Kairas appeared around the firewall, his hand gripping Takabi's side and freezing it solid with his ice. "You're coming with me. Never mind her."
"Fuck you!" He yelled, slamming his elbow into Kairas' jaw and knocking him off balance. "I don't know who you are but you're nuts if you think I'm going anywhere with you!"
Kairas laughed, rubbing his jawline. "That actually tickled. For someone with no memories, you are pretty capable."
Takabi grit his teeth, keeping between Kairas and Nana. He could run, but was sure Kairas would hunt him down and attack relentlessly, regardless if he had Nana or not. The look of determination in his green eyes sent a strong chill through the air, to the point Takabi could feel his goosebumps developing goosebumps.
A door opened to his left, and when he looked, he spotted Rose's shocked eyes and questioning look between the three. "What… Is going on here?"
"Rose, get in the house!"
"A human? Annoying." Kairas muttered, a single spear of ice rushing directly at the mother.
Jamie's cries could be heard from inside the house, time slowing to a crawl. The cold glare Kairas held until now shattered, as even he didn't predict Takabi leaping in between Rose and the spear.
When did he even move, Kairas thought.
The ice ripped through his heart, blood splattering over Rose's face and the door. Takabi hit the floor, still as could be. Rose stood frozen in shock for a few minutes, before looking down at him, shaking in place. Her fingers brushed her face, scanning the blood and feeling her tongue suddenly taste copper.
"That idiot." Kairas walked over to Nana's body and picked her up, quickly leaping off further into the town.
Neighbors began coming out of their homes in response to the noise, catching a simple glimpse of black ice becoming water and white fire fading away into the air. The spear that pierced Takabi also faded away into the wall, yet the boy remained unmoving.
Rose dropped to her knees, rolling him on his back and picking him up. The hole was around the size of his heart, blood pouring profusely from the wound and the corner of his lips. His hair was blocking his closed eyes. Dirt touched his chin and stained his clothes. Rose's eyes began to water, her shaky fingers and limbs coated in the running blood. Her dress went from white to red the longer she sat there, until she looked up from his face and screamed, "SOMEONE CALL FOR HELP! PLEASE!"
Some of the neighbors remained in place, while others rushed into the homes and quickly picked up their phones to dial. Despite this, Rose continued crying. This was a wound too severe, impossible to repair for any chance at life. She knew that, even as she clung to and placed his head against her chest, tears streaming heavy like a river.
Jewel came downstairs, holding the wailing Jamie. From the kitchen came Mr. Martinez who asked, "What's going on out here? What's all that yelling?"
Jewel looked over her mother's shoulder and stepped onto the porch. "Takabi?" Her eyes drained of light when she spot the open wound in his chest. She snapped her head around, drinking in the blood all over the window and porch. "Mom! Mom, what happened!"
Rose couldn't speak. Her throat from dry and words refused to leave her throat. Jewel handed Jamie to her father, before running inside and grabbing the house phone. Her fingers stumbled against the buttons, until she placed it against her ear and listened for the line to connect.
This isn't happening! There's no way this is actually happening!
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Kairas opened the warehouse door, stepping inside towards the center and dropping Nana on her side. He held a palm open over her, a green light glowing from his fingertips that swirled around her.
The other men began to crowd around her, licking their lips and cracking their knuckles. "Damn man. We weren't expecting desert until later," One of the gang said, which caused the other men to laugh in a gathering roar. Ryan looked down from the second floor, blinking and sighing.
Kairas glared at the man who spoke and sent a bolt of magic at him, which ripped clean through his skull and sent his blood and brains splashing all over the box behind him before he dropped to the floor and spasmed.
It got silent, Kairas speaking loudly as his eyes glowed. "This girl is not to be touched! Tie her up and keep her gagged. Don't allow her to utter any words at all, but so help me if any of you even think about touching her with your dirty fingers, I'll massacre the lot of you without a second thought, have I made myself CLEAR?!"
None spoke as he walked up the flight of stairs towards the back. Ryan looked at him, and Kairas asked, "Where's Erodon?"
"Said he had something to take care of. Wouldn't tell me much after that." He shrugged, eyeing Kairas up and down. "You look mad. What happened when you left?"
"None of your business. Make sure they don't touch the girl." He said, before stepping into the padded room and shutting the door in a heavy slam, walking into the center and once again beginning to meditate. A single tear ran down his cheek, which quickly froze over and shattered into tiny shards.
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When Nana came to, her head was pounding severely.
The taste of dirty cloth filled her mouth, and when she tried to move her arms and legs, she looked around and saw she was bound by thick ropes. She began to make muffled threats, most of the men looking at her and scoffing.
Kairas was among them, dressed in a fresh black tank top and black track pants. "Good, you're awake, Nana. Sorry about the rough treatment, but we both know how dangerous you are when you're mad."
She stopped struggling, ignoring her current situation and looking around, her eyes filled with worry.
Kairas could read her like a book.
He walked over, kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't waste your energy looking for him. He's not here and he's not coming." Kairas took a deep breath and spoke bluntly. "He's dead. Threw himself in front of one of my attacks and got himself killed. For a human."
The color faded from Nana's face.
All sound drained out, the hammering of her heart the only thing she could hear in her ears. She shook her head in disbelief. No… No, that's bullshit! He couldn't be dead! He survived the impossible before! I KNOW he's alive… He… Just has to be.. Her head lowered, as if her mind completely shut down. Tears ran from her eyes, but she remained still.
"What happened to her," Ryan asked.
Kairas sighed and stood up straight. "She shares a strong connection with Takabi. It's difficult to explain, but simply put, she has a sort of dependence on the thought of him. She was our Guardian Angel after all." He looked at Ryan, continuing to speak. "She became too close to him, and now she essentially operates with him. As long as she is under the ideal that he is alive somewhere in the world, her mind will keep operating like normal."
"So she's braindead right now?"
Kairas nodded. "I won't deny feeling bad for her, but it doesn't matter right now. I'm going to wait for Erodon to get back, then we're going to collect Takabi's God gems."
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Erodon flipped a quarter into the air, catching it in his palm and sighing. "All this moving around in secret, just to find their father? It's such a pain, isn't it? Boss lady should get off her ass and do some of the grunt work herself." He sat up on the crate, looking at the man dressed in black in front of him. "He's probably busy doing more research on the God Gems. She did send him away to do that. Hey. Are you listening?"
"I am, and I think you should shut up, Erodon. The Mistress has given us both a chance to make a difference, it would be wise not to speak about her as if she were a common human whore." The man looked at his wrist watch. Tapping his cane against the floor, he asked, "How is the boy?"
"Reserved. Difficult to deal with, but manageable. How much longer do I have to play buddy-buddy with him?" Erodon asked.
"Just until you collect Takabi's gems. After that, you can kill him as well and take his after."
Erodon pouted, but hopped off the crate. "Fine, but you better get off your ass and do something about that Dragon and Succubus. They could screw up our entire plans, and then we'd have to hear the head bitch complain, if we live anyway." He shrugged, and walked past the next few crates.
On one of the crates, Riki's head sat, his tongue and eyes gouged out and the back of his skull open. His body was mangled up and stuffed into the suitcase next to the crate. Before Erodon left completely, he looked back and said, "Ya know though. For a second, I could've sworn you cared about these people, Shink."
"Please," Shink began, looking Erodon in the eye. "Never assume a pure demon would care about anything that isn't as evil as his own heart."
Erodon laughed, flipping him off. "Right," He said, before using his vampire speed to rush off the construction site skyscraper. Shink looked down over the two, a smile forming on his old lips as the breeze gently picked up. The words he spoke were genuine, but he felt it didn't completely apply to him. "Just a little longer. Wait for us, Mistress."
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The paramedics load the stretcher into the Ambulance. Police were around taking statements as news vans began to pull up. Rose was sitting on the porch, having changed into a dark blue sweatsuit and tied up her hair. She washed the blood off her face, eyes red and puffy from crying.
"Are you going to go," Mr. Martinez asked suddenly. He rolled up the sleeves of his button down and sat next to her.
"Yeah. Jewel is already in the ambulance."
He nodded. "Good. He was a good kid. Tragic that this happened, even more on our front porch."
His tone made Rose angry. He was trying to console her, offer words to help ease the pain, but she could tell he didn't care. This man that sat next to her cared little of Takabi, and truthfully, didn't want Rose to be involved with him to begin with.
She would deal with him later.
Rose stood up and descended the stairs without so much as a glance back at him. "Watch Jamie until we get back, if you're not too busy." Her voice held bitterness.
Stepping into the Ambulance, she sat across from Jewel on the bench, looking down at Takabi's body. The gore was covered with a sheet, and a mask over his face to pump air into his lungs. The back doors shut and one of the paramedics in the front looked back at the two.
"We're going. Can you watch his vitals? If anything starts beeping, let us know please."
The truck started up, and began speeding down the road.
Rose looked at her daughter, mulling over words she could say. After a long, painful moment, she started with, "I wish I did something."
"There was nothing you could do, Mom. Whatever happened to him, it definitely would've happened to you too." She looked up, and caught Rose's eye.
She gripped her hands tightly. Rose's eyes glanced towards the paramedics in the front, making sure they were out of earshot distance, then said, "No. I could've done something. I could've helped him. Fought back."
"Mom, what the hell are you talking about?"
Rose looked at her palms, a faint light beginning to form within them. "What the hell is the point of being a Priestess if I can't even recognize an Angel next door?" She looked up at Jewel, shock in the girl's eyes. "I'm going to tell you something you can't reveal to anyone else. Listen close, Honey."