Libra's POV
Despite the fear of what might go wrong and the fact that I'm an antisocial asshole, it's nice outside. So I figured, why not take Ditto to the park? It'll be good for him to play outside and it couldn't hurt for me to get some fresh air. It's a fifteen minute drive to the nearest park. When we get there, I'm delighted to see a few human children playing on the playground equipment. We park, I help Ditto off of the bike and watch as he runs over to join the other kids. I relax as they let him join the game that they're playing, which looks like tag or hide and seek. Looking around, I see other parents who read or keep an eye on their children. Everything seems normal. Still, I can't let my guard down in public scenarios. I sit on one of the park benches, next to a human woman. She looks about 40, with premature wrinkles on her face, olive skin, tired hazel eyes, and black hair tied back in a low messy bun. At least some humans survived the massacre. Even so, I feel uneasy by the reminder of what I've done to them.
"The weather is nice, isn't it?" The woman asks with a light hispanic accent.
"It is." I reply.
"I don't recall seeing you in the community before. Are you new?"
I watch Ditto successfully tag a human boy and run off giggling. I then lie through my teeth to the woman, "No, I'm just visiting with my little one."
"Your little one?"I motion over to Ditto, watching as the woman views him in awe.
"Que niño tan precioso!" She cries, "How old is he?"
"He's about seven."
"Oh, bless his heart. It's hard to find a good home these days with such unholy beings in the world." Unholy beings, of course. Why wouldn't she be Catholic? I shift on the wooden bench and cross my arms. The woman then says a prayer for what I'm assuming are the human lives lost in the war.
"Your god can't save you." I say under my breath.
"Que?" The woman looks at me in shock.
I look at her and watch as the color drains from her face. She must've noticed my eyes.
"D-Diabolo..." She says, her voice trembling as she points a finger at me.
"No, I'm not the devil." I reassure her.
"Then what are you?"
That's a good question, what am I? I look back over at Ditto, who hides under the slide while a human girl counts to 10. I hear Leo's voice faintly in the back of my head, "You're not a demon. You're more like a fallen angel." I shift again and look down with a sigh.
"A fallen angel trying to find its purpose." I say to the woman.
The woman looks down at the rosary in her lap. She clutches it and brings it to her face, preparing to say another prayer.
"Don't pray for me." I snap, causing the woman to flinch.
"May I at least know the name of the angel who watches over this little boy?" She asks.
"Why does it matter?" I ask, "I barely know you, let alone trust you."
"You're so cynical." She says.I chuckle,
"That's not the worst thing I've been called."
The woman lets out a small huff. I catch a glance of the rosary and pause as I see a familiar symbol on the side of the cross. The symbol of Aries, she's one of the Zodiac 12. I get off the bench and make my way over to Ditto when Aries grabs my arm.
"Going so soon, Libra?" She asks in a mocking tone. I growl and knock her back into the bench. I dash over to Ditto and pick him up.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" He asks.
"We need to go, little one." I say.
I take a few steps forward and that's when I notice it, she drugged me. I drop to my knees as my vision blurs.
"Mommy? Mommy are you ok?" Ditto asks, panic clearly in his voice.
Aries approaches, smiling kindly at Ditto.
"Worry not, hijo. I'll take you somewhere safe." She says, reaching out to him. Ditto clings to me as my claws stick out.
"DON"T FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" I roar, lashing out blindly. My claws must have made contact with her skin, because I hear Aries scream. I feel myself shift into my true form and let out another roar, scaring off the human children and their parents. I kick Aries away and curl up into a ball, holding Ditto close to me as I hear engines close by. Heavy footsteps approach us, I hear Ditto whimper.
"We need to separate them." Aries says, sounding out of breath.
"No." The gravelly voice of Sagittarius says.
"Por que?"
"He's right." Virgo's voice chimes in, "If we want to keep her calm, the boy needs to stay with her. It seems she cares about him."I feel Ditto's breathing soften, he must've passed out from the fear he felt. Soft, desperate growls escape me as I struggle to stay conscious. I should've taken the crow as a warning. I stiffen as a sheet is placed over us. This is my fault. I feel Aries' hand brush over one of my horns as she tries to comfort me, lulling me to sleep. I'm sorry, little one.
I wake to the feeling of a small hand on my cheek. I sit up and Ditto hugs me close without a word. As my eyes adjust to the light, I'm then able to see that they put us in a cell with a bed and sheet.
"Finally awake, are you?" A man with an accent asks. I'm able to get a better look at him as he approaches. He's tall with black hair, and bushy beard, and he wears a trench coat. Based on the Gemini symbol tattooed on his neck, he must be another member.
"Why are we here?" I ask.
"You're here because we have some questions for you." Gemini says, "The boy is here to keep you calm enough to avoid causing trouble."
I look behind him and see Virgo, Sagittarius, and Aries."
Was it necessary to put us in a cell?"
"Maybe not for him, but you're dangerous."
"In what way?"Nine more people then walk into the room. Five women, four men. The remaining members of the Zodiac 12. Gemini sneers and grabs the bars, leaning in close.
"You're a fuckin' killer, Libra. Just like the rest of us." He says, "Now why don't you stop dickin' around, and tell everybody what this little game of yours is really all about?"
I wrap the sheet around Ditto to keep him warm, then look at Gemini.
"This isn't a game." I say.
"Oh really?" Gemini crosses his arms, "Cause it seems like we've been playing a lovely little game of cat and fucking mouse for the past 48 hours. And for what? Some fuckin' shape shifting little shit who relies on the protection of same the ex-communicated Hunter Killer that was ordered to execute him in the first fuckin' place?"
"Shut up." I bark, "You of all people should know that's a bigger crock of shit than the propaganda Prince Serren has been shoving down everyone's throat for the past decade."
"And why should we believe anything you say?" Sagittarius asks, "We went back to the site where a distress signal was picked up 20 minutes after encountering you two at the lobby of the hotel. We then found the bodies of HK-8732, HK-3586, and General Crow "Zero" Fairbrook. The autopsy reports came back all the same. You, HK-9427, murdered all three of them in cold blood."
"She didn't mean to do it." The room falls dead silent as Ditto's small voice speaks up, desperately trying to defend my position, "You don't know the full story."
Gemini laughs, "Are you really having a fuckin' kid advocate for you?"
"She saved my life!" Ditto shouts at him.
"Little one, enough." I say. "I appreciate your effort in trying to defend me, but please let me handle this."
Ditto looks down and says nothing else. I kiss his forehead and clear my throat.
"Yes, I did murder my commanding officer and fellow soldiers." I explain, "I had a reason, to spare the little boy I found in that building. My unit was given false information. There was no human in sight, which begs the question of why we were sent there in the first place."
"What are you suggesting then?" Gemini asks.
"That your beloved prince was expecting this to happen." I say, "He hasn't made any attempt to address what happened publicly."
"You dare accuse our prince of such blasphemy?" Aries scoffs.
"Enough." Virgo says, "It's clear that this traitor has not been put in her place."
She looks at Sagittarius, "Take the boy to Prince Serren. We will send the traitor to him after she is properly punished."
"Understood." Sagittarius says.
Ditto begins to panic as Sagittarius approaches the cage.
"No, I want to stay with Mommy!" He cries.
I put my hand on his cheek and lean in close.
"Don't worry, little one." I whisper in his ear as the cage opens, "I'll find you. I promise."
"Mommy." He whimpers as I pinch the pressure point on his neck, causing him to fall asleep.
"If Serren touches him, I'm killing all of you." I growl as Sagittarius takes Ditto from my arms.
"Do as she says." Virgo orders, "She's too dangerous to risk it."
Sagittarius sighs and carries Ditto out of the room.
Virgo grabs my arm and drags me out of the cage. She then throws me to the ground.
"As dangerous as you are." She says, "You'll never be one of us."
A heavy boot then comes down on my back. I let out a pained growl as I try to push myself back up. Virgo grabs my hair and pulls back, forcing me to look at her.
"We're going to make you wish you never betrayed the prince." She sneers.
They're closing in. I feel a hand grab my wrist. Another one grabs my leg.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
"Do your worst."