Vampire Princess Miyu Fan Fiction ❯ When Friends are True-A Vampire Miyu Saga ❯ The Dark Exorcism ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter Six



Chapter Six
The Dark Exorcism

Pain. For a moment pain unlike any Miyu had ever experienced before raked across her mind and tore her soul, and it was not her own pain from the entrapment spell. It was not only physical pain, but a pain from a shocking betrayal and the pain of realizing that he was probably going to die. Larva was going to die, and there was probably nothing she could do about it. She could see the blood flowing from the wound in his chest as he collapsed to the snowy ground. She was in too much shock even for tears to come to her eyes. "LARVA!" she screamed, but there was no answer.
Lemunia only laughed. "You don't have time to worry about anyone else, Miyu!" He taunted. Shifting the cloak that covered his back, two huge black wings unfolded that did not seem to be visible any other time. They stretched out wide to either side of him and were flapped forward and back again, creating a wave of black feathers at Miyu that bombarded Miyu like missiles. They struck her skin, creating shallow wounds that still bled and made her flesh feel as if it were on fire. She slowly was reduced to curling up into a small ball within the entrapment spell as a feeble attempt to shield herself.
The individual battles of Chinese verses Western Shinma halted when Miyu's painful cries could be heard. Kia's sword was locked with Spartoi's, but she risked a quick glance to the side to see what the problem was. What she saw was Miyu caught in a very powerful entrapment spell and a pathetic black heap on the ground that she immediately presumed was Larva. The snow around his body was red with blood. "Oh, Gods!" Kia cried breaking the lock with Spartoi and attempted to run to Miyu's aid. Without her Shimobe to protect her and being as weak as she already was, she was as vulnerable as a newborn kitten to the Western Shinma. It was just so damn hard to run through the snow with her feet.
"Hold!" Spartoi said. Kia stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"What do you want?" She snapped.
"We have yet to finish our battle!"
From up in the tree branches above their heads, Yoshi began to squawk something incomprehensible but everyone ignored him as Amy turned his attention on Spartoi. "Spartoi, we have no quarrel with them. That is not why we are here. Larva has been struck down and Lemunia and Carlua have trapped Miyu. Why don't we kill her now, together?"
Spartoi looked over the scene before them, with Miyu trapped in a now towering column of energy, occasionally crying out in pain. He frowned. "All of us… against her? It's just not fair."
For a moment Kia gave a start when she heard his words, then growled at the two Western Shinma. "Hey! Don't you dare turn your backs on us! We have a fight to finish!"
Amy rounded on her and glared at Kia. Kia felt no more threatened than if another girl was sizing her up in a high school. It had happened more than once and all the girls had usually received a severe beating slapping around after. "We never came here to fight you." Amy snapped.
"Then you are a coward!" Kia snapped right back. Yoshi continued his endless squawking. "Oh, Yoshi will you stop acting like a pregnant rooster!" She yelled at him. She turned back to the Western Shinma, but they were gone, walking towards the area where Miyu was still trapped. "Hey, wait!"
"Time is of the essence, Spartoi." Amy crooned as they walked away as if nothing had happen just a few seconds prior. "We may as well finish it off. It means that we can leave this hell hole a lot faster, as well."
Spartoi frowned again, thinking. The process always seemed to take longer than it did for most other people. "Well, I suppose you're right."
His companion smiled. "I'm always right."
A sudden sharp jolt to the back of his head made Spartoi swing around angrily to face an even angrier Kia. She had hit him in the back of the head with the flat of her long blade. "I said it was not over yet!" The Chinese Shinma growled. "How dare you walk away from me!" She swung the huge broadsword around her wrist gracefully despite its size and would have split Spartoi's head open had he not unsheathed his own sword again to block. "Never turn away from a fight, much less to join another!" It was then that Spartoi realized that her fighting spirit was being fueled by anger, and that was a weakness that would not be difficult to turn against her. He twisted his sword around to force her own down and pin it down to the ground, catching her by surprise long enough for him to punch a fist into her chest, the first knuckle of his index finger driving into the hollow of her neck. He was aware of how strong he was and did not like using his strength against a girl, but he figured that she would be strong enough to take the blow. It would not hurt her, just merely knock the wind from her lungs, but he was surprised by how easily she was thrown back into a near by tree, hitting her head on the trunk. It slumped to one side and her eyes closed. She was still breathing, which told him he had not crushed her windpipe. Spartoi straightened and suddenly looked very proud of himself. He had just knocked out on the Chinese Shinma, the fabled fighters of the Shinma worlds! "That's one down." He said quite calmly to try to not look arrogant.
Yoshi stopped his mindless screeching at Amy from in the tree branches and jumped to the ground, calling Kia's name as her ran to her side quite awkwardly manner. He said her name again, bending down and shaking her shoulders. Kia groaned and moved her head slightly; the worst she could have was a weak concussion. Yoshi stood and turned to see the backs of the Western Shinma. He charged at them, weaving one of his weaker fire spells in his hands. A ball of red fire energy melted into his right hand, making it glow the same red color. "Claws of Fire!" He yelled, making a slashing motion with his glowing hand. Four crescent shaped fire balls flew from the ends of his fingers and tore at the Western Shinma, tearing at their clothes and cloaks, making black, smoldering marks where they had touched. They both turned on him angrily. "Don't think you can get away from us that easily!" He said with a creepy, wide grin on his face though fire raged in his already red eyes. "If you think I'm so tough, then I right here!" He spread his arms wide out to the sides. "Come on then, tough guys! I dare you!" He built up an even stronger fire spell in his skeletal hands but not in time before Amy launched a fireball of his own, much stronger than Yoshi expected it to be. Red and orange flames burst in front of his eyes, hot and blazing. A cry of alarm escaped his throat as he felt his clothing become burnt by the flames. There really was no reason to be afraid, though. He was a Fireblood, and the flames would not hurt him as badly as they would someone who did not control fire, he was only surprised. So these Western Shinma were better than he thought… But there was something else in this fore spell. He was beginning to feel tired…
Then the flames were suddenly gone as if they were never there and Yoshi collapsed forward from pure exhaustion. It felt as if it were his own fire magic that was being used. Amy smiled vilely at the two crumbled, unconscious Chinese Shinma laying on the ground. "That's two down." He said. "Shall we, Spartoi?"
Carlua finally broke the entrapment spell and released Miyu, whose knees buckled beneath her as she fell to the ground. She could not remember the last time she was this weak, this defenseless. She and Larva both… Larva. Where was he? Was he still alive? The terrible sight of him being struck down by one of the other Western Shinma continued to repeat itself in her head, of the energy blasting through his body, of him clutching his chest as he fell in the snow. She remembered seeing the blood… there was so much blood… Miyu reached for their bond through her mind, but where she could usually feel his thoughts and feelings there was only a feeling of cold numbness. Was this death? At that moment the only thing she could think and care about was getting to him. Gathering her feet under her, she tried to stand.
"Now's our chance!" Amy said.
"Yes!" Spartoi clenched his hand into a fist and held it above his head. With a stomach-churning sound that was like metal grinding upon metal, the dragon on his shoulders began to move again and took the form of a huge snake and uncoiled itself from its master's shoulders. Slithering on the ground, it seemed to grow in length as it slid over to where Amy was crouched, crawling up the feminine man's arm. Amy stroked its bronze head almost lovingly.
"Fare thee well, Miyu."
* * *
Something was not right, but Tacha dared not turn her gaze away from her opponent. This Western Shinma was good, being as weak in elemental powers as they were. She had been doing her best to keep away from the brunt of the brutal blows of Water Lipper's waves, but water still dripped from her body and made her cloak heavy. Any other time she would have enjoyed this. She hissed at Kia's decision to not use their full force on the Western Shinma nor show their full hands yet. But now it was more serious than any of them had thought it was going to be. Though it looked as if Yoto had things under control at his side of the battlefield; Tacha could not help but laugh when she saw the surprised look on the Shinma's face that was dangling two feet off the ground. Kia and Yoshi were in a verbal fight with the two Western Shinma they had taken on and Ryuko was pacing in small circles, looking very confused. Miyu was still trapped and Larva had been injured. Tacha wished that there was something she could do to help those two, but her hands were full. The fight with Water Lipper was pointless and getting them both no where.
Water Lipper let another tidal wave fly at Tacha, but it was very slow moving. I can use this against her, Tacha thought as she easily moved out of the way. Tacha raised both of her hands above her head, weaving a more powerful water spell than the ones she had been using before. A glowing blue sphere formed in her hands and she moved her arms down so it was being held in front of her. "Water Blade!" She yelled and swung her arms wide to both sides. In the space of the blink of an eye, the ball of water magic was thrown at Water Lipper, flattening and growing in size. To Water Lipper, it looked like a regular blade a t first, but then the end was beginning to look very sharp. Her jaw dropped before she disappeared out of the way. The wave cut through a dozen trees as easily and cleanly as scissors would through paper and cracked all the rocks in its way before its strength tapered off. That takes care of that, at least.
Fire exploded to the right of Tacha's vision and she turned to see Yoshi slump to the ground, just as Kia was laying by the trunk of a tree with a dent in its dark bark. The two Western Shinma were walking away from her friends as the spell that held Miyu was broken. Everything seemed to be happening so fast now. Tacha blinked her eyes and now something that resembled a huge snake was on the ground and a strong form of magic was being woven through the air. Something definitely bad was afoot.
"Yoto!" She yelled at the big Chinese Shinma who was still holding Cait Sith by the collar. "Put that down and get over here! We need to..." Everything went black after from the sledge hammer-like blow that hit her in the back.
* * *
Yoto blinked; it was the closest thing that he gave to a start. Tacha was now laying facedown on the ground after the jet of water hit her between the shoulder blades, knocking her out cold. She was not the only one out of action, now. Kia and Yoshi were also unconscious, and the Shinma they were fighting were about to confront a weak and defenseless Miyu. Ryuko was still on his feet, and so was he. There was something that they could do.
He also remembered that he was still holding onto a struggling Western Shinma with one hand, who was still kicking up a fuss, threatening him and calling him vile names. Or probably some of the vilest things a Western Shinma knew. Some of the words that left Kia's mouth in the past were worse by a long shot. Knowing that he could not just let him go Yoto spotted two thick forked branches in a nearby tree. With this guy's shoulder armor, they would work perfectly. In three fast strides Yoto approached the tree, raised Cait Sith higher than before and placed him right between the two branches, leaving Cait Sith hanging in the air by his own shoulder armor. "Stay there for a while." Yoto said in an emotionless tone, then left to join his cousin despite Cait Sith's whining yells.
"Ryuko." Yoto had to keep his deep bass of a voice as low as he could to keep anyone else from hearing. Ryuko snapped his yellow-eyed frantic stare up to his huge cousin. "We now have to take matters into our own hands. The others are currently out of action and it looks as if the Western Shinma are about to deliver an even more dangerous attack." Ryuko was all ready aware of this. He remembered almost gaping in horror at the giant bronze snake that uncurled from Spartoi's shoulders and slithered along the ground. It could not mean anything good.
"All right then. Let's go." Both Wolfins sprang forward, sprinting across the snow with amazing speed. It was the cold snows they were born and raised in and they took to it as well as an Avian would to the trees of a Felin to the waters.
Pazusu watched as Miyu slowly and weakly pulled herself to her feet, not seeming to notice nor care about the other Western Shinma watching her. It was to be over soon; Spartoi's dragon was awake and gaining power. Once Miyu was about of the way, they would take Larva back to their ship and perform the Mashujutsu to cleanse him of Miyu's foul blood. When Larva was back on their side, they would move through the Japanese Shinma Realm to conquer the next four Layers. By then they would be strong enough to. That would teach those fool Japanese Shinma to never underestimate nor make fools of their Clan again.
Something flashed out of the corner of his eye and he felt two very powerful presences rushing towards them. It was the two Chinese Shinma that were still on their feet, the ones that looked like wolves. One of them was beginning to form a spell that was being created from drawing from the ice and coldness around them. If they were as powerful as their spirits said they were, than these two alone would be powerful enough to take on all of the Western Shinma. And if the other three had spirits as powerful as these two… Pazusu did not want to think about what the outcome would be. Nothing was going to stand in their way. They had come too far now. Adverting his eyes away from Miyu, he recited an entrapment spell that would hopefully stop them.
The smaller of the two Chinese Shinma suddenly halted in his tracks, one foot still in mid-air. Everything was frozen in their place: his arms, his legs, and every other part of his body from the neck down. His jaw dropped open as his eyes bugged in their sockets. "What in all the Seven bloody hells is going on here?" He yelled, his muscles tensing as he tried to move them. "Hey, you bloody morons! This is your shit, isn't it? Let me the hell out of here, or I'll…" Pazusu glared at the young Shinma and mumbled another spell, stuffing a gag of nothing into the Chinese Shinma's mouth to silence him. If it was possible for his eyes to get any bigger than they already were, they did before the entrapment spell pulled him the ground. The coldness of the snow felt sweet against Ryuko's skin, hot from the fight, feeling much like the snows from home, but he was too outraged to care.
Pazusu figured that that was only a fraction of his language that was being thrown at him. He had always hated a foul mouth. That was one taken care of. It was the other one that worried him. That spell was a remotely powerful one, not as showy as the one Carlua had used, but effective, and strong enough to easily stop someone with the strength of Spartoi in his tracks. The bigger Chinese Shinma was still on his feet, still moving, still advancing. An eerie calm had masked his already stony face. Either the spell holding him was weaker due to the fact that he was trying to hold two of them or this Shinma was very, very strong. "Carlua," He said, barely looking behind him. She was still wearing her white mask, but he could almost see the smile of content as she watched Miyu suffer. "I temporarily need your help."
"What is it, Lord Pazusu?" She asked without turning.
"Cast an entrapment spell of air to the one Chinese Shinma still moving. Even one is a threat to our mission." Carlua did turn her attention to that. He knew how much she wanted to succeed, to bring Larva back to them. Her thoughts were the same as his. Behind her mask, she said the same spell as he had used in a tongue that very little people could understand. The bonds holding the big Shinma tightened as they joined with Pazusu's but the Shinma did not even flinch. His jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth together and glared at them through a gaze of frozen steel, but other than that he was helpless. Even though it did not seem as if he would kick up as big a fuss as the other one did, Pazusu still tied a gag around his mouth in case his words turned sour as well. If he ever talked, that is.
"The Chinese Shinma have been rendered helpless, Spartoi." Pazusu said loudly to the others. "Now is your chance before the others wake up."
Miyu once again in the snow then shook her head. She rounded, if a little slowly, to face them. It feels as if I'm blacking out, but I can not let them beat me! She thought defiantly.
Spartoi smiled as the snake slid off his body completely. "Go, my dragon!" He commanded. The snake gained speed and size as it raced across the snowy ground, then arching upwards towards the sky, growing into a now huge, horned dragon. Miyu looked up when a large black shadow was thrown over her, seeming to block the weak light that filtered through the heavy, dark clouds and gapped at the dragon that was towering over her. A new though sunk into her mind; this was probably it. She was too weak to escape this on her own. All the Chinese Shinma were either under restraint or unconscious, and Larva was…
Miyu called out to Larva through her mind on pure reflex, but hardly expected an answer.
Laying in the snow, half-melted and red from his blood, Larva stirred as Miyu's desperate voice called out to him. How long had he been laying there? Why was he not dead? The wound in his chest did not hurt as much as it had, but a strong feeling of shock still hung over him which held more pain mentally than the physically. Pazusu…why? For what reasons did you have to do this? You were the only parent I've even known… Doing his best to look up and to his right, he saw Miyu was still on her feet- barely, anyways- with a towering bronze dragon before her. Spartoi's dragon, which he had only seen in action a few times but enough to know of its power. Fire magic stirred in the air, and he could already sense what was coming. Miyu would be right in the way of it. Holding back the pain, Larva tried to get to his feet as the spell gained strength. He did not know exactly what he could, but he had to do something, anything to save her…
The dragon roared and opened its mouth as Amy shouted one commanding word: "Fire!" The dragon opened in gigantic mouth and breathed a plume of fire that compressed itself into one solid wave as it blazed towards Miyu. Death was right before her eyes, but all of her energy was gone. The only thing Miyu could do was close her eyes and wait for death to take her. I can't get away quickly enough! She had never thought of it ending this way.
Something ran across the snowy field, something very fast and with a black figure grabbed Miyu's wrist and pulled her close to his body as the fire exploded along his back and was redirected skyward.
Miyu was unsure of what happened next. She had remembered closing her eyes tightly, bracing herself again the massive fireball that was speeding towards her, knowing there was no way for her to get away. Then something unexpected happened. She felt someone grab her wrist and pull her out of the way and two strong arms holding her near to his body just as the fire was to hit her. The fire heated the air until she felt as if she were in an oven and all breath stopped for a moment before the temperature dropped again. She remembered that someone was still holding her when he coughed, and she slowly opened her eyes to see who it was. Slowly at first, anyway. As soon as she saw who her savior was her eyes snapped open to the size of saucers.
Larva's knees trembled and buckled the slightest bit, leaning against Miyu as he continued to embrace her tightly, her head against his shoulder. There was still no pain to be felt in their bond, but the numb feeling was slowly evolving into a feeling that one gets when they have not slept in days. He was fading, and fast. "Larva..." At first it only came out a whisper. He did not answer. Miyu said his name a little louder, but still nothing. Finally Miyu pulled back from his shoulder to look at him in the face. There were fine cuts along his hairline and another above his right eye; blood covered his face. He was also bleeding from the mouth. His eyes were closed and his breathing seemed shallow. "Larva!" She cried frantically.
His eyelids flickered a little before they opened weakly. The amount of pain that was held within their red depths was not reflected in his voice. Slowly he withdrew his arms from around Miyu's body and cupped her face gently between his hands. Her golden eyes were filled with tears that were on the verge of slipping down her checks. What scared him the most was he could not feel her mind through their bond anymore. Not wanting her to feel anymore scared that she looked and also because of the pain that clenched his body when he tried to speak, he said, if not quietly and a little hoarsely, "Miyu... you have to run!" Miyu reached up a trembling pale hand as if to touch his face, but he removed one of his own hands to gently grasp her wrist and push it back down.
Something within Miyu shattered. It took her a small second to place it; her heart. It had finally happened. Larva had protected her, as he said he always would, and now he was going to die because of it. Her deeply buried nightmare was coming to reality. She found that she had lost all strength to move, to speak, and to do something, anything that would help him live.
From the place where he was hanging in the trees, Cait Sith was finally able to free himself by slicing through the branches with his sharp claws. He fell with a dull thump in the snow. How dare that Chinese Shinma make a fool of him like that! He was going to pay… if Cait Sith could figure out how to stand up to someone of that size. But now there was more important things to take care of. The Chinese Shinma were out of the way. Three were unconscious on the ground and the other two were being held in place, including the tall one that hung him up on the tree. What were they doing here in the first place?
Larva was not dead… yet. It was like Pazusu to not be able to kill someone on the first blow. The man had a weak stomach, and now it was up to Cait Sith to finish the job. He only wanted to be done. There were more important matters to take care of. This could not be more perfect. Miyu and Larva were in the same place; he could kill both of them at once. Larva was holding Miyu's face in his hands and Cait Sith saw him mouth the word "run". He snarled at them. "You will never make it!" He shouted across the battlefield to them. Centering his energy, he thrust out his hand and his black cat-wraiths flew forward with enough speed to rip a person to shreds. The stir of black energy made Larva turn his head just enough to see the wraiths screaming towards him and Miyu. He had seen those things kill before; the bodies of their hapless victims were barely recognizable.
Grabbing Miyu's shoulder, he pushed her away from him. "Go!" He yelled as he wove a weak shielding spell around her body, though it would do little good against the force of the wraiths. He had now put himself between Miyu and the cat head-shaped wraiths. He had promised to protect her until the moment of his death, and now that promise was put to the test.
"Larva..." Miyu cried softly as tears flowed down her face. The magical shield around her body was pulling her away from Larva as if invisible ropes were tied around her body, but they were weak so it was not a problem for her to resist them. Burying her heels into the earth under the snow, she was able to overcome the majority of the pull to remain by her Shimobe, though she knew that there was little she could do for him.
Pazusu gave a start when he saw Cait Sith unleash the wave of Cat Wraiths against Larva as he stood protectively in front of Miyu. He was already surprised when he saw Larva stand and, to his horror, rush to Miyu to block the fire from Spartoi's dragon. Was the vampire's control over him strong enough to make a dying man use the last of his strength to protect her from a blow as powerful as that? The girl was truly a demon for only being a half-breed. But those wraiths would tear apart Larva's body until there was almost nothing left. That would ruin everything. "Cait Sith!" He yelled, running in front of the wraiths so that he was now between them and Larva. Grabbing the corner of his cloak he wove a strong shielding spell that destroyed the cat wraiths as they were within feet of them. "Don't be impetuous, Cait Sith!" Pazusu yelled at him. Cait Sith glared with rage and insult in his eyes.
"Miyu..." She was still behind him. Larva could feel his life slipping away like water through his fingers, and Miyu was still there. Above anything else, he did not want her to see him fall. Gathering up every last bit of energy in his body and soul, he made a Transportation Gate and pushed her through. Miyu eyes went large from shock as she fell through, calling for him in a scream that was ripped from the very center of her soul. The force of the Gate caused the ribbon that held Miyu's hair to unravel, her long brown hair falling from its ponytail and fan about her shoulders. Her scream was the most heart-breaking sound in the world and lingered for a long time afterward as the Gate closed. Miyu was now in the Earth Realm in a location that he did not even know, and safe from the Western Shinma. Miyu... The spell had taken all his remaining life and he fell forward. You must survive, Miyu... The last thing he could remember seeing was Miyu's smile. Her real smile in which not a trace of pain or sorrow was in her eyes. It was a very rare and beautiful sight. Then everything faded to black.
The red ribbon was still in this world, and it drifted across the wind and entwined itself around Larva's wrist.
Pazusu did not look at Larva until he heard him hit the snow. "Miyu's servant Larva is now dead." He announced, trying hard to mask the pain in his voice. It was very hard for him to look upon Larva's body lying in the pool of blood-red snow.
"Why did you stop me back there?" Cait Sith asked in a cold, angered tone.
"Because we can't destroy Larva's body." Was Pazusu's emotionless answer. "After all, we need to resurrect him."
Cait Sith bit his lip to keep from loosing all his patience. It did not work very well. "But we didn't kill Miyu. The worst part of it is she got away!" He yelled. "She was right there, and I could have finished her off with no problem! We could have left here by tomorrow morning!"
"So what you are saying is," Pazusu's voice was oddly calm. That was the time to be fearful of him the most. "Larva's death is inconsequential?" He turned his stern gaze on the younger Western Shinma. "Cait Sith?" Cait Sith looked away quickly; it was so hard to meet the other man's gaze sometimes.
"Of course not, Lord Pazusu." Around them, the other Western Shinma became to gather around, waiting for their next orders. "It's time to find Miyu and kill her." Cait Sith said to his companions. A small smile flicked across each of their faces.
The only one absent from the group was Carlua. She was slowly walking across the snowy field, mask off, towards Larva's body. She knelt next to him in the snow, gently brushing his light blue hair from his face. There was a sad express on his beautiful face. "Carlua, are you ready?" Pazusu asked softly as he came up from behind her.
"Yes, I am Lord..." Suddenly her skin itched from the inside as the spell that she had helped Pazusu weave to hold the two Chinese Shinma broke. They had forgotten all about them. They looked over to where the two were being held just as the smaller one was picking himself off the ground and the larger one working his jaw from the tight gag that was put over his mouth. They were not the only ones that were now up. The other three were also beginning to stir, picking themselves up from the snow and looking rather confused, but the look only lasted for a moment when they caught sight of Larva's body.
The girl with the bird-like features bared her teeth as she glared at the Western Shinma. "You bastards..." she growled. "Miyu... what have you done with Miyu?"
"Gone, Chinese Shinma." Cait Sith said, stepping forward as if he had not fear of them. But as soon as Yoshi and Tacha stepped forward he all but jumped back to almost hide behind Spartoi. "She is in the Earth Realm."
"You disclose that information to us when you have the upper hand in the situation?" Tacha sneered. "To the Earth Realm then." She said as she turned back to her friends and they all prepared they Transportation spells.
"Are you saying that you would rather look for the vampire than kill us?" Amy taunted.
"Oh, well then we can always do that. It should not take very long." Ryuko said, looking as if he were ready to spring forward.
"Well after your last display of skills we have seen, we should not feel very threatened now, should we? You even let your opponent go, I hear." Amy looked very smug and proud of himself that he had just said something that would damage a Chinese Shinma's pride.
For a moment it seemed to have worked. Anger flashed across Ryuko's face and he began to step forward when Kia held out her arm to stop him. "Not yet." She said. The tone in her voice was frighteningly chilly. "You have not seen the full power of a High Chinese Shinma, yet fools. Next time we meet we will not be so easy." She turned her head slightly, not taking her eyes away from the Western Shinma but speaking more to her friends: "We will return home first."
"Wait for us, Western Shinma bastards." Yoshi said with a half-smile. "You still have yet to feel the caress of our claws." Then they were gone.
"High Chinese Shinma..." Pazusu said, mainly to himself. How high? He knew that the more political power a Chinese Shinma held the more powerful their magical and fighting skills were. It was said that their royalty was invisible, but why would they send their royalty here? He bent down and picked up Larva's body. "Their words are not to be taken lightly." He said louder so all the Western Shinma could hear. They nodded and began to disappear through Transportation gates to the Earth Realm to find their escaped target. "Stay away from them. Now Carlua, let's begin the Mashujutsu."
"I wanna help too!" Lemunia exclaimed suddenly. Though he did not know what he could do, it gave him a good excuse to be near Carlua.
"What?" Carlua sounded more angry and insulted than surprised. "You've got to be kidding, right?" Lemunia was speechless. "We don't need anyone's help, especially not you! My help is all Larva needs!"
"Lemunia," Pazusu began without looking at the boy. "I don't need you for the surgery. You should go help find Miyu instead."
Lemunia swallowed. "Y-yes, sir." He said, sounding very humiliated and disappointed. He disappeared through a gate after the others.
When Lemunia was gone, Pazusu looked down at Carlua. "Young lady, it won't hurt to treat him with a little respect."
Her comeback was harsh. "He hasn't earned any respect. He's just a kid."
Under most circumstances, Pazusu probably would have laughed but there were more important things to attend to at the moment. "Let's go, Carlua." He said.
"Yes, sir!" Both Western Shinma disappeared from the snowy field, taking Larva with them.
The red ribbon that had come loose from Miyu's hair was the only thing left behind, wrapped around the branch of a fallen tree. It flapped slowly in the cold wind as red as the blood on the ground as the snow continued to fall.
* * *
"Damn them! Damn them! Damn them! Damn them all!" With each word Ryuko hit the boulder a little harder, building up strength through rage until the gray face of the rock shattered in a spider web and crumbled to pebbles at his feet.
"I know how you feel right now, Ryuko." Tacha said. "But taking out your rage on a boulder is not helping save Miyu. We need to get our thoughts organized and decide what to do next. So what do we do now, oh fearless leader?" She asked Kia. "Apparently the 'hold back full power' didn't work as you expected."
Kia held up he hands as if to fend off an attack. "I know, I know. But you know it's of low honor to attack someone when you don't know of the extent of their powers. Now we know what we're up against, though the price was high to learn it. Larva is dead, and Miyu is in the Earth Realm. Since there is nothing we can do for him, we have to focus on finding her."
"She's going to be in really bad shape." Yoshi said. "I wish there was something we can do for her."
"The best thing we can do is assure her that we'll be there for her during this time." Tacha said.
"True. Okay, new plan for attack." Kia said and all the Chinese Shinma gathered close to hear. "We still don't use maximum power on them guys, only because of the balance of the Realms thing going on now. But we can be a little more serious on them now. They made fools of us last time, but we can still turn the tides on them and make them look worse. I also think our cloaks were weighing us down as well. Before we leave, everyone changes into their official combat clothing. You know that wearing our fighting garb will get the message across like a masked Western Shinma. After that we'll split up. The spell that Larva pushed Miyu through was weak, so it would have covered a small area of forest..." she began to draw out the plans in the snow, explaining as she went along. When she was done, she looked up and asked "Does everyone got that?"
"I got it."
"So do I."
"It is all clear to me."
"I really don't get it." Tacha slapped Yoshi on the side of head, making a loud thump. "All right, now I get it. What do we do if they... find Miyu first?"
Kia's expression became very serious. "Then rip their bowels from their belly and spell a warning message in blood for all them to see. All right, let's go." They all went inside their dojo to change into their fighting garb.
* * *
There was something on the ground. The woman moved through the brush and pushed back the branches to see what it was. It was late, and she remembered seeing the flash of dim white light to the north of her home while she was gazing out her kitchen window. Thinking it may be someone lost in the woods, she ventured out to just make sure. Even though she and her young daughter lived in the middle of the forest, they were still greeted by a wandering stranger every now and then. She moved aside another branch to reveal a small clearing, see the small figure on the ground for the first time. "Oh, my!" She said allowed, surprised that she had found anything at all. "What is that?" She moved closer to the unconscious figure on the ground. It was a girl, looking about thirteen or so years old, with pale skin and long brown hair fanned out around her. She was wearing a white yukata with a red sash and slip, not the type of clothing one would wear in the forest. The woman moved closer. "How did she get all the way out here? I wonder if she's even alive?" Bending down, she slipped a hand under the girl's neck and lifted her head slightly. Her skin felt like ice. "Oh, God! She's so cold! She... she must be dead?"
Suddenly the girl stirred slightly. The smallest sound escaped from her lips. "Lar...va..."
The woman suddenly felt very relieved. "What? She is alive! Hold on, little girl!" She picked up the small figure in her arms and began to carry her back to her house.
"Lar...va..." she called out again. She held up her hand, as if expecting someone to take it.

"She feels like ice..." the daughter of the woman who brought Miyu to their home said as she touched her cheek. "Mommy, will she be all right?"
"The doctor can't come until morning," he mother said. "But I'm sure she'll be fine." She sighed sadly. "She keeps saying the name 'Larva' over and over again."
"Who is that?" Her daughter asked.
"I was wondering that myself."
* * *
So dark...
Miyu knew she was dreaming, but could not bring herself to admit it. It was so dark. No matter where she looked she could only see dead blackness. Except for... something flicked just out of reach of Miyu's vision, something glowing red. Flick. "I saw a red dot!" Miyu said allowed. Her voice sounded like she was no older than five. She was no older than five. She was dreaming of her past again. Flick. "There it is again!" The darkness began to ease, turning from pitch black to the gray of dawn though there was no sun and no horizon. The only thing that remained black was a massive tree that stood before her, the red dot glowing steadily.
Miyu. Come, Miyu. Arise.
"I sometimes hear a voice. It calls out my name." Miyu told her mother, holding onto her hand tightly. She did not want her mother to think that she was afraid.
"It comes from a big black tree with a red eye call the Osa, the Shinma's leader." This was not right. Her mother had never told her that much when she was little. A dream, Miyu told herself. This is a dream. Wake up. She did not. She could not.
"But, what are Shinma?" Miyu asked innocently.
"Miyu!" Her mother said sternly. "Forget about it. There's no such thing." She grasped her daughter's hand a little tighter.
"But... I can see it."
Osa stood before Miyu, his Voice filling her mind. In the Japanese Shinma Clan, there is a Vampire Princess. She is the Ruler of the Japanese Shinma!
"Vampires?" There was no such thing. Her mother told her that when she was seven. She was now seven. A vampire was a being of legend. Then what am I?
Are you not thirsty for blood?
"Blood? No, I don't want any!" Miyu reached forward to touch the waving black twigs of the Osa, but they disappeared from under her fingers like smoke. "Hey, why can't I touch you? Who are you?"
Osa was gone, and it was dark again. But Miyu was not alone. There was someone else in this empty darkness with her, a ghostly figure wearing black robes and a white mask. Miyu... a cool, comforting voice called her name. The mask was gone, and Miyu found herself looking into a pair of stunning red eyes. Miyu...
Miyu was speechless. She was only able to say one word. "Larva..." It was Larva, but now he was gone. She recalled what had just happened only a few hours ago. "Larva! Larva! Answer me!" She called desperately. "Where are you?" What happened to you? It's too dark! I can't see anything! Larva? I'm reaching out for you... Why won't you hold my hand?
* * *
The candle was the only source of light in the entire chamber and it flickered occasionally with the soft cool breeze that entered through the aged, cracked wood. Pazusu stood overlooking Larva and Carlua, who were laying in two separate beds adjacent to each other. Both had all their clothing removed and were only covered up by a white sheet for preparation of the Mashujutsu. Carlua looked over at her cousin with a look of fear and anticipation in her eyes. Larva would not wake until the surgery was over, and if it is a success, at that. One wrong move and it meant death for both of them. "Carlua," Pazusu tried to rid his voice of his own worry. "Are you drowsy at all?"
Carlua looked back up at Pazusu with a small grin on her face. "Yes." Was her simple answer.
"You trust me, don't you?" Pazusu asked with a gentle smile.
"Of course!"
"Very well then..." Pazusu laid a hand only Carlua's forehead and the girl's eyes slowly closed. Her breathing quickly took on the rhythmic pattern of sleep. "First, I must drain Miyu's blood." Raising a hand over his head and clenching it into a fist, Pazusu began to chant a magical spell in a language of forgotten origin. The light from the candle seemed to grow brighter. A soft glow also enveloped Carlua and Larva as they lay motionless in the beds. Something that resembled soft red smoke suddenly began to rise from Carlua's body and drift over to Larva, where it settled into his skin. That was the first part of the Mashujutsu, but the worst was yet to come. Pazusu continued his chanting and beads of sweat began to appear on his own skin. The same red smoke soon began to rise from Larva's body, but then solidified into what appeared to be blood before evaporating into the air. Miyu's blood, leaving his body. The spell rose to its peak and the blood continued to rise and vanish like water thrown upon hot coals. The spell was taking more energy than Pazusu had anticipated and he was soon breathing as if he had run ten miles. "Be gone!" He yelled allowed. "Curse Miyu's blood! Be gone forever!" He fell back, balancing against a chair as the spell began to wind down. This was still not the worst of it. His part was done, at least. "The rest is up to your power, Carlua." he said, resting a hand gently on the side of her face.
* * *
The moon was only half-full tonight and it gave off a pale light that did little to light their path. The world of the humans was different in just about every way from the world of the Shinma. It looked different, smelt different, sounded different, even felt different. There was no magic here, so the strength of their spells would be hindered if it came down to using any type of magic here. "We should split up!" Cait Sith said loudly. It did not matter if any humans passing through the area heard him. They would not be around long enough to scream. "Miyu must be very weak now, so she won't be able to detect us. It will not be very hard to finish her off." Pazusu had ordered all of them off the ship as he performed the Mashujutsu. He did not know what the black magic would do if any others were close to it, and he did not want to risk anything happening to anyone. Now Cait Sith, Lemunia, Amy, Spartoi, and Water Lipper were in the Earth Realm, looking for Miyu. Like Lemunia had said, Night Gia was on the ship where the Chinese Shinma had put him, but he was so shaken up that he refused to leave. He kept muttering about the strings of light that Ryuko- whichever that one was- had used on him to control his body. Never had he seen that type of magic, and he did not want to risk begin caught up in it again.
"But still don't underestimate her, right?" Lemunia asked.
"Right!"
* * *
"So they're all splitting up, eh?" Ryuko said quietly, leaning against the trunk of the tree next to Yoto while Kia, Yoshi and Tacha waited above. It was now three hours since the battle with Night Gia, and his powers were strong enough to make a shield around all five of them so the Western Shinma could not detect them. Well, four of the five, actually. Yoshi always had to ability to erase his presence without the aid of magic. "What shall we do about that?"
"Follow them, of course. Make sure they don't stick their stuck-up noses in any place where they might cause more trouble." Kia said. "Yoshi and I will follow Amy and Spartoi, Tacha, you follow the one you were fighting. Ryuko, go after the fruity one with the purple hair. Yoto, I need you to go to the lower Layers and find Mioshi and Okkoto. Ask them for help."
"Then what about the boy?" Yoto asked.
"He's only a kid. I don't think that we have to worry about them too much. Ryuko, is your magic strong enough to keep up the shields?" Ryuko nodded. "All right, let's go."
* * *
"Do you smell it too, Spartoi?" Amy asked.
Spartoi answered: "The blood? Yes. Miyu must have been here. She's wounded, so she shouldn't have been able to get very far."
Amy giggled. "Well, where do you think she could be now?" From in the tree where they were watching the two Western Shinma, Yoshi was not sure if he wanted to laugh, tease or gag. Men did not giggle! Whatever he wanted to do, he did not so they would not hear them. Kia slapping him upside the head had to play along with that as well.
Spartoi turned to his friend. "Amy, let's separate. Agreed?"
"But…" Amy sounded truly desperate and disappointed. "I'll miss you."
Spartoi did not seem to hear nor take heed to Amy's words. "Whoever finds Miyu first kills her." He said, clenching his hand into a large fist.
"You don't want to finish her off together?" Yoshi opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it tightly, his eyes wide. Kia knew how he felt. The two Western Shinma were leaving open many doors for teasing at the moment, and Yoshi hated missed opportunities.
"That won't be necessary. Just get it done with quickly!" Amy pouted as Spartoi turned and started to walk away and disappeared.
"I'll go after that one." Kia whispered. Yoshi nodded as his sister disappeared into the forest.
Yoshi turned his attentions back to Amy. "You're such a simple guy. I like that about you." Amy said affectionately, looking at the spot where Spartoi had been only a few heartbeats ago. Then he vanished as well. Yoshi remained in his tree, eyes bugged.
"This guy isn't just fruity," he said aloud. "He's an entire fruit cake! Why do I always get stuck with the weird ones? Oh well, better have some fun while I'm at it."
* * *
The room was dark again after the magic of the Mashujutsu died down, but Pazusu sit stood rigidly by the bed that Carlua was laying in, still asleep. His part of the spell was done, though he still continued to chant the magic language; now it was all up to her powers. This was the most dangerous part of the spell, and more than half of the few great sorcerers who had tried this spell had died in the process. If Carlua did not trust in her powers, than she would be the next life claimed by the dark magic, and she would take Larva's life with her.
In the depths of her mind, all Carlua could see was darkness. Though she was scared, she knew how close she was to completing the spell and bringing Larva back to the Western Shinma, back to her. You can some out now, Miyu. The game was over. She thought. Inside her mind, where her conscious self was, her own voice was everywhere. Up until now, her body felt fine, just waiting inside her self until the first half of the spell was complete. Now an odd numbness engulfed her, like being out in the snow with no cold. A sickness gripped her stomach. I feel nauseous, like I need to vomit. The numbness increased and her mind spun. The darkness became darker, blacker than the blackest pitch and fear quickly replaced the nausea. It's too dark. Her voice sounded close to panic. Why is it so dark? Is it because you aren't here? Please come back, Larva. Pain spiderwebbed across her mind and briefly across her body. She opened her mouth to cry out in pain, but no sound emerged. Help! She cried out, but no body answered. She was alone in this cold, dark place. I can't speak, and my body won't move. This was the most difficult part of the surgery. If her courage fled on her, or she doubted her own powers too much, then the magic of the Mashujutsu would consume her soul and Larva's and they would both die. She could feel the pull of the black magic, its seductive call to her body to yield herself to it. The beckon was sickeningly sweet, and for a moment she almost felt her self give in. Maybe this was a mistake…
No! Though it was evil, black beyond black, it was their only hope of bringing Larva back to them. Carlua swallowed back the tears and tried to think of victory rather than of failure. Larva would come back to them, and their vengeance against Miyu would be sweeter than the black magic being used now. She swallowed back her tears. It felt as if she had swallowed bullets of molten lead. Mashujutsu… yes, the surgery shall save him. I trust Pazusu. My blood will bring Larva back. It will! The darkness and the seductive call fled, and an eerie soft light reflecting in a sea of red mist that still seemed dark at the same time filled her mind. A figure appeared in the red mist; a young man wrapped in a white sheet, his hands bound over his head by a red ribbon. The ribbon was strikingly similar to the one that Miyu wore in her hair. As she walked closer- or what she thought was walking, though it seemed that her legs did not move at all- she saw that the man tied up with Larva. He was still not completely free of the control that Miyu's blood had over him. Larva needs me! He's still trapped by that vampire… Carlua came closer to him, holding out her arms. Larva, I'll give you all my blood. He opened his eyes a little, looking at her as if he could not place her face. You haven't forgotten me, have you? Larva… She reached for him further.
A new voice entered her mind. I know this is painful, but you must hang in there, Carlua! Pazusu. Pazusu was still with her. She could do this. She had to do this. Carlua reached for Larva farther, and this time he raised a hand and reached back to her. With a final burst of energy, Carlua grabbed his hand and held tight.
Carlua moaned softly and tossed in her sleep. This was now the worst part of the Mashujutsu. Her soul was being pulled two ways, one way by her own will and the other by the black magic. Pazusu began to regret his decision of performing this spell; it was not worth her pain, but he knew if he broke it off now than both would die. He shut his eyes tightly, tying off the end of the spell when he felt someone grab his hand. Opening them, he saw that Carlua had a tight grip in his wrist, as if holding on for dear life.
"Just a little longer, Carlua." Pazusu said. "Just hang on a little longer. It's almost done."