Hell on Earth

Mei was curled up in Rinsuke’s lap half asleep as the others held an emergency council meeting. Jiro was sitting beside them, watching them worriedly through the corner of his eye. “Mr. Akai, what exactly did you see?” Kain asked, letting that question ring out for the fifth time. “I already told you all, I didn’t really see anything. She saw them, I think… it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. You can see them, but at the same time you can’t… you can feel them, and hear them though. It’s really quite odd.” He answered while the little girl squirmed and whimpered in her arms before jolting awake and gasping deeply.

“It’s all right, it’s just a bad dream.” He soothed, but she jumped away from him and ran to turn off the lights and close the blinds on the windows. “I know it’s the bad dreams! We have to be quiet. Cover your ears so they can’t make us scream!” she hissed seriously, once again drawing and clutching her dagger. “Mei,” Jiro sighed softly, slowly standing to go over to her, but she threw her dagger at him, aiming directly for his heart.

Everyone gasped as the dagger stopped inches from him, thinking he had used the Hide Hand to stop it, when a shrill cry sounded and a shadowy figure appeared before disappearing again, letting the dagger hit the floor. “The bad dreams go inside you and make you see things. If you are asleep you dream but if you are awake you dream and act like a puppet. You will think your best friend is a monster, and kill them.” She explained quietly, darting over to pick up the dagger.

“How can you see them?” Lord Dragon asked softly. “I can because Lesander gived it to me.” She answered simply. “And who is Lesander?” Kain asked. “Shh! Be quiet now!” she ordered, tugging on Jiro’s hand to make him kneel down beside her.

“Eri, where are you going?” Kana demanded as she, Zelman, Lesander, Frederick, and Aimée walked into his room to see him fully packed and leaving. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow. My men are staying… we have proof now that this is real, I can get the other Hunters on our side. I’m going to IHQ to have them send all available bodies this way, I know they’ll listen now.” He answered with a laugh; “If I don’t come back… maybe we’ll see each other on the other side, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Zelman questioned.

“As a Demon Hunter I’ve done a lot of things that will probably lead to being sent to Hell. Stealing, killing, destruction… I didn’t realize how wrong it was until fighting beside you… all those demons that begged for their lives, pleading for mercy and forgiveness… they weren’t the demons we’re fighting now. They were like you, weren’t they? They were innocent as I am.”

“Don’t dwell on that, my friend. Go now, if you need any help at any time, just call my name; I will defend you to my second death.” Frederick nodded.

“Thank you.”

“You are more than welcome.” He smiled as their Human ally ran from the hotel room.

Lesander’s eyes darkened suddenly as the shadows of the room surrounded the five of them before everything disappeared.

“What the hell-” Zelman started before looking around and realizing that they were standing in the center of the council meeting. “Where is my sister?” Kana demanded, glaring directly at Rinsuke. “Arashi came to take her somewhere safe,” he answered.

All four demons froze at that knowledge, and Frederick drew his sword. “Don’t think I won’t do it again, with Aimée here I can take your head off and use it to play football if I wanted to, and you would be just fine.” He warned, reminding Kana of what happened last time she tortured someone out of anger.

“Do it,”

“Why?” Aimée demanded.

“Arashi has Mei!”

“I’m not going to take your head off, because your sister may be at risk.” Frederick scoffed, sheathing his sword and leaning casually against the table.

“Kouki!” Kana summoned, waiting impatiently for him to crawl through the window. “Master Kana,” he gargled as everyone watched the Demons interact.

“Arashi has taken Mei. I want you and four Ghouls patrolling for her anywhere out of sight. Send Shadows into populated areas, and Wraiths everywhere else.” She ordered.

“Yes, Master Kana. Is there anything else?”

“No, now go.” She ordered, and sent him on his way.

“Exactly what is going on? I thought that creature was one of your followers.” Jiro announced. “So did we,” Lesander frowned. “The Ravagers aren’t on our side, they never were. The war has begun, and I suggest you pray to whatever gods you believe in that Mei’s isn’t the first blood drawn.” Kana announced darkly before walking out the door.

“Their tactic is to take our Reminders.” Lesander announced gravely. Aimée began worriedly playing with the wedding ring she wore, while Frederick took out an old Victorian locket with his wife and son’s names etched into it.

As Lesander explained to the Special Zone’s leaders what the importance of the Reminders were, Mei was in the basement of a church, tied to a post and sobbing through the tape over her mouth. Arashi had betrayed her, and it broke her young heart.

“Now, now, don’t be so distraught. By the end of the night, you won’t want to cry anymore, I promise.” the vampire who was watching her cooed, showing his abnormally long fangs. She knew not to trust him from what Kana had said about his eyes.

“Not all vampires here can be trusted, Mei. Listen carefully. If the eyes are black and yellow, turn away. I’ve only seen Kowloon Children with eyes that color, and they are not friends.”

His Kowloon traits weren’t the only thing she saw, however. She also saw moving shadows. The Shadows were Demons, but she couldn’t tell if they were good Shadows, or bad Shadows.

“Arashi I swear to the deepest pits of hell, you will suffer for this.” Kana spat under her breath as she ran through the Special Zone, only stopping when she reached a dead ended alleyway. “Don’t let this change you, Kana. I know what she is to you, but I also know that you are anything but these monsters you fight against. You don’t have to become one of them.” Zelman sighed from behind her. He had been following her since she left the meeting, and she knew it, but she hadn’t acknowledged him until then.

“If anything happens to her… she’s all I have left, Zelman, I can’t lose her. I can’t go on without her!”

“You can, however as long as I can help it, you won’t have to.” he nodded and pulled her out of the alley to find Mei.

“I’ve never seen Zelman trying so hard to help someone before. Not like this.” Kain remarked as he and the others remained in the meeting. “If he doesn’t, he loses everything.” Jiro explained. “No, it isn’t that,” Aimée giggled as she watched the Special Zone through the window behind the men. “What is it, Aimée?” Lord Dragon questioned curiously.

“At first, it was fascination, she fascinated him to no end. She is different from any woman he has ever met, and to make it more interesting, Demons are immune to a Vampire’s charm. She didn’t fall for him as other women would have.” She explained, “However all of that is changing as he gets to know her. There is something about her that he not only is drawn to, but also is falling in love with. She entertains him with her very existence, and in the small moments she has shown her interest in him, I have noticed his eyes sparkle with a hidden joy.”

“Are you saying they are in love?” Kain scoffed. “Kana doesn’t love anyone, save Mei, and that is only sisterly adoration.” Frederick pointed out. “Remember that Demons and Vampires aren’t Human. We aren’t Human anymore; we are the walking dead. Not to mention the fact that even as a Demon Kana isn’t normal. I have seen the way she looks at him, the frustration and fury he brings to her, the so-called hate.” Lesander smiled smoothly. “Dear god, he angers her because she doesn’t want to love him.” Frederick realized. “And like the child he is, he follows her around, trying to win her over.” Lesander smirked before disappearing.

“Where’d he go?” Rinsuke asked. “Hell, where we are all going. Something’s wrong.” Frederick explained, also disappearing. “Forgive me, I will return as soon as I can… I fear the war is starting now with its first battles. You, find your brother and the woman you left him with… Mimiko.” Aimée announced seriously after turning to Jiro. His eyes widened as she disappeared, and he quickly left to find Kotaro, fearing something terrible had happened.

“Brother!” Kotaro shouted happily when Jiro walked through Mimiko’s door. “Kotaro, listen to me. We have to leave now.” He explained calmly. “What?” Mimiko questioned sadly. “Don’t worry, Miss Mimiko, you are coming as well. It isn’t safe here. That war Kana and Mei were talking about is starting now. We have to go somewhere safe.” He explained. “Oh no! Where are they?” Kotaro panicked. “They’re all right, now let’s go.” He sighed, pulling the little blonde behind him as Mimiko rushed to follow.

“My sister is gonna make you hurt really bad if you don’t let me go!” Mei screamed angrily while the vampire laughed at her thrashing. “Your sister can’t do anything to me. What’s she gonna do, send her demons on me?” he smirked. Mei screamed with everything that she had, until she thought her throat would explode. However, he silenced her by punching her on the side of the face, knocking her unconscious for a few seconds.

When she came back around, she was crying in pain and screaming even more for her sister. “Would you just shut up?!” he screamed, going to hit her again when a wall of shadows built up between them. One took a human form and threw him back, while the others surrounded Mei, refusing to let him near. “Hiding in the shadows, huh? Well how do ya like this? You little bitch!” he growled, flipping a switch and turning thirteen lamps on, ridding the room of all shadows. Mei started sobbing in fear as he pulled her up by her hair, digging his fangs deep in her neck.

“Kana, what happened?” Zelman demanded when she fell to her knees as they ran to an old church, hoping to find her sister there since they had no luck anywhere else in the Special Zone. “I don’t know,” she breathed, letting him pull her to her feet and lead her into the church.

When they got to the basement, Zelman was going to incinerate the Kowloon Child that greeted them, but Kana already sent the most powerful torture spell she had ever used, to punish him for harming Mei, who was unconscious and tied to a post behind him. To Zelman and Kana’s shock, the spell tortured him until he exploded, sending blood and pieces everywhere.

“Mei, Mei baby look at me. Please look at me, please?” Kana sobbed, forgetting that Zelman was behind her as she ran to her sister’s side. The moment Mei’s black and yellow eyes made contact with Kana’s, Zelman pulled her back and out of the room, ignoring her screams for her sister.

“She isn’t your sister anymore, Kana. That child, isn’t Mei! She’s a Kowloon child now, she isn’t the girl you knew!” he tried to explain, but Kana wouldn’t hear it, continuing to scream and fight for her baby sister. It took all the strength he had to hold her back until Jiro and Aimée joined them.

“She was bitten by a Kowloon Child,” he explained, since she was still screaming and sobbing for him to let her go. “All right,” Jiro sighed, catching onto what Zelman was trying to say. “N-no, no please no, p-please no,” Kana begged. By this time she was unable to stand, and was on her knees in front of Zelman, crawling to grab Jiro’s jacket to stop him from walking into the room with Mei. “P-please, don’t kill her, don’t take my sister away from me, please!” she sobbed.

“Kana,” Aimée sighed, wiping a few tears away from her eyes, “She’s already gone.”

“NO! SHE’S NOT SHE’S RIGHT THERE!”

In her fury she accidentally let go of Jiro’s coat, only realizing when the door to Mei’s room closed and locked.