When Tsukiyo left Kazehana's apartment, she had found herself wandering the streets of New York. She wasn't quite ready to go home yet, and she wanted to stretch her limbs. Sometime during her escapade, she ran into Caspar and followed him home where they began a light session of training. If reading books on poisons could be considered training at least. On the bright side, he was also teaching her how to heal, something she had been practicing recently. Her attention was taken slightly when Caspar spoke, tilting her head to the side in confusion. She grabbed her phone and stared at it for a second. She had no missed calls, or any messages. Frowning she placed it back in her pocket.
"Be careful then," she called out after Caspar as he left. Sighing, she placed the book down and stood, browsing through selection of books before taking two of them, packing them carefully in her bag. With one final glance, she left the apartment room that the three males shared, and not moments after stepping into the hallway, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She blinked softly before pulling it out. "Guess he was right," she stated as she watched Kazehana's picture appear. She smiled before clicking the button and pulled the phone to her ear.
"I take it something is wrong and that Morgan is involved?" was the first response out of her lips. She still walked, perhaps a bit slower, down the hall and stood outside of the apartment building. "I was with Caspar, if you're nearby," she added, glancing at her surroundings in the process.
Kaz breathed a sigh of relief when her sister picked up immediately, apparently not currently so lost in reading or thinking that sheâd not noticed that her phone was ringing. In fact, her statement was so on point that her sister smiled before responding, only returning to her frown when she remembered just how correct Tsukiâs supposition was. âGot it in one, sis,â she replied, though honestly, when did things not involve him, anymore? Those three had dragged her and her sister into so many messes it was almost hilarious. Not that theyâd resisted or anythingâin fact, they went quite willingly, these days.
âIâll be there in five,â she said, checking her watch and breaking into a jog. Sheâd half-expected Tsuki to be there, so sheâd fortunately already started walking in the right direction. Fortunately, the apartment the guys shared when earthbound was also on the way to the clinic. Birds, meet stone.
As promised, she was in front of the building five minutes later, meeting Tsuki and both of them headed back to the clinic. âThing is⊠Iâm pretty sure heâs in Hell right now, and that Cass and As have gone after him. Beyond that⊠I have no idea whatâs going on, but As was pretty adamant that we lay low for a while. I figure we could also update dad while weâre at it, in case he doesn't know whatâs going on yet. He might know more than we do, I dunno.â
Vivian watched from the bench she was sitting on as the girls passed her. A small smile appeared on her face. Asaroth had succeeded in his mission by the sounds of it. She stood up, her long blonde hair swaying slightly. The girls were only a few paces from her when she spoke to them. "He's not Morgan any longer." A slight smile traced over her face when they turned to look at her. "The Fallen Angel you're speaking of. He's Mammon, now. The Demon Princes chose him as the next Prince of Hell's 5th Circle. I wouldn't look so surprised. I have had quite a few more years of practice when it comes to this sort of thing than the two of you have. I could help you both with that, far more than the three you've befriended can."
"Figured as much," were the only words to escape Tsukiyo's mouth at Kazehana's response. Caspar did say that he and Asmodeus were going to go find Morgan, and over the passing weeks she'd spent with them, something always involved one or the other of the three. She sighed softly as Kazehana mentioned she'd be there in five minutes. Glancing at her watch, she counted as the minute hand moved, smiling when her sister appeared exactly five minutes later. They broke into a walk, heading towards the clinic in the process. It would be safer there at least, with their father.
"When it comes to those three, hell always has something to do with it," she replied with a soft shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, they can handle themselves, I believe," she added. Which was a bit true, she believed that they were able to conduct themselves well and keep each other safe. The three were probably about as close as Kazehana and herself were and she was certain they'd figure whatever it was, out. Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called out, pushing everything else to the far recess of her mind. She turned to spot a woman, blonde hair, scar covering her face, and a strange glint to her emerald eyes.
Tilting her head sideways, Tsukiyo fixed the newcomer with a confused glance. "Not so much confused as to why you would even offer something like that," was the quick reply Tsukiyo gave. "Morgan is still Morgan. You cannot simply become something else, even if they change you physically," she continued. Though something did catch Tsukiyo's interest. The woman just offered to help Kazehana and herself with their ability, but Tsukiyo just frowned. This woman may have had years, but she had already chosen Caspar as her teacher. She didn't want another simply because they had more experience. That was what she had enjoyed about learning from the three of them. They each learned something from each other, and not just one alone.
A small smirk crossed Vivian's face. "That, Tsukiyo, would be where you are wrong. You see, in Hell, you can simply become something else, and forget everything else. Becoming something like Asmodeus, where he simply managed to retain his memories from before, is a very rare thing indeed. This means that the one you call Morgan simply no longer exists, unless he somehow managed to retain the memories of what he was before. This, however, is highly unlikely. Becoming a Prince is not an easy process, and from what I understand is also a very painful process."
Vivian turned head slightly as two large lizard-like creatures flanked her. She noted Kazehana and Tsukiyo looking at them warily, and she said, "Don't worry. They are not here to hurt you. They are under my orders. Messengers, if you will." The demons made an odd, guttural sound, and it seemed as though Vivian understood what they were saying, if they were saying anything at all. "How interesting. It would seem that he retained his mind after all. That does not bode well for Asmodeus."
Well, this was weird. And stupid. Kaz was slowly learning to tolerate and possibly even like weird, but stupid was just never gonna do it for her. âLook, lady,â she said, perfectly aware that she might be picking a fight she could not win and doing an excellent job not giving a shit about it, âI donât know who you think you are, or where you get off just showing up out of nowhere and dropping this on us like some kind of prophetic⊠demon-mistress person, but clearly, nobody told you that insulting someoneâs friends is not a good way to make them listen to you. I donât care what usually happens, Morganâs not going toââ Of course, then the woman just had to go and mention that Morgan still had his mindâtold you so, bitchâbut what she said after that momentarily halted Kazehanaâs tirade.
Didnât bode well for Asmodeus? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Of course it boded well for Asmodeus: his best friend hadnât lost all his memories and personality. How could that not bode well? âTch,â Kaz muttered, clearly ready to be gone. âWe donât have time for this. Come on, Tsuki, we need to be where theyâll be expecting us to be when they get back.â
Vivian really did smirk this time. "So neither of you are even remotely curious as to how I know your names? Or why I know where your friend is and what's happening to him? I suppose it truly doesn't matter. Whether you care or not is none of my concern." Two more demons had slithered up, blocking the girls' path. "You can tell your little angel friend that nothing will stop what is to come. Kami Hakari will come about. The time is nigh, and the sacrifices have been chosen. Now we simply need the time. You and your sister can either join me, or you can die with the others. The choice is yours." Vivian turned from them at that point, the demons receding into the shadows, and something glimmered on her forehead. It was a word, and it read M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y.
Tsukiyo shrugged her shoulders at Vivian's retort. Wrong or not, it was obvious that this woman was, in a way, just like her. She didn't have many friends, or perhaps none at all, but Tsukiyo did not allow anything to bother her. The way she saw it, Morgan was still Morgan regardless of the name he had. Even if someone were to be extracted, there were still ways a person could still be the same. Perhaps she was being too optimistic about that. She content herself with a soft sigh and glanced towards Kazehana, having sensed the flare of her aura.
Apparently Kazehana had not responded kindly to someone talking about her friends. Clearly Kazehana was more than upset as she addressed the situation. Tsukiyo merely remained in her spot, her eyes showcasing nothing but boredom. She scratched the shell of her ear, flicking of what she thought to be wax before Kazehana abruptly ended the conversation. Tsukiyo nodded her head as they both made to leave, but were blocked by two demons. Tsukiyo furrowed her brows as Vivian spoke once more, causing something in Tsukiyo to stir.
"A choice? That is where you are correct. We do have a choice, but it's neither one you presented," Tsukiyo stated, her voice becoming a bit stronger than its usual lackluster. She had just threatened not only her life, but Kazehana's life as well. Though Kazehana may have always been the one to protect, Tsukiyo did not like other's threatening her older sister, especially with death. "How you know our names, how you know anything about our friends is of little relevance. It just means you are what we are, a watcher. Though years you may have, it means nothing to me. But," she stated, her eyes narrowing. "We do not falter so easily under threats," she ended, watching as Vivian turned from them.
