She sat in the throne, slowly drinking red wine, and enjoying every moment of it. She narrowed her eyes and smirked at nothing. She cracked Her whip and called out to somebody. "Kenji!" she said, and at that moment, a young man with dark black hair appeared. When the light hit, it turned a shade of green. His clothes were a silky light blue and draped over him like a cloak. "Yes," he answered with his head down low. "Kenji..." she repeated and stood up. She threw the wine glass on the floor and it shattered instantly, the little shards sparkling. She walked into the light, showing Her short hair and long flowing powder blue dress. Her face was not pretty, but it held a subtle beauty. Her webbed ears flattened out, almost in worry. She looked down at Kenji, who was crouched before her. She lifted up his face, and he looked back into the aqua eyes. They looked so kind, but they held a hidden hatred and almost worried him. "You're so polite... so loyal," She said softly. "When you enter, stand and look. Otherwise, I'll feel too bad about myself." He seemed most eager to look down, as if he just couldn't stare into his employer's eyes, but he was afraid of punishment if he didn't. "Yes, ma'am," he answered. "You can call me by my name," She said and helped him up. She tilted Her head, and moved Her hand to his arm. "Yes, m... Kasumi," he said. She smiled and walked back to her throne. "Now, then, Kenji," she said. "I have a task for you." "What is it?" "I want you to destroy this woman," she ordered, and held her right hand out. It was bare unlike her other gloved hand. A blue light in the shape of a water drop fell to her hand, and sprayed into an image of a young woman with long blonde hair with a flower in it. "But, Kasumi, isn't that your sister?" asked Kenji. "My sister?" she repeated. "Yes, it is." Kenji looked down for a moment, then nodded. He disappeared with a small flash of light. Kasumi rested her leg over another, and took a second glass and poured it with the red wine. She heard footsteps from the room next door, and a figure walking through. She knew who it was and started to lift her hair back behind her ears. A man, no older than her, walked next to her, holding a togechiiku on a gloved arm. His hair was a light strawberry blonde and his eyes were a deep blue. "Hiroshi," said Kasumi, without looking. "What are you doing with Togechiiku? I was looking for it this morning, but I didn't find it." "I needed it to help me get you this," he answered. His clothes were just as white as hers and Kenji's, but they seemed much more neat and straightened. He gave her a necklace with a small white stone on it. "You're so nice," said Kasumi and smiled, showing a fang. "Where was it?" "A local shop in the town next to the forest." "Togechiiku helped you buy it?" "No, it helped me steal it." * Deep in a cleared forest area, the setting sun shone through the leaves making bright patterns on the grass. A young boy ran into the back door holding a little piece of paper and a spear. "I've received word that Kasumi has sent a minion out to kill a water nymph." "Really? What's her name?" "Sakura. There's no given last name, but we suspect it might be from the Hanada Springs." "What did you just say?!" Seyou turned around, and her bow and arrows cackled against each other at her waist. She glared at Taichi, who clenched his spear and note in fright. He stuttered for a moment, but couldn't say anything. "Answer me, boy! Tell me where the victim is located!" "The Hanada Springs?" he repeated. "Are you sure?" she asked and grabbed the note away from him, making him step back a little. Her eyes moved back and forth quickly as she read it. "How could this be true?!" "M-may I ask just how this is so surprising?" queried Taichi. His ibui leaned against his leg to comfort him. "Sakura, Ayame, and Botan..." mumbled Seyou. "Who?" "Kasumi's sisters. Why would Kasumi want to kill one of her sisters?" "S-sisters? But they're water nymphs. Kasumi is a sprite," corrected Taichi. "Don't you know anything!" screamed Seyou and slapped him. She put her arms on her waist. "You have to learn about your enemies before you go out to hunt them! Kasumi was turned into a water sprite and that let her walk on two legs!" "How's that possible?" "Electric sprites. They... they're 'real magicians'... they can do that," she said. Seiyou straightened her back for a moment and put her hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Now why would Kasumi want to kill her own sisters?" "Sibling rivalry?" said a voice. Nanako came out into the open. She tossed her blue hair behind her back and stood next to Taichi, gripping his hand lightly. "Rivalry?" repeated Seiyou. "What other reason?" she said. "Preposterous!" Seiyou held her hands in the air and dropped them to her waist. "Sibling rivalry couldn't lead dea-" she paused. "Or maybe it could?" Taichi looked at Nanako, who shrugged back at him and rubbed her thumb against the patch on her arm that read "Yosei Kokoro." "Taichi, you have three older brothers. How do you feel about them teasing you?" asked Seiyou, and moved her face up close to his, throwing daggers with her eyes. Nanako grew a little tense and moved closer to Taichi. "My brothers don't tease me at all..." he answered. "So I couldn't tell." "Damn this!" Seiyou threw her arms and hands along her desk, knocking over a few broken arrows and paper work, which landed on the floor next to Nanako's chikoriita. Taichi and Nanako stood silently, staring at Seiyou. "Well?" Seiyou glared at them. "Don't just stand there! Go out and look for Sakura!" The two stepped back, slowly at first, then quickly ran out of the hut, towards the east. Seiyou sighed and sat in her chair. As the captain of the group... she got the most stress. She wondered if maybe she should have been a teacher instead of an officer. "Hard day today?" asked a man. He stepped out from behind Seiyou and put his hands on her shoulders. He had gotten inside so silently, but not through the door. Through the ground. He was clearly an earth sprite. "Very," she replied and looked up at him. His brown hair tickled her nose and she suddenly felt so relieved. "Kasumi... she's still continuing the crime wave." "Can I help in any way?" he asked. "You don't have to do anything, Shigeru," she replied. Shigeru reached down at gently kissed her cheek. She could feel his fangs. "Are you sure?" "I don't know what you can do." "I can fight Kasumi," he declared. "She doesn't seem that tough." Seiyou stood up quickly and turned to him. "She's murdered over fifty people!" "Has she killed them, or has she sent people out to kill them?" he asked. She relaxed and looked to the side, staring at a broom in the corner of the hut. "Well, she usually sends them out, but..." "Then I can go out to fight her," Shigeru gripped his sword and revealed it just a little. Seiyou hugged him. "I don't want you to get hurt too badly..." "I... I'm sure that my sister would be able to take care of that." * "I saw Shigeru walking around here someplace. I think he was headed towards the little Yosei Kokoro hut," said Nanami. She put her hands on the warm grass. "That's near here," said Satoshi. His head was rested in her lap. "Maybe I should go now." "I need to get back to camp anyway," she lifted Satoshi off her lap and they got up. Nanami straightened out her dress. She was an earth sprite, but was still so gentle and was allowed as the Yosei Kokoro's nurse. She looked at Satoshi and frowned. It was such a beautiful day. Why must their small romantic day be interrupted with... "Nn... but.." they heard somebody mumbling from a distance. Satoshi perked up his long, elf-like ears. Nanami looked at him in question. "Who was that?" she asked. Satoshi was a nymph. One of the electric types... he could hear what humans can't. "It sounds like, somebody's struggling... it belongs to a woman. I don't recognize it," Satoshi's pikachu twitched its ears as well and leaned against his leg. "But it's getting louder. I think she's saying-" There was a large scream and Nanami turned around to wear it was coming from. In the middle of it, there was a strong crunching sound and the screaming stopped. -- "I'm sorry, Sakura," Kenji lifted his sword. He put it back in its rest, mindless of the blood. He walked away from the dead body that lay half in the water, which began to become stained with a dark, brooding red. Sakura's long golden hair dripped with the blood, and it spilt onto the grass, soaking inside. Her ears were wilted and pale, and the scales on her fin started to dry from the sun beating down on them. Nanami ran from the pathway through the forest, and into the open where she rushed out to the water nymph. Taichi and Nanako ran after quickly and the three surrounded her. Nanami placed two of her fingers on Sakura and waited a moment. "She's dead," she answered. "Sakura! Sakura!" a woman yelled out from under water and sprouted up. She shook her head, waving her short pink hair and darted to her sister. "What happened? What did you do to her?!" "Somebody came here and killed her," answered Nanako. "I was watching, but..." "You were watching?" asked Botan. Tears started forming in her eyes, "You, a Yosei Kokoro member was watching but all you did was stand there and wait until the murderer was gone? How could you?! You could have saved her but you didn't, you heartless bi-" Taichi grabbed Botan by the neck and slapped his hand over her mouth. "Stop yelling at her like this! We didn't arrive until after the murderer had killed her so you have no right to blame us for not saving her!" Botan struggled and managed to rip Taichi's hand off her mouth. "You could have came sooner!" "Stop it, both of you!" said Nanami. "Now's not the time to fight about this sort of thing. We need to find out who did this." "It was one of Kasumi's minions, I'm sure," said Nanako. "We heard that one of her targets was Sakura." "But isn't she Kasumi's sister?" asked Nanami. "We don't know why she'd ever want her own sister killed, but she's not kidding with this order," Taichi looked at Sakura. * Kenji appeared in front of Kasumi. He cleared his throat. "Sakura has been killed." "Good job," she said. "You can expect a reward, but only if you do your next task." "Yes, m... Kasumi?" "I want you to destroy Botan," she held out her bare hand again, and in the ripple of light was the image of her other sister, Botan. "Yes, Kasumi," he answered and nodded. He was about to leave, but looked up at Kasumi. "May I please ask you something?" She stroked the smooth ivory skin on Togechiiku's head. "Go ahead." "Will you be expecting me to destroy Ayame next?" Kasumi laughed a little bit, but then grew serious. "No. I think that Ayame deserves to live. She was really the only sister that... ever appreciated me. Besides, she's been missing for a long time now, I don't want you to bother looking for her." Kenji closed his eyes and left. Kasumi could feel the sorrow in him. She knew this would be his last job anyway, and after this she would send out her next employee. * "She could have sent me to kill them both at the same time," Kenji said as he walked down the pathway. He suddenly wondered how he had gotten in such a mess with a water sprite. He felt that Kasumi wanted him to be her friend. She never asked anybody except Hiroshi to be so casual in front of her. Or maybe she actually liked humans? Kenji shook his head. Maybe it was just him. But what if... it was he who liked nymphs and sprites? No... that couldn't be right. He came upon a small river and decided to take a small rest. The moon was high in the air. He looked at the rushing water that sparkled in the dim light, but there was something dark seeping through it. He leaned over slowly, curious of the shadow. A woman with dark midnight blue hair emerged and stared at Kenji with just as much curiosity. "A water nymph? Wait... Ayame?" he asked. She nodded. It was the second oldest sister of Kasumi. But she was said to be missing for over three years, and yet she was only swimming around in this timid little river all this time? "Who are you?" she asked. He replied in reaction, "My name's Kenji... no wait! No, you shouldn't be here! I shouldn't be here! I can't get aquatinted with anybody, it's against my duty.... Oh no... Umm... you never saw me! Never! Forget me! And my name!" Kenji started to back away from her and dropped the fruit on the bank of the river. Ayame put her arms around Kenji's neck playfully, almost dragging him in. "I can't do that. Besides, it's been so long since I've really seen anybody walking around here..." She smiled and Kenji could see two fangs sticking out. "Oh my god, you're a water sprite!" He immediately tried to run away. She was going to suck his blood or something, for sure. She tilted her head against his neck and he could feel her mouth against his skin. He shut his eyes in hope it would get his mind off the pain. Yet... maybe it was working too much? He could only feel a dampness on his neck, but was it really his blood? Kenji opened one of his eyes, and looked back and forth twice. He looked down at Ayame's back and her left arm was still huddled around him. Was she even digging through his flesh or was it really this painless? Ayame moved her head back a little, just so she could see Kenji's eyes. "You look pale," she said, still smiling. Kenji looked down at her. Her mouth was... very clean. No, she wasn't sucking his blood. But then... doesn't that mean she was...? "Come on, I know you can swim," she said with a giggle and dragged him into the water. * "Shigeru! Shigeru!" Satoshi ran out, almost flying, to Shigeru. "Nn?" he said and looked around. "Satoshi?" Satoshi tackled onto Shigeru, laughing and giggling. Shigeru sighed at Satoshi's enthusiasm, but laughed a little himself as Pikachu climbed up onto his face. "Satoshi, what are you doing here?" Shigeru asked and he nudged away Satoshi a little. "Well, what are you doing here?" he replied. "Where are you going?" "I'm doing a favor for the Yosei Kokoro," he answered. God forbid he ever mentions his affairs with Seiyou in front of Satoshi. "What would that be?" he queried. He bent his head over Shigeru, and he looked up at his shadowed face. "I need to fight Kasumi," he answered and stood up. "Kasumi? You mean, the Kasumi? The Kasumi who's been known for her multiple killings?" Shigeru nodded. "She can't be that bad. She's probably just a girl trying to act big." "I'll go with you," declared Satoshi. Shigeru sank under the ground, leaving only a patch of dirt wear the grass was. He sprouted back up behind Satoshi and continued walking. Sometimes Satoshi hated how he could do that. "You? Fight? I don't think so," said Shigeru. Satoshi rushed to him, grabbing onto his arm. "Oh, come on, Shigeru! She's a water sprite, right?" "Right." "And you're earth! Earth sprites are weak against water. But I'm an electric nymph," he said and lifted his right hand, cackling with sparks of electricity jumping from his fingertips. "You know you need me or you won't stand a chance! Even if she were a nymph, you'd get killed by a spray of water unless you just want to use plant and leaf attacks all the time." Shigeru started heating up at Satoshi's reducing of his self esteem. "Fine if you must join, then do so," he said. Satoshi smiled and walked enthusiastically along with Shigeru and his Pikachu at his side just as hyperactive. "So I heard from your sister that Kasumi's minion killed a water nymph named Sakura," said Satoshi, striking up a conversation. "And that she's Kasumi's sister even though one's a nymph and the other's a sprite." "Kasumi was changed into a sprite during her teen years," said Shigeru. "An electric sprite was doing an experiment and Kasumi was caught in it." "Who's the electric sprite?" asked Satoshi. "His name is Hiroshi. He had disappeared after the experiment," Shigeru looked down at Satoshi, who had his look of curiosity masked over him. "She probably killed him. But people say she's so happy with legs, nobody's really sure where Hiroshi disappeared off to." * The sun was beginning to rise. Nanako stood quietly by a corner in the window of a small castle. Kasumi's castle. But she knew it must have been made by the magic of an electric sprite. It was much too perfected to be built by hand. She peered in through the glass and could see Kasumi speaking to somebody and tried hard to listen in. "Nanako?" asked a familiar voice. She turned around quickly and shushed with her finger over her mouth. Taichi was beside her. How did he get there so quickly? Nanako then realized he was a wind nymph. It was a little hard to think when she first met him. She always thought he was a human until he started flying around her. "Taichi, what are you doing here? Spying is strictly my job," she hissed. "What? You never told me that," he said. "It was a secret. Now be quiet," she said. "While you're here... there's an opening on the top of the castle. I'd climb over but those two," she gestured to Kasumi and another man, "would hear me. Fly me up to the top." Taichi wasn't sure of how to pick her up. What if she was too heavy, or maybe what if he dropped her? Taichi got behind Nanako and wrapped his arms on her stomach and tried to get her off the wall. "Gahck..." she mumbled. His grip was tight. "Not that hard!" "I'm sorry," he whispered and blushed. He loosened his arms a little. He lifted Nanako gently off the wall and levitated up and over to the roof. "Did that hurt?" "No, I'm okay," she said. Nanako walked over to the square opening on the roof. Now she could see and hear Kasumi better. -- "Takeshi, I trust you will do a fine job in your missions," said Kasumi. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I've seen your past work... so keep it up." "Yes, ma'am," he repeated. "I'm quite sure Kenji had not completed his last task, so you'll fill in for him," Kasumi held out her hand. The light dropped down and sprinkled into the image of Botan. "I want you to kill this woman." "It will be done," Takeshi answered. -- "Did you hear that?" asked Nanako. "She's working a pattern. I'll bet all of her sisters will be dead by tomorrow." Taichi nodded. "We should try and keep Botan at the hut with us until further notice." He took out an apricorn that had been turned into a monster ball. He opened it to let out his ibui. Taichi took out a pen and paper and started to write a note onto it, and gave it to Ibui. "Give this to Seiyou, and make sure you don't make any sidetracks on the way." "Iuu!" it squealed and crawled down the side of the castle, using the cracks in the stone as a foot holder. "Taichi, look at this!" said Nanako, and she pointed down to the opening. "It's Hiroshi, that missing electric sprite!" Taichi crawled next to Nanako and peered in, seeing Hiroshi walked in front of Kasumi. -- "You let go of Kenji," said Hiroshi. Kasumi nodded. "I know where Ayame is, and I know Kenji has been getting tired of his duties. I decided now was his time to find a new life." "You seemed so nice to him. More than the others," said Hiroshi. He rested his hands behind his back. "What? Are you jealous?" asked Kasumi. -- "That didn't sound very good," said Taichi. "How would Hiroshi be jealous at all?" asked Nanako. -- "As I was saying, he was growing tired," Kasumi stood up. "I wanted to be nice to him on his final days. I did the same with Tooru." "I understand." "Hiroshi..." she placed her hands on his sides. "You know I love you." She reached out and kissed him. -- "So Kasumi didn't kill Hiroshi," said Nanako. "She fell in love with him?" "I feel sorry for him," said Taichi. "Well, nobody would want somebody like that witch to fall in love with them," commented Nanako. "No, I don't mean it that way," he said. "I mean, we want to hunt down Kasumi... but wouldn't his heart be broken if we kill her? He loves her too, and he hasn't done anything bad. Would he really deserve something like that?" Nanako looked up at Taichi. He had a lot of empathy for them. But what if he was right? Maybe they were actually the enemies, rather than Kasumi? What if everybody was actually evil?