Setsuna walked slowly from her art class, lost in thought. Over the past weeks, she had gotten somewhat accustomed to the frequent encounters with paranormals that she had been introduced to through the Mystery Club. She felt that all in all, she was handling things much better than she had in the beginning. Not that she wasn't afraid anymore. How could you not be afraid when you knew what really lurked in the night? But she knew that they could be defeated, and that she herself was not helpless. But the dreams. No matter how much she tried to forget them, the nightmares followed her through the day, and greeted her nearly every time she closed her eyes to sink into sleep. Yohko, Akaikawa, Kuroko, even Treasa had begun haunting her again. She was afraid if she didn't do something about them soon, she would go insane. So lost in her thoughts was she that she nearly didn't hear the soft "Setsuna- san" that greeted her as she exited the fine arts building. Looking up, she found a tentative pair of bright blue eyes set in a pale face, framed by an unruly shock of black hair. Akumu. She hadn't seen him since that fateful night when Kuroko had tried to kill her, a week and a half ago. He seemed thinner, tired. He looked about as bad as she had been feeling. "Setsuna-san . . ." His voice was hesitant. "Can we talk?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Mystery Club - Part 5 "The Boundaries of Good and Evil" Created by Aaron Peori This part by Lady Brick ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* They sat at a small table in the cafeteria, each with a cup of tea. Setsuna stared at the scuffed tabletop, unsure of what to say. Luckily, Akumu spoke first. "I just wanted to say . . . I'm sorry for what happened." Setsuna blinked, looked up. "It wasn't your fault." "It is, a bit." Akumu shifted uneasily. "I knew that Kuroko was trying to set you up. I didn't know she wanted to kill you, but . . ." "You don't have to apologize. You did try to help me." She sipped her tea, unaware of how her words made Akumu brighten. "And you lost your best friend. I . . . I know how hard that is." Even after all this time, it was still hard for her to talk about Yohko. "I know you know." He coughed a bit awkwardly. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask you . . . um, what have I missed in art class?" Setsuna had a feeling that he had been about to say something else, but wasn't sure what. "Actually, I've missed the last few classes myself. I think they are still trying to find a new full-time professor to replace Akaikawa-sensei. Professor Mirumoto spoke to whoever is in charge of that, and they understand the situation enough to keep everything quiet." "That's good." Setsuna noted that Akumu seemed a bit distracted. "Then this Professor Mirumoto is involved with the Mystery Club, I assume. That makes more sense then it doesn't." "You mean you didn't know?" Setsuna wondered if she had let something slip that she shouldn't have. "The Mystery Club is one of the most secretive organizations on campus. Most people don't even know it exists, let alone who is involved with it." "Oh. I guess I never realized that . . . I just sort of got sucked into it." Akumu leaned across the table, his eyes staring into hers. "And why do you stay involved, knowing how dangerous it is?" "I . . . " Setsuna tongue tangled. His gaze pinned her to her chair. "I don't know. I guess, after Yohko . . . Mitsurugi-san and Ibuki-san were really my only friends. And knowing what I know, how could I not stay involved?" Akumu moved away from her, leaning against the back of his chair. "Taro . . ." he muttered, then looked back at Setsuna. "Aren't I your friend?" "I . . . guess so." Something fluttered through her stomach. "Then that will do for now." Ignoring her confused expression, Akumu finished his tea. "And as a friend, I just want you to know that Taro-kun isn't everything he seems to be. I've known him for a good bit longer then you. Just be careful." Setsuna remembered something Mitsurugi had told her. "You . . . helped him out once?" "And learned more about him then I ever wanted to know in the process." He stood, teacup cradled in his hand. "I know it hasn't been easy for you, with the dreams, but try to get some rest." Setsuna opened her mouth to ask a question. He smiled, but it was an empty expression. "I am a baku. I can feel your nightmares, even if I can't do anything to help you with them." He hesitated, then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Take care Setsuna-chan." He strolled away, leaving a blushing Setsuna behind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* With a whisper of silk the color of moonlight, the pale, beautiful woman walked along the path by the small pond in the park. Walking, might not have been the right word for it, on her it was more like floating. A figure in a dirty gray coat unfolded himself on a bench nearby, watching the lovely creature. He licked his thin lips. Such a healthy, elegant young thing was far above his normal fare. Pulling a filthy knife from his coat pocket, he stood and advanced on the woman, silent as a cat. Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough. The woman paused, turned her head in his direction. Her porcelain face shifted slowly into a cruel smile. He eyes, catching the light of a nearby lamp, glittered hungry and yellow. As she began to step towards him, the man wondered if he hadn't made a mistake. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Don't call me Mitsu-chan," greeted Setsuna as she approached the door of Professor Mirumoto's office. She stepped through the door and was greeted by an enthusiastic hug from Mirumoto. A warning growl from Ibuki sent the professor scurrying quickly to the safety of his desk. "As I was saying," stated an unruffled Mitsurugi, "all of the research I have done in the past couple days has not given me any insight into the identity of that paranormal I encountered on the night of 100 ghosts. Because she battled against the ghosts, and made no move to attack me, she may not be a viable threat. However, we cannot make any judgment to that extent based on one encounter." Professor Mirumoto leaned forward. "You said that she moved even faster then Ibuki here?" He glanced at the green-haired girl, mostly towards her chest and the rest of her skintight outfit. "At least twice as fast, if not more. She appeared to have some sort of metal weapon, but she was gone before I could get a good look at her." "Any word on Junko?" Ibuki smiled grimly. "I'd like to find out from her who slipped the drugs into our tea." "She hasn't been seen around school recently. No one seems to know where she went." "What about Treasa?" The three turned to stare at Setsuna who blushed and crumpled deeper into her chair. "There has been no word of her since we first heard that she was in the area." Mitsurugi looked at her shrewdly. "Is she still appearing in your dreams?" Setsuna blushed even harder under his scrutinizing gaze. She thought of Akumu's warning? Did he think that she liked Mitsurugi, that THAT was why she stayed involved in Mystery Club? Was it? Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, Setsuna cleared her throat. "Um, yes. Not like the first one, but I still see her sometimes." Mitsurugi frowned, falling back into his "study" face. "She may still be reaching into your dreams, though with her only appearing briefly as a secondary character, it seems more likely that it is just a residual effect of her first visit." "But Mitsu-chan, why would Treasa be interested in Setsuna-chan in the first place?" Ibuki shifted in her seat, much to the delight of Professor Mirumoto, who seemed to have forgotten the discussion at hand. "Don't call me Mitsu-chan. And I don't know. Treasa's motives are usually only comprehensible to her. She may simply have heard that Setsuna-san here was immune to mental attacks from paranormals, and wanted to see if her dream- walking was powerful enough to break through." "Really. Poor girl." Despite Ibuki's careless tone, Setsuna could hear an edge of sympathy in the demon hunter's voice. It made her wonder about Treasa's past exploits. Professor Mirumoto reasserted his existence in the group by clearing his throat. "Anyway, until we get any more information, we can't do much about the mystery woman or Treasa." He paused a moment; no one cared to contemplate what he could be thinking about. "However, there is a coffee house nearby who is willing to pay us very well to find out what has killed five of their customers in the past two weeks. From the description of the bodies, it sounds as if it may be a lampir." Ibuki's eyes sparkled almost hungrily. "When do we start?" "Tonight if possible. There is no need to gather and data on this one, unless it turns out to be something more unusual than a lampir, of course." "Of course." Ibuki went from sprawled in her chair to standing in one smooth moment. "Sounds like fun, right Mitsu-chan?" "Don't . . ." He trailed off, turned to the professor. "Will Setsuna be accompanying us tonight?" "I don't see any reason why not. It would be good for her to actually get some field experience in a controlled situation." "All right." He turned back, towards Setsuna. "Just be sure you have some sort of protection with you. A wooden stake would probably be best, though is all goes well, you shouldn't be involved in any actual fighting." Setsuna nodded, filing away all of the instructions. She wondered if Mitsurugi was pleased or annoyed by the fact she would be joining them. As usual, his face displayed no emotion. She wondered how she herself felt about it. Her last encounter with a lampir had not been pleasant. She could still see it standing over her, insanely huge, fangs glittering, eyes filled with a crazed, animalistic hunger. However, she knew if she was going to really be a part of the Mystery Club and make something worthwhile of herself, then she would have to face things like this sooner or later. She nodded her consent to the others and headed to the weapons locker, thoughts of grim determination tinged with hints of fear racing through her head. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* She left the crumpled, bloody pile of what had once been a man behind her as she walked, the taste of his blood fading on her lips the only sign of their encounter. She walked though the night as she had walked through a million others; powerful, beautiful, free, alone. She occasionally tried to remember how long she had existed this way. She had stopped counting after 5,000 years, when she realized that whether she noticed or not, time swept away and was gone, only herself untouched. Even the others of her kind, caught up in their too-mortal lusts, were soon lost in the flood. Yet she who stood above all, the petty needs and wants and fights over good and evil, she remained untouched. She simply existed. Yet was there really nothing that she wanted anymore? She couldn't remember her life as a mortal anymore, remembered herself as a young vampire, filled with killing and bloodlust. Yet that had eventually worn away. She still fed, true, but she only did so to sustain herself, only once in a while toying with her meals as a change of pace. She wandered the dream realms, as a change from the physical world, yet found nothing to hold her interest for very long in the minds of mortals. Her hand swept across her dress unconsciously as she walked. She had been disturbed as of late at her growing disinterest in everything around her. For thousands of years, she had lived in the world, touched it, reveled in it. Yet now it seemed old and stale in her grasp. She needed something new, fresh. Perhaps some changes were in order. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Of all of her experiences with the Mystery Club, being bored was a new one for Setsuna. She had been waiting behind the coffee house with Ibuki and Mitsurugi for over two hours now, smelling tantalizing coffee that she couldn't afford and wondering how she would ever get her chemistry work done in time for the quiz tomorrow. Ibuki was even more impatient, constantly pacing the narrow stretch of concrete and checking the knives hidden in various parts of her jumpsuit. Only Mitsurugi was calm, leaning casually against the wall, his crossbow dangling from his relaxed grip as if it were the least important thing in the world. Setsuna watched him out of the corner of her eye for quite a while, but he never once looked at her. Sighing to herself, she wondered if she should attempt to start a conversation, but decided against it after looking more closely it his distant expression. Akumu's warning flashed in her mind, and she wondered what dark things could be floating behind those cold eyes. The thought made her shiver. Mitsurugi suddenly shifted position, startling her. He caught Ibuki's eye. "Something's close." Ibuki nodded, and a large stake suddenly appeared in one hand, a glimmering knife in the other. Setsuna pulled a stake from the bag at her side, feeling a bit ridiculous. There was nothing in site, but the back of her neck tingled. It was as if Mitsuguri's words had changed the atmosphere around them. No, she knew it was more than that. There was something nearby, she could feel it as well. The air hung tight, heavy, as if waiting for something to happen. A scream tore from the alley around the side of the coffee shop. Ibuki and Mitsurugi were off in a flash, Setsuna close behind. She nearly fell turning the corner, and was forced to skid to a stop when she saw what lay before her. It was a lampir, as massive and wild as she remembered. Fangs spilled from its mouth, pointed towards a terrified young man who was sprawled on the alley floor, his books scattered around him like a last broken defense. He was immobile with fear, and that seemed to encourage the Lampir as it hissed, reaching for him with hairy, clawed, eager hands. With a yell, Ibuki threw herself at the creature, moving so fast that Setsuna blinked. The demon hunter hit the lampir head on, sending it smashing into the ground. The boy, no longer trapped, was gone, moving almost as fast as Ibuki had. The lampir threw the girl off of him, battering her into the nearby wall with one heavily muscled arm. The impact didn't seem to hurt Ibuki. She used the wall as a springboard, hurtling at the paranormal and delivering a crushing elbow to its throat. Something about the fight disturbed Setsuna. She had seen Ibuki in action before, was accustomed to her incredible strength and fighting skills. Yet this was no dance, as Ibuki had fought before. She was more ferocious, vicious, relying on strength instead of skill. Perhaps it was only because the lampir was slowed then her other opponents, like the Kuei-jin had been. But Setsuna couldn't shake the feeling that she was really watching *two* lampirs fight, that along with it's strength, Ibuki now also had a piece of the actual being. A squelch of wood breaking through flesh ended the fight. Ibuki stood over the dead lampir, dusting off her hands. "Thanks for all the help, Mitsu-chan." Setsuna turned to Mitsurugi, who hadn't moved during the brief fight. He appeared to have not heard Ibuki's words, and was instead focused on the coffee house roof. He frowned. "Mitsurugi-san?" He turned towards Setsuna. His eyes held an uncharacteristic look of confusion. "I thought I saw--" A snarl echoed through the alley. There was a slight flash of silver, and a dark blur smashed Ibuki into the ground. A small shriek slipped from Setsuna's mouth at the sickening thud of Ibuki hitting the ground. She watched, horrified, as Ibuki struggled to get out from the second lampir that had caught her from above. It was even bigger then the first, and a strange silver pendent hung from its neck, a blood-red stone set in the center. The lampir angrily battered Ibuki, cat to mouse. The girl seemed unable to fight back, desperately trying to shield herself with her arms. Blood trickled down her sleek jumpsuit to spatter the ground. Setsuna clutched the wooden stake desperately, unsure of what to do. It nearly slipped from her damp grasp. She took a step towards the two, but a hand on her shoulder, Mitsuguri's, stopped her. She looked at him. His face was calm, but something deep in his eyes was horribly shaken, frantic even. That in itself scared Setsuna worse than the lampir ever could have. "Hold on," he told her, raising his crossbow. Setsuna bit her lip, praying that he could hit the lampir and miss the thrashing Ibuki. The wooden bolt left the crossbow with a twang, thudding into the lampir's right eye. The creature howled in pain and outrage, releasing its grip on Ibuki. Two bolts followed, driving deep into its heart. "Thanks for the save, Mitsu-san." Ibuki's voice was ragged. He kneeled by her, helping her sit up. "Don't call me Mitsu-chan. And what happened just now? You seemed to have a good bit more trouble then usual fighting that lampir." "I . . . I'm not sure. It was like I couldn't get any strength from it." Mitsurugi nodded, as if confirming a suspicion. "And I was unable to sense its approach." "The necklace." Setsuna found herself able to speak again. She forced herself to loosen her grip on the stake. "Could it be. . . blocking it off or something?" Mitsurugi reached for it, his hand brushing the glimmering stone in its center. There was a blinding flash of light. Through the spots in her vision, Setsuna could make out Mitsurugi jerking his hand away. The pendant, and then the lampir burst into flames. Frowning, he stood. "Someone obviously didn't want us to get a good look. I wonder if it was meant especially to disrupt our abilities, or to serve as general magical shielding." "Either way, we have to tell the professor right away." Leaning on Mitsurugi, Ibuki looked down at her bloody, slashed jumpsuit and sighed. "I guess I'll need to get this taken care of too. Mother will have some questions if I come home in this condition." "About the pendent . . . I think I might be able to do a sketch of it, if you think it would help." Mitsurugi nodded at Setsuna. "I'm sure it would. I guess it was a good thing you were here after all, Setsuna-san." They left the alley, the darkness of the horrors of the night. As the followed the streetlights back to campus, Setsuna wondered why her insides had shivered so when he had said her name. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Akumu sat in his cramped dorm room and attempted the incredibly boring assignment the new, unimaginative art professor had given the class. His pencil seemed unable to grasp the image of the item on his desk, and instead tried to remember the shape of a certain face . . . He threw the pencil away and rested his head in his hands. He wanted to call Setsuna. It wouldn't be hard to find her number. But what would he say? Was it even worth the effort, with Taro around. Setsuna or not, he did wish to speak to the members of the Mystery Club. Something seemed to be stirring among the paranormals in the school. Unfortunately, none of them were speaking to him after the incident with Kuroko. Not that he blamed them. But despite their coldness to him, he could still feel something stirring among them, as though something was approaching. Being, event, something else entirely, he didn't know, but it felt big. And it wasn't just the school. In the city that surrounded them, nightmares grew and fed on more each night. Some unconscious fear was encroaching on the populous. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but he doubted it. Something was coming, he wasn't sure what. But seeing the sweet, innocent face of Setsuna-san in his mind, he already knew what side he would be taking. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* She walked alone. The air sung to her of many things, but there was a tightness in the air that she had not felt in a long time. She wasn't sure she liked it. Always she had stood outside the boundaries of good and evil, the battle they fought. But now she sensed it growing to a shrill scream, threatening to envelop her as it devoured all else. The dreamscape had been chaotic recently. The stench of such overpowering mortal fear had left a sour taste in her mouth. She had planned on not dream walking for a while, until things cleared up. She was no mortal lover, but their suffering did not sate her in the same way it did many of her kind. She had seen Lyss in the city as well. She had learned long ago that wherever that woman went, trouble followed. She had not seen her, sensed her since the night of a hundred ghosts, but knew she had not left, was waiting. She had wondered about her distance from the living world around her, but know she wondered if it would be enough to save her. True, she did want to feel more alive again, simply feel again. But she was not willing to give up her freedom for that, let herself be boxed into some set of black or white rules that she not only had no interest in, but did not believe in. She wondered if she had a choice. She allowed herself to take in the night around her. The noise of small insects, the slight brush of the air as it traveled past, the scent of the surrounding foliage, she drank it all in, as if she knew it would be her last meal. If she were to be forced towards a side, which would she choose? To which would she sacrifice herself? Did it make a difference? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Unfortunately, due to my now working full time, I was not able to devote the time to this that I wished to. For that I apologize to all readers. For this part, I decided to put aside some of the horror in favor of delving deeper into some of the characters and setting up some continuity. There were some fascinating characters introduced by the previous writers, and I wanted to tie them into the story better, as I think they are just as important as the main cast of the Mystery Club. And as I am a big fan of ongoing driving plot, I had to add that as well. Sorry to future writer if this boxes you in more, but I hope it will instead give you something more firm to build upon. Thanks to Aaron Peori for starting this. And thanks to everyone who helped me edit, which was no one. I'm sure it shows.