This is the last part of the Darkness trilogy before the finale.

This one has the biggest warnings on it so far for language & content; I
have no right to write this, but I did it anyway.

"Daughters of Darkness III: Mia?" chapter 1 of 4

{For Pat Morrissey--one of the few people in this universe who’d find the
beauty in anything, even purple chickens; I’ll miss you.}

Anymore, Sai Mouri found his own room the most comfortable place in the
house. Before, he could hang around downstairs with his friends and spend
hours on end in the kitchen; now, he usually got
a few strange or downright hostile looks whenever he entered the room. He
knew the reason, but he didn’t care. He loved Ayame no matter what they
thought of her or what they thought of him for defending her. At least his
fish didn’t judge him. He leaned down near the tank, his fish gathering to
greet his smiling visage. He slid his hand along the glass, fish trailing
his fingers as they swept, dove, and spiraled in a random pattern. It was
so serene he knew it couldn’t last. His fears were confirmed when a knock
at the door sent his aquatic acquaintances fleeing to the farthest regions
of the tank. He sighed and turned around, finding Ayame Sudoh’s slight
figure in the doorway. His disappointment turned to delight, and he walked
towards her, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek and an arm around the
waist to guide her in.

“Are you ready to go?” Sai asked as he led her to a seat on his bed. Ayame
sat down, settling between the stuffed duffel bags and the ever present
vigil of Sparkle.

“I guess,” Ayame timidly responded. “I’m all packed and everything, but
I..... I don’t know. I guess I’m just nervous.” She heaved a massive sigh
and stared at her sandaled feet.

“Why? Sayoko can’t wait to meet you,” Sai soothingly said as he sat beside
her, putting his arm around her again.

“It’s....I’m afraid that your family will treat me like your friends do.”
Ayame stared into him, her eyes awash with tears. “Would you mind if I
moved out after this? I’ll visit every day, I promise.”

Sai tried to mask his shock, but he clearly failed. “You can’t leave,” he
whined. “You belong here--”

“No, I don’t,” Ayame sharply argued. “I don’t even belong AMONG you. You
know that. After this trip, I should just vanish again.” She looked away
from him, trying to mask her emerging tears. “I know YOU won’t miss me...”
she whispered mostly to herself. Sai rested his hands on her shoulders, and
she shuddered with the first stifled sob.

“Ayame, I really don’t care what anyone else says, you know that,” he said,
slowly spinning her around to meet her gaze. He gently reached up and wiped
away her continuous flow of tears. “How about this--if this trip goes
smoothly, you’ll give this another chance. If not, we’ll, uhm....” Sai
sighed and let his expression fall into masked melancholy. “We’ll go our
separate ways.” Ayame sniffled and nodded; her hand began to numbly stroke
at Sparkle’s artificial fuzz. “You think you’d like to learn how to swim on
this
trip?” he eagerly asked, trying to liven up the room again.

“Nah, I-....I’m still not good with water.”

“Oh. Still hurts, huh?”

“You’ve heard me in the shower. I can hardly keep from screaming.”

“But you’ll let me teach you eventually.”

“Yeah, of course. How much longer do we have?”

Sai checked his watch and grew a little anxious. “Not much. I’d better
tell Kento to warm up his van.” He sprinted for the doorway, taking one
duffel bag hastily tossed over his shoulder with him. Midstep, he paused
and spun around. “Do you have the gifts for everyone?”

Ayame nodded. “They’re on my bed in a box,” she told him, following him at
a slower pace that he had opted for. She watched as he grabbed a small
square box and hurried downstairs.

“Be right back!” Sai called as he glanced up at her over his shoulders
before vanishing.

Ayame sighed and returned to her room. All she had was a half-filled
duffel bag, and it held most of her worldly possessions. She could hear the
protests downstairs from nearly everyone. They wanted nothing to do with
her, the wretched, evil hellspawn that ruined their lives. She really had
ruined their lives, even Sai’s--he just wouldn’t say anything to her. At
least she had a safe harbor; not a one of them would go into the billiard
hall for fear of the bartender. She never understood why. He seemed nice
enough, and
the guy who was there to hang out with him every night was pleasant. Only
Sai ventured in, and he tried so hard to mask his unease it was painful.
Sai.....what had she done to earn such devotion from him? A
shudder coursed through her body; the demon half, it had to have gotten to
him. As much as she tried to deny it, she was still hellspawn, and it was
probably the hellspawn that had rendered a sweet, caring, fragile human
being into her devoted slave. The others knew it for a while now, and she
had just realized it herself. She half-hoped Sai would realize his plight
soon; even if it meant losing his affection, it would make her disappearance
so much easier. She picked up her duffel bag and headed down the stairs,
passing Kento Rei Fuan as she walked. Another dirty look. Hopefully it
would be the last for a long time.

Kento was practically dancing as he reentered the house. He jangled his
car keys proudly and grinned a Cheshire grin that revealed every tooth in
his broad mouth. “We are officially hellspawn-free for
the next week!!” he cried in triumph, hanging his car keys back on the
little peg on the wall. He wandered into the living room and plopped the
whole of his weight down onto the sofa, disturbing the comfortable
solitude Rowen Hashiba had been enjoying.

“You mind?” Rowen sniped. He had been on a bit of an edge for a while, and
his reactions to the slightest annoyances were often curt and rude. He
realized his mistake in etiquette and smiled apologetically at Kento.
“Sorry, just tired.”

“Why are you so depressed, man? Hellspawn’s gone. There won’t be any
weirdness for a week!”

“How can you be sure?”

Kento’s happiness slipped away into confused concern. “Well, hey,
yeah....I mean, what did she give us before she left, anyway? It could be
some sorta demon breeding thing or--”

Rowen opened one of the boxes that rested on the coffee table. “It’s
flower petals,” he quickly answered. He dipped his finger into the box,
breaking some of the fragile petals, and licked it. “Sugared
flower petals....mmm.” The lust for his vices won out, and Rowen began to
down the sweet petals by the hearty pinch. Kento just watched in silent
horror; he knew this little binge could only result in another destructive
sugar high, followed by a weekend-spanning sugar coma. Already the little
twitches were showing, the first evidence of overloaded synapses. “Try
some.”

“No thanks.” Kento edged away from him; he knew this would be ugly later.

**Is this the location, Mother?....... Wow, what a gathering...... Which
one am I after, again?...... So many? How?...... Oh..... That sounds
fun.....**

The chosen vessel hardly put up any struggle; she always found it amusing
how much these humans needed to rest daily. It left them so vulnerable.....
This vessel didn’t even realize anything until
she had claimed it as hers, and of course by then it couldn’t fight back.
Mother had her point; this was going to be fun AND easy.

Mia Koji walked wordlessly into the living room. The two gentlemen on the
sofa hardly noticed. Rowen was off in HyperLand, a bundle of unwarranted
laughter and spastic twitching; Kento was on the far opposite end, trying to
watch a nature documentary and pretend he wasn’t scared of his overloaded
friend. Any moment now, Rowen would vanish, leaving only a tuft of electric
blue hair to dart around the house in a wordless campaign of petty pranks
and fiendish giggles. Maybe, just maybe, if he concentrated on the blithe
exploits of the common barnyard chicken as the Discovery Channel demanded,
he would be safe. The first sharp, unwelcome pinch in the ankle underscored
by a fit of maniacal snickering shattered this hope, and Kento slunk over to
the recliner, still watching the benign brown chickens on the screen. Mia
rested a hand on his shoulder and distracted him as he looked up at her;
there was something a tad off about her sky blue gaze today--it didn’t seem
as sisterly as he always thought it. Ah, well, maybe it was just the
headcold.

“Hi, Mia,” Kento said, trying to keep half an eye on Rowen. “How was your
nap?”

Mia smiled an unfamiliar little grin. “Fine,” she said pleasantly. “It
was just what I needed.” She peered over at the television. “Are those
chickens?”

“Yeah.” Kento jumped slightly; he swore he had seen a sudden streak of
blue zip by him.

“You like chickens?”

“Are you kidding? I LOVE chickens!! Especially with curry sauce!” The
two laughed, although Kento knew that Mia was REALLY forcing it. “They’re
nice enough an--Hey!” Rowen vanished into the wilds of the living room;
Kento sneered as he inspected his sneakers. Despite their whimsical name,
Shoe Wedgies hurt. “Dammit, Rowen, you better fix this!” He pulled off his
shoes and hurled them in the newest location of the sapphire streak,
eliciting a loud cry of pained protest before the shoes came flying back.
Kento managed to catch one, but the second shoe flew past his face and
straight into Mia’s stomach.

“OW!!” Mia yelped between her teeth as she doubled over. A half-snarl
appeared on her face, drawing an odd stare from both Kento and Rowen from
his hiding place. She hid a cold glare from the
target of her anger as she retreated back to the bedroom. “Enjoy your
chickens.”

Ryo Sanada glanced at the doorway and smiled. He couldn’t give expression
to how happy he was to NOT be part of that commotion. He was content to
hide away in his room, struggling valiantly
against White Blaze in his efforts to claim a spare old sock with a knot in
it. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon, except when White
Blaze would try to push off of his legs with his massive milky paws; denim
provoked poor protection from a tiger’s claws, even if only in jest. After
a sharp yank, he reclaimed his damp, shredded sock and dangled it playfully
in front of his defeated pet, laughing the entire time. His laughter died
as he saw Mia skulk by, giving him a sour look in passing. She didn’t
really like him to play “rough” games with White Blaze indoors. He handed
the sock to his tiger and stood up, trying to catch up with his agitated
hostess.

“Mia, I’m sorry,” Ryo called down the hall as she started to enter her
room. She glared at him, only increasing his sudden sense of guilt. “I
just sorta forgot. I won’t play in the house again.” Mia just maintained
her glare. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Mia flatly answered. She turned away, but Ryo gently seized
her arm. “Is there a problem?”

Ryo hesitated with his words; this intense cold in Mia’s voice was eerily
foreign. “Mia, if there’s anything wrong, you can tel--”

“Everything’s fine,” Mia snapped before slipping into the bedroom and
slamming the door. Ryo stared for a moment, completely bewildered, before
retreating back to the safety of his room. What had he done this time?

The phone’s irritating electronic ringing thankfully stopped with the push
of a single button. “Hello?” Kento asked as he stared out the window.

“Kento?” Sai’s voice greeted him. “How’s everything?”

“Mia’s still sick, but that’s it,” Kento answered, still staring into the
thicket of trees in the yard. “How’s things on your end?”

“Wonderful! Sayoko absolutely loves Ayame!” Kento stifled a groan.
“Tomorrow we’ve got a special night planned.”

“Really?” he asked almost lasciviously.

“She’s gonna tell me how old she is, and I’m gonna tell her about my armor!
We’re gonna go down to the beach and just have a nice heart-to-heart.”

Kento tried to hide his mixed sensation of derision and disappointment.
“That’s your big evening? Dude, do something fun!! Go to a movie or a club
or something!”

“Kento, this is important. Try to show some support.”

“Okay,” Kento sighed with a slightly soured smile.

“So, what’s everyone else up to?”

“Sage is busy at rehearsals with school, so he’s never around, and those
damn flowers you got Rowen made him so hyper I can’t stand ‘im!! Ryo’s just
hanging around, if you wanna talk to him..”

“Nah, I’d better go. Phone card’s running out. I’ll call again about
tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure. Sai? Just be careful, please.”

“Don’t worry, Kento, I’ll--”

“The HELL?!” Kento stared out the window in a combination of total
confusion and total hilarity. “Is that what it looks like?.....”

“What?”

“....Never mind. I’ll talk to ya later. Bye!”

“Okay, bye.”

Kento quickly hung up the phone and dashed out to the deck. That couldn’t
be what it looked like out there; it had to be some sort of illusion. His
left-eye-Dais twitch kicked in, signaling the height of his confusion
capabilities. There it was, a ten-foot purple chicken, standing in the
forest. From the shadows emerged a couple more nearly identical chickens;
Kento stepped back slightly, yet his hands remained cinched around the
banister. Those chickens were looking at him with shining red eyes; they
seemed to be growling.

“Get the curry...........” they snarled, approaching Kento.

For gigantic poultry, they were FAST; Kento hardly had time to sprint off
of the deck and towards the long driveway. Speed was always his weakpoint,
and right now, boy, did he know it. He barely
managed to dodge the diving beaks as they nipped at his legs, receiving
mouthfuls of gravel for their troubles. One flew in front of him, trapping
him between the vicious pack of chickens. A sense of panic overwhelmed him.

“ARMOR OF HA--OWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!” One of the chickens seized his right arm
in its sharp black beak and dangled him over the ground, jerking him up and
down in a cruel game. “Stop it! Stop it!!” The
chicken tossed him down into the driveway, letting him flop face down into
the pulverized rock. He groaned; everywhere he looked, there was little
else but purple feathers. He tried to move his right arm; it
was numb--not broken, but numb. “Oh God,.....” He turned over his shoulder
as an open beak speedily approached his terrified face. “OH GOD,
NOOOOOOOOO--!!”

She stared out the window, her hand pressed against the glass where this
first victim had so easily fallen. Normally, she had to construct an
elaborate scenario and drag it out over at least a few days. But this
guy--one pack of giant purple man-eating chickens, and he was down. The
warmth of this one passed through her, and she shuddered slightly. Mother
would enjoy this one--now which one next? The boy from earlier had sprinted
out, and he was trying in vain to revive the chicken-chow sprawled out in
the gravel. She couldn’t help but laugh, even as the boy tried to catch her
vessel’s attention.

**Nice try, little man..... You’re next.....**

+NO, PLEASE!+

**Who are you? You’re this girl, aren’t you? Beg all ya want, sweetie,
but I’m taking every last one of ‘em.**

+PLEASE DON’T HURT THEM!+

**I’ll let one slide..... That fair?........ It’s the best I’ll give
you........ One can live.**

Ryo sat restlessly in the little room. He had no clue as to how he had
gotten here or even where exactly here was. All he knew is that it was
dark, it was small, and Kento’s body was displayed on the only piece of
furniture, a bed nearly too small for his late friend. He stared down at
the figure and let the tears flood his eyes; his death was so strange and
sudden, and he looked so scared..... This wasn’t right at all. Kento was
in perfect health, and he dropped dead with a terrified scream and hardly a
scratch on him outside of marks from the gravel. A few tears started to
roll down his cheeks as he stepped towards the memorial. He reached for the
now lifeless hand; he couldn’t believe this until he knew it was material
and real. A few more tears stained Ryo’s face as it dawned on him that he
had just adopted Kento’s literal outlook.

“Kento....” Ryo whispered as he touched the cold, stiff hand. As he did,
Kento’s cobalt eyes shot open and glared up unlit at him; a wicked grin
stained his normally buoyant face. Ryo tried to step away, but his friend’s
hand seized him by the wrist and held him in a painfully tight grip. “Hey!!
HEY!! Leggo!!” Ryo shouted, his panic showing with every increasing
effort to struggle free. “Kento, let me go!!” Kento’s skin began to writhe
and discolor to a sickening green; slowly, his body deteriorated into a
squirming pile of hissing, spitting serpents, a chain of which started to
creep up Ryo’s arm. “Oh, God......” The snakes overwhelmed him, every inch
of his body covered in poisonous reptiles. They twisted tighter and tighter
around him, a sea of coils crushing and choking his paralyzed body; their
searing teeth dug into his soft flesh, burning into him, spiraling him into
total agony. He tried to scream, but the coils occupied his open mouth,
reprimanding him with fanged nips on the face. The tears steadily changed
from expressions of grief to expressions of pain and fear. Ryo’s knees gave
out, and he stared in horror; there was hardly any flesh left on them, only
a red mash of poison and destroyed muscle. A final attempt to cry out
escaped his
lungs, trying to alert someone, anyone, to his impending death.

A warm, wet, purring nose caressed Ryo’s cheek, and his eyes snapped open
to meet White Blaze’s worried vigil at his bedside. He was in his bed,
drenched in a thin film of cold sweat. He gasped
heavily, his heart still pounding panicked in his chest; out of fear, he
checked his legs--still covered in poison-free flesh. He hastily examined
his body for any other telltale evidence that he had truly been consumed by
snakes, but there was nary a fang mark nor a squeeze mark to validate this
fear. He sighed in muted relief and gave his tiger a relieved hug around
his solid neck. At least one of the day’s traumas was only a nightmare.

Sai managed to lower the phone receiver without tremoring too much. This
had to be another false alarm; Kento had survived other times when everyone
said he was dead, so now wouldn’t be any
different, right? Still, he’d feel better being there to make sure this was
just a joke, some mean-spirited prank. He couldn’t leave; his sister was
really enjoying his visit, and Ayame was happy for the first time in an era.
He walked into the guest bedroom, trying to maintain some semblance of
composure around his increasingly fragile paramour. The last thing she
needed to hear about was this. However, as Sai looked her in the face, he
realized he was too late. Ayame was as melancholy as he was, almost on the
brink of tears. She stood up and met him with a weeping hug.

“Sai, I’m sorry,” she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so
sorry....”

“It’s nothing you could help,” Sai murmured, letting his grief show
through.

“Yes, it was,” she said within her tears. “I brought this on him.”

“Wha--”

“He died being chased by giant purple chickens, Sai. He didn’t deserve
that.” Sai stared at her, now totally perplexed. “You see? This is why I
wanna leave!”

“Ayame,” Sai said, pulling her face up to his with a gentle hand under her
chin. “You can’t help this, you know that. If it happens again, I’ll go
back, and you’ll go...wherever. Just wait this out with me. Something’ll
work out.”