Crimson-Haired Valkyrie Ch2

A soft sigh left Ayane's lips as she raised her arms above her head. With her eyes closed, she quickly dropped her arms in front of her, pointed at the glowing demon gate as she rapidly went through a series of hand gestures. A gentle silver aura enveloped her body and resonated with the gate's energy. Both grew brighter in intensity before her hands clasped together, her index fingers flush and pointed straight up.

"Fuuin," she whispered. The bloodstained construction site was enveloped with a bright flash, with her as its source.

Jin shielded her eyes with her free arm, keeping her Desert Eagle leveled at the center of the portal as a magic circle outlined the gate.

The infernal portal quaked and resonated with Ayane's radiance as it became the regular metal plate it once was before. She, too, lost her glow as she released her hands from the seal. The crimson-haired girl exhaled heavily, fatigued but not exhausted. She used her wrist to dab away the sweat glistening on her forehead and pushed her bangs out of her face with her fingers to look at Jin.

The woman only smirked as she holstered her weapon. "Are we done here?"

Ayane nodded. Her piercing silver eyes were as sharp as ever. "Mission complete."

---

Virgin snow beneath my feet
Painting the world in white
I tread the way
Gonna lose myself into a tale

Come hell or high water
My search will go on
Play, boy
Voyage without an end

This is who I am
Escapist
Paradise Seeker
Farewell, time to fly
Out of sight, out of time
Away from our lives

The nightingale in a golden cage
That's me locked inside reality's maze
Can't someone make my heavy heart light?
Come undone, bring me back to life

A nightingale in a golden cage
That's me locked inside reality's maze
Can't someone make my heavy heart light?
It all starts with a lullaby…

Crimson Haired Valkyrie: Devil Hunter Ayane
Chapter 2: The Kinslayer

---

"I'd rather have a check," Ayane said into her cellphone. "I don't think you realize how inconvenient it is to carry the briefcases around and have to deal with ATMs with that much money... Yes, I'm sure I don't need any more. You'd think you'd be happy with that… It was a pleasure doing business with you. I'd say I hope to see you in the future, but…" She smirked at her own joke, as poor in taste as it was. She stopped as she saw Jin return from the vending machines at the park. She effortlessly caught a can of coffee the woman pitched at the girl as Jin sat down on the bench next to her. "Hai. Sayounara." She closed her phone, popping the top on her drink and switched to English. "So what brings you to Japan, Miru… Milborough-san?"

"No need to be so formal with me, Ayane," the woman replied with an Estuary accent. "Please just call me Jin, okay?"

Ayane bristled a little being addressed so casually, but she let it slide. Foreigners, she thought privately to herself as took a sip of the sweet iced coffee. "If you wish, Jin-san."

"Close enough," she sighed. "Well, I've been hearing around here about the 'Crimson-Haired Valkyrie.' Rumors of her cuteness, but…" Jin leaned in closer. Her smoldering gaze prompted the younger girl to shirk back involuntarily. "They don't quite do you justice." The woman gave her a wide grin as she pulled away.

Wait, Ayane thought. What was that?

[So you finally noticed it,] Rache said with a hint of irritation.

"You are not human," Ayane stated. It was as clear as the moon in the sky: Jin's upper canine teeth were long and pointed.

"Indeed. Vampire," confirmed the woman, tracing the edge of her fangs with her thumb. "Of course, I used to be human."

"What do you want with me?" the huntress asked, quietly slipping the hand furthest away out of sight and towards her holsters.

"If you really must know, I'm an agent of the Brotherhood. I'm sure you know of it. Keeping the supernatural under wraps and away from the public and such. Lord Juan Herrera spoke quite highly of you when he sent me here to meet with you and your, uh, partner."

Ayane's skepticism was quickly replaced with surprise. "Herrera-san?"

"He was sort of a godfather to you, right?"

"Un. He used to come here once in a while when I was young." Her sharp gaze softened as she reminisced. "He would visit my mother and me often. He helped me on a case last time he came, too."

[His eldest son was nice, too,] Rache added. [The other two were assholes, though.] Not that anyone other than Ayane could hear her.

"Was there something he needed?" the girl asked.

"Well, he-" Jin stopped and looked past Ayane. "We'll need to continue this elsewhere. It's nearly sunrise, and I don't think I can make it back to a hotel in time and check in."

The redhead looked back and noticed the blue color creeping over the horizon. A quick thought passed through her head. "Well…"

[Oi, oi! You're not going to offer our place, are you?] Rache interjected with an uncharacteristically alarmed tone.

"You mean my place," Ayane whispered in her native tongue. "We can't leave her to burn in the sun. Besides, she was sent by Herrera-san."

[But—]

"Uh…" Jin interjected, "sorry to butt into whatever conversation you might be having, but…"

The Japanese girl tore away from her argument to return the vampire's gaze. "You're welcome to stay over at my apartment," she said, ignoring Rache's grumbling. "It's nearby."

---

Jin headed straight to the shower as Ayane sealed her apartment from the impending sunrise. Closing the last of the blinds, she decided to set her guest's equipment in her bedroom, where the lounge area could be sealed off to make the room windowless. After she was satisfied that not a ray of light would enter, she sat down and quietly waited for Jin to finish. After she twiddled her thumbs for roughly five minutes, the redhead became impatient.

"Milu… Jin-san!" she called over the sound of running water. "May I examine your weapons?"

"Of course," the vampire answered back. "They're in the guitar case."

The huntress walked over to the oversized black bag. She privately wondered if it was actually meant for a double bass, but the sword within definitely needed the room. Its blade was almost as wide across as Ayane's waist, and just as long as she was tall, if not longer. The Zweihander was lightly ornamented, but the well worn, chipped, and scratched surfaces told of many live combat situations. In spite of its seemingly sorry condition, upon closer inspection the edge gleamed brightly in the apartment's fluorescent light, indicating that it was regularly maintained, honed, and repaired.

The Valkyrie zipped the case closed as she turned her attention to the massive pistol in the holster hanging from the arm of a chair. She drew it out and examined its steel body. It seemed to go through as much wear and tear as its melee counterpart, but was also well cleaned and maintained. She ejected the clip, revealing seven bullets much larger than the 9 mm rounds she was accustomed to using. She confirmed them to be .50 cal rounds with the information printed on the slide.

"How did you even get these past airport security?" Ayane inquired.

[Probably at the cost of a lot of blood and gore. Probably not hers.]

"The organization sent me here on a private plane. I still can't figure out why they lent me a plane and didn't bother booking a hotel."

[Because mortals are idiots. I mean, seriously, you still buy Capcom games in spite of the crap they pulled.]

"Herrera-san probably figured I would let you stay here," Ayane replied. She heard the faucet stop running. The girl quickly slid the clip back into place with a distinctive click. "You know, you can conserve ammunition against Japanese demons if you made onion rounds." She double-checked the safety before sliding the gun back in the holster and turned to meet her guest for the night as she heard the door open.

"Really?"

Ayane immediately blushed, seeing Jin's state of dress as the vampire furiously dried her hair with a towel: she was wearing only a large, white T-shirt that was barely keeping her modest. "Yes. All Oni have a weakness to them," she answered as she quickly turned her head away. The fabric of her shirt wasn't thick enough to hide the woman's voluptuous figure. She's not wearing anything underneath…

Jin tossed the towel aside and walked over to her other clothes. She withdrew a small, battered notebook, squatted, and carefully recorded the new information.

"Oni… weak… against… onions. This is so educational. I am assuming that is why you have those tools to make bullets in the kitchen."

The huntress turned away completely. "They are a bit of a pain to make-"

[Literally, for me.]

"-but it is slightly cheaper than buying regular ammunition, and here, they are, for all intents and purposes, one-hit 'kills.' Of course, that doesn't excuse you from buying normal rounds."

"I see." Jin made a quick note of that and re-pocketed the pad. She stretched out, tired and ready for bed, but after hearing a nearly inaudible squeak from her host, she smirked and relaxed. She easily picked out the girl's flushed ears in spite of their current shade matching that of her hair. "How old are you now, anyways? 15?"

Ayane frowned. "18," she corrected, only the slightest bit of annoyance detectable in her tone.

"Wow." The vampire's surprise was almost palpable. "Talk about good genes. Must be the fish and rice diet you people have here." Jin let the surprise drift away, replaced instead with the unnerving gaze fixed upon Ayane. The redhead noticed and turned to face her, shyly backing away. "Not saying you aren't a stunning lady as it is, though."

The woman drew closer to her, pinning the poor girl to a wall before Jin stopped her approach, her face mere millimeters from Ayane's. Jin chuckled as she finally pulled away.

Rache, for some reason, apparently let out a sigh of relief in the confused Ayane's head.

"Well," Jin started, "we best get some rest. Where shall I bunk? The couch?"

"No, you are a guest. You can take my bed," the girl replied reflexively.

"With you on it?" asked her guest with a devilish grin.

Her query was immediately met with a deep blush, as well as what sounded like choking inside Ayane's head. "I—I… no, the—"

"—Couch, I know. I was teasing you, kitten."

"Oh! Oh, of course," she acknowledged with a nervous laugh. "I'll—I will gather my things and leave you to rest." She ducked her face down and hastily gathered a blanket and pillow from the closet before walking quickly to the door. She spun around and bowed. "Good night, Jin-san."

"Good night."

Ayane closed the door behind her and walked out to the living room. She let out a yawn, and decided she needed to crash as soon as possible. The girl began to undress, and had nothing on other than her underwear before she heard a door squeak.

"Oh, Ayane. I—"

Jin got a great view of a scarlet-faced Ayane and her undone bra. Her ensuing wolf whistle was met with a shriek and a flying pillow to the face.

---

Ayane stood in a desolate wasteland, the earth cracked and the veins filled with lava, tinting the air with an orange hue. The bleak sky stretched endlessly in all directions. The only noticeably different thing around her was a figure she had only seen in photographs.

"Otousan?"

The tall, brown-haired man turned towards her, and for a moment, her piercing silver eyes locked with his own. Although his lacked the oriental shape of her eyes, his irises glowed with the same unnatural hue. The dagger-like gaze of the man softened as he smiled and opened his arms.

The girl could hardly process the information. She approached slowly at first, everything about the scene illogical in her head. But she let go of all her inhibitions and threw her trained caution to the wind as she ran to embrace the father she never knew. Tears streamed down her face the entire way. "Otousan! I thought you were dead!" She held tightly to his thin frame and buried her head into his chest. She glanced up and saw the smile.

He pushed his daughter away. She tumbled over a cliff that had suddenly appeared behind her. She could only gaze back up at her father before a bright flash went through her vision, and everything went black. She realized her eyes were still closed and opened them, finding herself on the floor, still undressed and tightly wound around her blanket.

The redhead picked herself up and rubbed her head in pain, apparently the first point of contact with the hardwood floor. She put on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans quietly and walked over to her bedroom door. Opening it, she stole a peek at her guest. Jin lay inert, but not without a giddy smile on her face.

I suppose she's a heavy sleeper if she slept through that bump. I wonder what she's dreaming about.

The subject became apparent after the woman let out a pleased moan. "Oh, I can think of a couple things you can do with that Bo staff, Ms. Johnston…"

Maybe I shouldn't have asked…

[I wonder if this Johnston is into necrophilia…]

"I don't even want to know," Ayane whispered to her alter ego before silently closing the door. She glanced at the microwave—ah, only 11:30 AM—and picked up the acoustic guitar in the corner, one of the few mementos her father left behind. She walked out to the balcony and slid the door closed. The girl sat down on a chair she had sitting outside and began to play a delicate flamenco melody that Herrera taught her. She reminisced of her conversation with the Brotherhood agent last night as the riff built up.

"So why did Herrera-san send you?" she had asked on the way home.

"Well, first off, it was to wish you a happy birthday and—oh, I almost forgot!"

Ayane's gaze wandered to the DVD box set out on her coffee table that Jin had handed her then. It was an anime she wasn't too familiar with, although she had seen some of the promotional material for its final season earlier this year. She thought the heroine seemed very familiar.

"Lord Herrera happened across this in a bazaar and said that it reminded him of you. He remembered you were into this kind of stuff, and you might already have it, but anyways…"

Her song took on a darker, melancholic twinge, the image of Jin's ever present smile the woman wore flickering still weighing heavy in Ayane's mind, especially at the news she was given that moment.

"He gave me orders to warn you and other freelance Devil Hunters here that there have been a surge of demon-related cases all over the world. You've probably already noticed it. We're working on finding out why, but it seems there's some dissent going on in Hell, maybe even an upheaval. The one behind it might be…"

The mercenary's mind returned to the present and looked at the framed photograph sitting on the end table near her couch. In it were the father she will never meet and the mother that raised her into the Devil Hunter she is today. The girl let out a sigh as she closed her eyes and sat back. The intensity of her melody built as she continued, focusing on the complicated, synergistic dance of her hands working in harmony to reproduce the composition. Her concentration was broken when her cellphone vibrated in her pocket. She set aside the guitar and answered quickly.

"Tsukino speaking… Another job? … I'm on it." She hung up, grabbed a jacket, and strapped on her weapon harness and protective gear. After writing a note to her sleeping visitor, she bagged her katana as well and glided out the door.

---

Even by subway, it took some time to get to the other side of Kyoto. Ayane passed time playing more on her PSP, although she briefly contemplated whether or not she would stop by an electronics store and pick up a PS Vita. Since she was hitting up a bar, she decided give into the temptation and went ahead to get one with her increased funds, and she explored some of its new quirks to pass the time before the bar opened.

She ended up late, the bar already in business for two hours before she realized she was too engrossed in her new device. The huntress stepped inside, but looking as young as she did, the bartender didn't take kindly to seeing her.

"Oi, Chibi-chan," he called, stepping out from his post to bar her way. "I'm going to have to see some ID. We don't serve anything here for minors."

"Will this work?" she jokingly asked as she handed him a card.

The bartender nearly choked on his own moustache when he saw it was an A-rank Bounty Hunting license with a weird, specialized insignia under clearances. He recovered his demeanor and stepped back to politely bow. "My apologies, Ojou-sama. Please, do not hesitate to ask if there is anything I can do for you." He timidly walked back behind his bar, eyeing some of his more seedy customers.

Ayane settled down in a seat in the corner and scanned the establishment. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary for a bar, other than the crimson-haired girl that the men were leering back at. She couldn't be certain whether it was because they were demons that recognized her or that they were drunk and... she didn't want to think about it. She sighed and did her best to ignore them, and instead tried to sense where her prey was hiding.

"Something feels off about this place," she whispered quietly to herself.

[Yeah, I feel it, too. there is a demonic presence here, but it's spread throughout the entire establishment. Might be that they frequent this place often—wait a second.]

Ayane had let her attention drift away. Something else had caught it. A light guitar riff played, softly at first, but slowly built up, each measure layering upon the previous until the tone became intense. The melody I was playing earlier. She turned her attention to the stage.

The live entertainment that night was a young man, his spiky black hair tipped white. He played a beautifully colored cedar guitar. His attire was strange: he wore traditional Japanese geta, and his clothing was black, from his hakama pants, to the vest, to the tasset around his waist and his fingerless gloves. Even the long, pointed fingernails on his right hand with which he plucked the string and the short ones on his left with which he fingered the notes were painted black. His somber expression as he passionately played his instrument was offset with the fierce glow in his eyes, which was a vibrant shade of orange.

The girl found herself standing up and making her way towards the musician, captivated by his fervent performance. She sat down in front of him, listening to the beautiful way he played the melody. The guitarist paid her no mind as he quickly came to the apex of the song, arpeggios rapidly resounding through the room, hypnotizing her. Time seemed to slow as he went into a decrescendo, slowly bringing the song to an ethereal end. Light applause broke out, but Ayane was left dumbfounded. Her mind was still haunted by the melody, only barely registering the man standing up and taking a bow.

He picked up a rectangular guitar case with a long handle sticking out of one end, where he put away his instrument and slung it over his shoulder. He walked over to the bar, got his paycheck and walked out the door without a word.

[Ayane!] Rache yelled, finally getting through to her. [Didn't you feel it?! That was a goddamned demon!]

That hit her like a slap in the face. She bolted out the door after her next target.

---

The demon walked nonchalantly down the moonlit street, seemingly oblivious to the redhead that shadowed him. Thankfully, the musician's getup appeared to steer people away, keeping him easy to tail. Ayane wanted to get him isolated, as open acts of the supernatural would drag in agents of the Brotherhood—or worse yet, the Illuminati. She finally had her chance when he turned into a small alley.

The huntress dashed to the edge of the building and put her back to it as she carefully looked around the corner. His casual gait gave her the impression that he was still unaware, but she drew a pistol in her off-hand in caution anyways as she silently stepped into the shadows. She stalked him, first slowly, but accelerated into a run as she closed in on her quarry.

Even at a full run, he showed no signs of alarm, but his left hand went to the large shaft sticking out of his guitar case and drew out a large, wide, misshapen blade before whirling clockwise and swung at his assailant with a heavy handed diagonal slash assisted by the force of gravity.

The Valkyrie fluidly drew out her own sword with her free hand, the smaller Japanese weapon guiding the blow down its length harmlessly to the side. Her blade had fully cleared the sheath, the offending weapon out of the way. She halted her parry and whipped the blade down the same vector it came. It was met with the demon's sword in a block with a distinct clang of metal. Her sword still sang from both clashes. She recovered from her small stagger and swung her weapon from the opposite side again, this time locking blades with her opponent.

[What is it with the people and their giant swords nowadays?] Rache asked incredulously.

The combatants were evenly matched, the point of contact on the demon's sword glowing from the heat of the mercenary's own. She took this split second to lock eyes with the fiend to gauge his intent. She noticed the bloodlust drop off the moment he saw her eyes, quickly disengaging and hopping back.

"Oi, Crimson-Hair," he began, "I don't want to fight—"

The musician jerked his head his head to the side as a bullet grazed his ear.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Ayane simply replied by charging forward with an overhead cut.

The demon barely sidestepped the attack before she quickly recovered and sliced horizontally. He back flipped up and landed on the railing of a fire escape above. "Damn it, girl, listen to me!"

"I refuse!" she yelled and opened fire. Are those wires on the side of that fullblade?

He cart-wheeled off of the hand rail and landed on the ground, landing a good distance away. "Have it your way, then!" The fiend changed the grip on his weapon to a strange stance.

His sword is a guitar, too! She dashed at him, gun blazing, but a slow riff played. She felt her body slow to a crawl, like she was moving through a pool filled with molasses. Even the report of her firearm sounded distorted, muted and groggy. She looked ahead and saw her bullets moving at a snail's pace, the air unhurriedly warp behind them. She watched helplessly as her opponent approached her, calmly playing the melody, before he spun into a back kick. The force of the blow sent her flying, her speed only restored the moment he dropped the song as she slammed painfully into the side of a dumpster. She slumped to the floor, but renewed the grip on her weapons as he approached.

"Ready to listen now?"

She spat a little blood from her lips. "Never seen bards manipulate time magic before."

"Bard is such an archaic—" He jumped back, but it was too late as the gun sounded off three more shots. One lodged into his shoulder and dropped him onto one knee.

"Archaic?" the redhead retorted as she calmly reloaded her sidearm. "You're one to talk, wearing geta and a hakama."

He smirked weakly and looked at his wound. "Not healing very fast. You're a prudent one, using onions."

"I'm just impressed you're still alive, demon. I can fix that." Ayane strafed him as he rolled away grasping his sword with his good arm, determined to keep him from casting any more magic and laying down as much fire as possible.

The fiend was well trained, her shots only grazing him. He dove into cover in another alley, but the mercenary lunged and rolled into line of sight before he could play a note. He pushed off the wall at his back and ascended with wall to wall hops until he somersaulted over a roof's lip and onto higher ground.

The huntress followed suit with a vertical run up the wall he vacated. She leapt off the wall at the apex of her momentum, opening fire as she sailed upside down at her target. The fighter had abandoned playing his music and opted for a traditional grip to defend himself with the flat of his blade, shielding him from several projectiles dangerously close to their mark. Ayane pulled her limbs in tighter and spun quicker before she exploded with a drop kick. The momentum sent him stumbling back and over the other side of the roof, careening into the opposite wall before hitting the ground below in a much wider backstreet. Ayane rolled to her feet and sprinted up to the ledge, noting that she had fired all the rounds in her clip. Damn, out of onion rounds. She ejected the clip and kicked it at the demon below before clamping another in her mouth.

He batted the impromptu weapon away before noticing that she had dove at him herself, her sword arm drawn back. He dove out of the path of her swinging sword as she used its momentum to return to her feet. She deftly slipped the fresh clip into place by bringing the sidearm to her face. Using her coiled legs, she launched herself off the pavement at him again. The swordsman somersaulted over Ayane to avoid a horizontal slash, but barely touched the ground before pushing off from it to avoid being riddled full of holes the instant she whirled about with her Beretta 90two blazing.

Ayane noticed he rolled onto one knee and quickly sheathed his blade at his back. She backpedaled to prepare for his change in tactics, hinted in the calmness in his face. He propelled himself forward aggressively. She continued her retreat, bent on keeping her ranged advantage, but was forced to flip over his head to avoid a right hook. She sprung out of her spin to catch him with an aerial back kick, but he had already anticipated it and spun around. The demon grabbed her leg in midair and pulled her towards him. He launched himself off the floor into a rising knee bash, connecting painfully with her spine as he let her go. She twisted gracefully in midair to land on her feet only to find he was already closing in for another blow. The girl jerked her head to the side and avoided an arm thrust, his long fingernails grazing her face and drawing blood.

She felt her brain shake as it connected with his geta, his leg arced behind his back in a scorpion kick. He whipped the leg around to the other side of his body and hit her gut with a roundhouse before the momentum provided enough distance between them for the fiend to deliver a straight back kick before she could touch the ground, sending her hurtling.

Looks like I can't afford to conserve energy. She holstered her gun and spun her body. Her feet had only barely touched the rapidly approaching brick wall before she completely vanished.

It was the faint sound of wind behind him that gave away her location, but by then it was too late. The girl swept his legs out from underneath him with a reverse sweep and impaled him through his back as he fell, the blade sizzling as blood touched its burning edge.

"I admit that you're more difficult than the usual rabble I've dealt with." The triumphant demon slayer withdrew her blade from his body in a flash, casting the steaming gore off her blade in a single fluid motion before sheathing the sword once more. With a distinctive click as it fully clasped back in its saya, the blood spurt from his wound as he dropped to his knees.

He heard the rubbing of leather before he felt hard metal press up against his temple. "Shunpo," he said aloud, identifying the movement technique. "I knew you were skilled... I underestimated how skilled."

The Valkyrie smiled briefly as she cocked the hammer on her pistol.

[Ayane! five-o'-clock!]

The fiend's wide-open eyes and her own demon's warning whirled her about, only to face a grotesque image of a man with countless massive spikes growing out of its body charging directly at her. The girl raised her firearm futilely, well aware that even killing it wouldn't stop its momentum enough for her to get away.

The redhead was pushed clear out of the path of the spiky nightmare, crashing heavily to the side of the alley. She rubbed the back of her head as she tried to get back up, but opened her eyes when she found it difficult.

On top of her was her savior: the demon she came close to killing. And he had his face buried in her chest.

"Uh, wow, they're pretty soft," he said nervously as she jabbed her gun into his scalp.

"Why, you—!" she began before she instinctively flinched. The weight of countless eyes bore into her with nearly palpable bloodlust. The huntress quickly looked around as she pushed the musician off of her. There are a lot of these things around. Their flesh had grown pallid and all ruptured with spikes; zombies growing massive, black spines from their bones. She recognized many of them as bar patrons.

"As I was trying to say before," said the swordsman, "I'm not your run-of-the-mill antagonistic demon."

Ayane only blinked in surprise.

"What do you say we take care of the garbage, and then we can talk?" He stood up and lifted his blade with one arm, the other nursing the wound on his chest, and when they both were finally standing, he dropped his hand away from his torso, now fully healed. He grasped his weapon with both hands and settled into an unmistakable battle stance.

Ayane shook her head a little bit, but drew out her other sidearm. "Just make sure you don't get in my way."

Her newfound ally smirked, and together, they charged headlong into the fray.

---

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back… home

Wake me up – Wake me up inside
I Can't wake up – Wake me up inside
Save me – Call my name and save me from the dark
Wake me up – Bid my blood to run
I Can't wake up – Before I come undone
Save me – Save me from the nothing I've become

Bring me to Life
I’ve been living a lie
there’s nothing inside
Bring me to Life…

---

Glossary to return soon!