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The story continues, sorry for the delay! As usual, the art above serves as a preview of what you'll read below. Like usual, it's all with the approval of the creator of the Asagi sisters and Reiko Scarlet Sakura, !

In this part, Misa is paying her loving respects to her late parents...you'll also discover how, on a tragic day five years ago, Misa and Kyoko lost them...but Misa has an unexpected encounter with a lady in red...things get VERY interesting right after that! ^_^

------ "A Portrait in Scarlet" -- Part Two of Six!

The Hit

--1--

It was the darkest day of Misa and Kyoko Asagi's young lives, the day they lost their parents...the worst of it was, they couldn't be there for their cherished mother and father when they died.

--2--

This was what happened that day.

Kyoko was 19 years old at the time; she had been a Vanquisher for barely a year...her treasured little sister Misa, only two years younger, was still in training. On that day, one report after another came in of mortals being attacked by invading demons across not only the city but the entire Kingdom, and they happened almost simultaneously. Kyoko got the sense instantly that these attacks were far too random, almost nonsensical in their staging...the young Slayer worried that they might have been distractions to divert and disperse the Vanquishers before the Demonkind did something much, much worse. Her father and the Masters of their Order agreed, but for the time being all the holy warriors could do was respond to the attacks already taking place to save and protect the innocent. Most of Demon City 7's Slayers deployed to the multiple flashpoints, and Kyoko was one of them. Their mother and father stayed with Misa at the Temple, but hoped all the same they were wrong.

They weren't. Out of nowhere, there was sudden chaos in the heart of the Middle Ground District. This attack, an incursion by a Hellgate established somewhere in the city, involved scores of minions from the Hells -- several incredibly destructive Abominations were also sighted! Kyoko and Misa's mother and father immediately responded, like always ready to give their best for the Heavens and their fellow mortals. Misa felt so terribly helpless as she was forced to stay behind...she was still only an Initiate, yet wished with all her heart she could go with her parents.

The police were in pitched battle with these invading Demonkind already in Middle Ground, and they were suffering heavy casualties. The husband and wife were both powerful and gifted Vanquishers -- Kyoko and Misa's mother in particular was also highly skilled in the arts of holy magic. The father supported the police and killed most of the Abominations himself as the mother devoted herself to saving lives, saving and stabilizing wounded police and civilians with healing spells until medical help could reach them.

After minutes of bedlam and pitched battle, the husband and wife sensed where the Hellgate was, in a massive parking structure. They reached it with a squad of harried yet game officers of the police's elite Special Tactics and Countermeasures Unit. What they needed to find was in the first sub-level.

Hellgates are created by sacrificing mortals...the infernal extradimensional portals were built from the gory bones, tissue and sinew of those sacrifices, in fact! The blood of those poor people, whether they were innocent or not, served as fuel for the black mystics' incantations that would establish the rift between Earth and the darkest regions of the Afterlife. The arch-shaped thing was huge, several meters across, easily big enough to bring in scores of demons at a time and the much larger Abominations. The energy of the rift itself was swirling, roiling crimson and black. How many mortal men and women were murdered to build this? Fifty? More?

The father growled, "We need to destroy this before more of the damned come through!" He looked to the ranking cop and asked, "Sergeant, do you or your men have explosive charges? Even grenades would do!" He cursed himself and thought he should have asked that sooner...a Hellgate could be taken down by conventional high explosives, even one of this size...!

But the officer shook his head and reported, "No, sir! We lost track of our demolitions experts during the fighting." He looked at his fellow officers, and they all had embarrassed expressions. "I-I'm afraid none of us have -- !"

"Darling!" The beautiful wife drew close and clutched her husband's sword arm. "I can sense more coming...many more!"

Her husband looked back at the Hellgate and frowned. "Hei...I can feel it, too." Defense Force battalions were only minutes away, they'd have the armaments...but they wouldn't get here in time.

The husband and wife looked at each other...and in a beat, with sadness in their eyes, they knew what they had to do. She said softly, "I have the power to destabilize the Hellgate." She could use her holy white magic to disrupt the critical balance of its black energy, which would result in the portal's destruction. Yet she had to stay to cast her magic...and when she did, the detonation would be instantaneous...

The husband nodded deeply. He said, "You'll need time to focus your magic...you'll need protection." For that reason alone, he had to stay with his beloved. There was no time for anything else.

Oh, they wished they could stay for Kyoko and Misa...but this was to seal the portal, to save the city they called home.

This was for the daughters they loved with all their souls.

The father ordered the cops, "All of you, get out of here now! If you value your lives, run out of the building! You'll have only a minute or two!"

The sergeant felt sudden fear, but not for himself. He asked with alarm, "Wh-what about you both?!"

His expression firm, his tone hard as steel, he only said, "We must stay! Now run!"

The wife cried, "Wait! Darling, your Sephiroth!" Then she said much more softly, "We both know Kyoko is more than worthy of it, just as Misa deserves my sword...!"

He smiled fondly and nodded. "Hei!" He carefully gave his wife his greatsword...

...and with the Sephiroth in one hand and her sheathed Muramasa in the other, she presented them to the police sergeant. "Please take these with you! Make sure they get back to the Temple and to our daughters! They already know they're meant to inherit these one day!"

Shocked, the sergeant began, "B-but ma'am -- !"

The brave and beautiful mother implored, "Please! Please do this for us...for our girls...!"

Agonized, the sergeant saluted her and said in an overwhelmed voice, "Yes, ma'am! Two of you each take a weapon, and carefully!" One took the Muramasa, but two other men had to carefully heft the Sephiroth between them...gods, the sword weighed over a hundred pounds! The officer in command said with feeling, "May the Heavens bless you both!"

The mother smiled and said softly, "We were already blessed in so many ways, sergeant. Now hurry!" The men hurried out with their precious cargo...the weapons that would be inherited by their daughters.

It took all of the beauty's strength not to cry as she turned back to the Hellgate and to her husband, who stood only a few meters before the nightmare energy that composed its portal. She reached her beloved and took his hand. He asked, "Are you ready?"

She bowed deeply. "I will be, darling. I love you."

He barely had the time to kiss her sweet lips before the next wave began to come through. Dozens of them again. The man looked at the horde, smiled, and rushed to meet them. He expressed his love for his wife by taking on the demons with his bare hands, and he was glorious. The woman thought of their daughters as she focused inward -- her hands took mystic gestures. She began to marshall her holy power...

A moment later, just after the squad of soldiers exited the building with the Vanquishers' swords, they were knocked off their feet as a great underground blast sent tremors through the entire city. The parking structure was literally leveled as it sank and collapsed. In the days afterward, as the authorities searched through the rubble, nothing was left of the Hellgate. The same could almost have been said for the brave husband and wife, the Vanquishers who sacrificed themselves to stop the crisis. Only the barest ashes of them were found scattered through the debris.

There was nothing left of Kyoko and Misa's parents in this mortal world but the swords they passed on...and the memories their daughters would forever hold sacred...

--3--

Five years later, the sisters had healed in some ways from the loss of their parents...in so many others, the loss left behind a great void in their lives and a sadness that might only ease when they were reunited with their mother and father in the Heavens one day.

It was a warm, beautiful day in the green, forested foothills a few miles outside of Demon City 7. There was a remote, isolated, sacrosanct place known only to Vanquishers and their families, reachable by a simple dirt road. It was the Shrine of Vanquishers, a compound dominated by a solemn brick-red pagoda that housed the remains of fallen demon slayers. Many of these heroes lost during the Tokyo Kingdom's history were interned here in their crypts...others, like the sisters' parents, left no mortal remains behind...they were given humble yet beautiful altars where their loved ones could pray and pay their respects.

Since only demon slayers, their relations and servants of the Temple knew of this Shrine, it wasn't a public place. Once a day, miko -- mystic maidens and followers from the Temple -- would maintain its grounds and the Shrine itself, in the mornings. It didn't have guards -- it didn't need any. The compound was protected by powerful holy wards rivaled only by the protections of important bastions like Edo Castle itself that covered every inch of space in case any dark forces wanted to attack it -- the Demonkind could be as petty as they were cruel -- and any that tried would experience truly brutal consequences.

It was the early afternoon when Misa Asagi came to the Shrine...she and her beloved Kyoko visited here once every week for the past five years, without fail. They usually did so together, but this day Misa arrived by herself riding her BMX. Not long ago, Kyoko called her imoute's cell phone and said she might run late...Misa reassured that it was all right and she would wait for her beloved. Kyoko didn't say why she was delayed, and Misa thought it might be because of the city's usually-thick traffic. It wouldn't have been the first time Kyoko was tardy for that reason...the elder Vanquisher's Nissan might have been fast, but that didn't help when caught in the middle of gridlock.

The Shrine's compound was completely vacant...Misa couldn't sense anyone else here with her hyper-natural senses as she crossed through its great gates and entered the pagoda. Yes, there was an underlying sadness Misa always felt ever since the loss of her mother and father...but here as she knelt before her parents' altar -- the most recent addition to her family's ancestral crypt -- and left her offerings, like she and Kyoko did every week, she felt that sadness ease so much. As she gazed at a picture of her mother and father placed just above their memorial tablet, Misa felt the same serenity and certainty being here like she did every moment with them when they were alive. She prayed to her parents, her thoughts gently communicated her purest gratitude to them, how much she would always love and miss them from the bottom of her heart.

Not for the first time, sweet Misa could really feel mother and father's presence, like they were there with her...and she wouldn't have been surprised if they were in an unseen, ethereal form.

--4--

Misa Asagi took the stone stairway down from the inner gate, a tranquil smile on her lovely face. So much had happened to her in the past five years. For three of those years she's been the demon slayer she once dreamed she could be as a child, following the footsteps of her beloved Kyoko. Misa had faced a unique, deadly baptism as a Vanquisher when she and her onee-chan saved each other's lives and eternal souls from the Black Monk, Fei. It troubled them both ever since what Fei said that night, that one day in the future, the netherworldly forces of the Dark God Yin Lau Wong would invade the mortal world to conquer it. The Gods of the Heavens, in an age long ago, swore they would never interfere with mortal affairs again...unless their opposites, the demonic gods of the Netherregions, directly threatened the Earth.

But mortals had been plagued by the worst of the Demonkind, the servants of the Dark Gods, again and again since...that, for better or worse, was a different story. It was the role of the blessed Slayers to defend their world from such threats. But could anyone on Earth be properly prepared for a full-scale invasion of such forces, even the divinely gifted like the Tokyo Kingdom's Vanquishers? Misa didn't want to doubt they could face such a dire threat, but brave and stoic Kyoko couldn't help but express worry every time they talked about it. They warned the Masters of their Order, who spread the word to every sect of Slayers across the planet, and in turn they forewarned many world leaders very quietly to begin preparing. Some listened, but others didn't believe...they were afraid to believe, and Misa couldn't blame them for that.

And the Angels on Earth? Kyoko and Misa forewarned the highest-ranking of the Heavenly servants in Tokyo, the capital of their kingdom...the reaction the sisters received wasn't exactly encouraging. It was no secret many Angels didn't even want to be in the mortal realm; Misa observed that some Angels they talked to were ambivalent while others seemed eager for a fight, at least as a change of pace from watching mortals constantly creating problems for themselves!

In the end, the sisters understood they could do little more than what all Slayers worthy of the distinction already did every day. Be vigilant. Be ready for anything. For better or worse, they could only wait for the invasion. Whenever it would happen.

In spite of past tragedy and what the future might have held in store, Misa's lovely smile was still serene as she reached the bottom of the stone steps. The outer perimeter gate was just ahead. There was one all-important reason why the girl was able to heal at all during the past five years...she thought of that reason, her beloved Kyoko, which was why she smiled. There was only one person she loved more than her parents...Misa knew in her soul she could never love anyone more than her elder sister, she felt beyond blessed to have Kyoko. As much as she was willing to wait for Kyoko, more and more she grew to miss her older sister so much when they were apart. Misa already felt an ache in her heart for her onee-chan to be close to her again -- !

Misa felt it and stopped in her tracks. Her hyper-senses detected that someone else was here...they must have arrived while the girl was paying her respects. And it wasn't Kyoko. The young Vanquisher caught the faint scent of jasmine, from not far away.

Misa Asagi was always ready for anything...no matter where she went, she carried her sword, the Muramasa. Her left hand clenched her sheathed sword briefly. Then, boldly, the girl closed her eyes and spoke loudly into the quiet air. "I have higher senses than ordinary mortals, whoever you are. For instance, I can tell you're a mortal, too. You don't have that signature scent demons have.

"Let me see you, please!"

"I'm right here!" The voice was surprisingly neutral in its accent yet as thick as a tiger's purr. Misa looked to the source of the voice and her breath nearly caught in her throat. The lady in red was standing on top of one of the compound's inner walls, her posture strong and confident and unexpectedly alluring. Gods, she was beautiful...not as beautiful as Kyoko, Misa thought, but she was definitely striking in her own right! The blonde was of mixed descent, she looked about the same age as Misa, with captivating eyes of emerald green. Those eyes looked at the girl quietly, neither kind nor threatening.

Misa considered the lady in red and said, "You must be here for me." It wasn't a question.

The blonde nodded. "Yes." She leapt easily from the top of the wall...she landed on the ground with a feline grace. She began to stride toward the young Vanquisher.

Misa asked, "What do you want?" She already suspected...

...and the seductress confirmed it by answering softly, "I am here to kill you." She stopped several paces away. So quiet. So aloof.

Misa sighed and thought, Of course she is! Misa nodded. "Okay. I'm honored that you would be so honest. Barumusu sent you, didn't he?" Another good reason to be ever-vigilant and ready. How many damned times had the demon who ruled all crime in Demon City 7 tried to kill the sisters? In the past three years, not long after they saved each other from the Black Monk, they had been attacked repeatedly by well-organized forces at seemingly random times and places. Their enemies were mortal, demonic or a mix of both, and highly motivated.

And from little details, telltales left amongst their enemies' remains each time, it was clear the attacks were connected, they came from the same unknowable, evil source. It didn't help that the sisters lived and moved publicly, just like anyone else, so Misa wasn't too surprised that an enemy like this captivating stranger in red could have followed her here. But this alluring vision was mortal...she must have been greatly skilled and confident in her ability to confront a demon slayer, who was blessed to be above and beyond the ordinary!

Attacks like this had become almost routine for Misa and Kyoko, but they wouldn't let that change how they lived. And really, none of the random threats they were forced to contend with were nearly as dangerous as when Mizuki Oe kidnapped them both about six months ago and put them through so much torment on that cruise ship. That situation was comparatively so much more perilous, but thankfully they gave one another the strength to endure and be victorious.

The lady in red was silent, simply looked at Misa after the girl asked her question. Misa said, "No answer, huh? If Barumusu wasn't your master, you would have said so. Your silence tells me a lot, anyway. You're not the first he's sent to try to kill me and my sister, you know.

"I'm surprised you would challenge me alone and without any help. You must know what Slayers can do. That makes you very brave...or way too confident. Either way, you're not clearly armed."

Misa frowned a little. "I ought to make this fair, then."

Misa gazed at the lady in red as she slowly lowered to one knee...the Vanquisher never took her eyes off the visitor as she carefully laid her Muramasa on the ground next to her feet. Then she rose again. Unarmed.

The blonde's eyebrows lifted...a curve formed on one side of her beautiful mouth. She purred, "You might be a bit too confident yourself. A warrior should keep hold of their weapon in a fight."

Misa nodded. "Like I said. You must know what I can do. And if you don't...I'll be more than happy to show you!" Then she bowed deeply, in a show of sweet respect. The stranger in red bowed fully in turn. Misa Asagi quickly entered a fighting stance and said with a smile, "Whenever you're ready!" The girl couldn't help but admire the lady in red...she had to know that she was outclassed in every respect by Misa, who was several times stronger and faster than any normal mortal!

Misa let the enemy come to her...and the lady in red did so with a fluid grace. The blonde attacked with a martial prowess clearly steeped in the ancient arts of Chinese Kung Fu. But it wasn't obvious at first which style she was utilizing, it seemed to be a mixed combination of them. Misa only dodged at first, noting aspects of both Northern and Southern styles.

Yes, Misa Asagi was a sweet girl with a giving heart and soul. She was very different in the heat of battle against demonic evil, as she was driven by her pure courage and righteous anger to defend herself, any innocents who needed her protection, and especially to support the sister she loved above all others. Misa was increasingly becoming just like Kyoko in combat, just as dangerous and merciless as one could imagine out of pure necessity.

As the young women fought in this tranquil setting, though, Misa couldn't consider the mystery lady clad in tight red leather a legitimate threat. In fact, the young Slayer didn't sense any true evil or malicious intent from her opponent! There was a coolness and strength about her that reminded Misa of Kyoko a bit...her beguiling green eyes only offered mystery and made the sweet Slayer desire to know more about her...

...and because of her nature and growing curiosity toward the lady in red, Misa governed herself...she instinctively held back from really using her blessed gifts and abilities...over a minute of graceful combat passed as they seemed to perform a dangerous, lethal dance with one another...

...and the fighter in red was starting to impress her! The lady was fast, Misa thought, much faster than she could have predicted from the start, and her mix of nonlinear fighting styles was catching the Slayer off her guard. Misa had to increase her own speed to block some unexpectedly powerful blows, but still, she couldn't find it in her heart to really cut loose and do the blonde real damage...!

Then Misa's opponent surprised her! The girl didn't see immediately that she had a short rod on a harness attached to her back. Misa caught a couple of glimpses of something there, but the blonde was amazing as she fought and wouldn't let the Slayer see anymore. Suddenly, the lady in red made a small mistake, enough to give Misa an opening...but the sweet girl hesitated.

The blonde frowned, seeming to take offense, and with even greater speed spun like a whirlwind to one side of the Vanquisher...as she reached around and took the short rod, flipped a hidden switch in its handle and it extended to become twice as long!...

...and the stun rod flared to electric life just before the lady in red swung and it struck Misa Asagi just below her sternum! Instantly, every muscle in her body seized up painfully, the girl wasn't even able to scream as she absorbed over 100,000 Volts! It would have been as fatal as a lightning strike if an ordinary mortal was hit with the weapon! Knocked backward a few yards, Misa crumpled to her hands and knees, virtually breathless and trembling for a moment!

The stun rod thrumming with power in her slender hand, Reiko Scarlet Sakura slowly, casually approached Misa with a sensual gait. She said, "I will be completely honest with you, Misa Asagi. I do have a master, but he is not Barumusu." Reiko stood above the sweet Slayer who was still doubled over, trying to catch her breath. "I am not here because I am being paid to kill you. I am not here because of hate or any personal feelings. I am simply following orders. Nothing more."

Reiko sighed and offered, "As a matter of fact, I wish that our present circumstances were different. You are extremely cute." Her sultry lips turned into a smirk. "But really. I did hope for much more of a challenge from you."

Misa Asagi stiffened as she stared at the dirt. The girl felt her cheeks flush hot from anger! She snarled, "Well then, this should make you happy!"

Faster than Reiko had ever seen anyone move in her entire life, Misa Asagi burst upright and with a leaping roundhouse kicked the stun rod out of the blonde's hand...it rocketed clear across the outer perimeter courtyard and embedded in a wall!

The angry Vanquisher was in pure battle mode as she took a fighting stance again! Misa Asagi yelled, "We haven't even started yet, dammit! LET'S DO THIS!"

Reiko smiled brightly with anticipation as she tensed...she was happy and more than ready...!

"Stop right there!" It was a new voice, full of power and passion, that reached Misa and Reiko...both turned to see a third person who just arrived and was standing within the outer gate:

It was Kyoko Asagi. Her blue eyes stared at Reiko with quiet, cold fury as she held her great Sephiroth at the ready. The Warrior Worth a Thousand was there for her sweet Misa and she was NOT amused!

　
TO BE CONTINUED!

------

Part three will be coming soon!

Giving credit where it's due!

XNALara created by Dusan Pavliceck
XPS created by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
Misa Asagi and Reiko Scarlet Sakura by
Kyoko Asagi Classy Casual meshmod by !
Electric FX by

Scenery:
DOA Sakura Stage by

Description
The story continues, sorry for the delay! As usual, the art above serves as a preview of what you'll read below. Like usual, it's all with the approval of the creator of the Asagi sisters and Reiko Scarlet Sakura, !

In this part, Misa is paying her loving respects to her late parents...you'll also discover how, on a tragic day five years ago, Misa and Kyoko lost them...but Misa has an unexpected encounter with a lady in red...things get VERY interesting right after that! ^_^

------ "A Portrait in Scarlet" -- Part Two of Six!

The Hit

--1--

It was the darkest day of Misa and Kyoko Asagi's young lives, the day they lost their parents...the worst of it was, they couldn't be there for their cherished mother and father when they died.

--2--

This was what happened that day.

Kyoko was 19 years old at the time; she had been a Vanquisher for barely a year...her treasured little sister Misa, only two years younger, was still in training. On that day, one report after another came in of mortals being attacked by invading demons across not only the city but the entire Kingdom, and they happened almost simultaneously. Kyoko got the sense instantly that these attacks were far too random, almost nonsensical in their staging...the young Slayer worried that they might have been distractions to divert and disperse the Vanquishers before the Demonkind did something much, much worse. Her father and the Masters of their Order agreed, but for the time being all the holy warriors could do was respond to the attacks already taking place to save and protect the innocent. Most of Demon City 7's Slayers deployed to the multiple flashpoints, and Kyoko was one of them. Their mother and father stayed with Misa at the Temple, but hoped all the same they were wrong.

They weren't. Out of nowhere, there was sudden chaos in the heart of the Middle Ground District. This attack, an incursion by a Hellgate established somewhere in the city, involved scores of minions from the Hells -- several incredibly destructive Abominations were also sighted! Kyoko and Misa's mother and father immediately responded, like always ready to give their best for the Heavens and their fellow mortals. Misa felt so terribly helpless as she was forced to stay behind...she was still only an Initiate, yet wished with all her heart she could go with her parents.

The police were in pitched battle with these invading Demonkind already in Middle Ground, and they were suffering heavy casualties. The husband and wife were both powerful and gifted Vanquishers -- Kyoko and Misa's mother in particular was also highly skilled in the arts of holy magic. The father supported the police and killed most of the Abominations himself as the mother devoted herself to saving lives, saving and stabilizing wounded police and civilians with healing spells until medical help could reach them.

After minutes of bedlam and pitched battle, the husband and wife sensed where the Hellgate was, in a massive parking structure. They reached it with a squad of harried yet game officers of the police's elite Special Tactics and Countermeasures Unit. What they needed to find was in the first sub-level.

Hellgates are created by sacrificing mortals...the infernal extradimensional portals were built from the gory bones, tissue and sinew of those sacrifices, in fact! The blood of those poor people, whether they were innocent or not, served as fuel for the black mystics' incantations that would establish the rift between Earth and the darkest regions of the Afterlife. The arch-shaped thing was huge, several meters across, easily big enough to bring in scores of demons at a time and the much larger Abominations. The energy of the rift itself was swirling, roiling crimson and black. How many mortal men and women were murdered to build this? Fifty? More?

The father growled, "We need to destroy this before more of the damned come through!" He looked to the ranking cop and asked, "Sergeant, do you or your men have explosive charges? Even grenades would do!" He cursed himself and thought he should have asked that sooner...a Hellgate could be taken down by conventional high explosives, even one of this size...!

But the officer shook his head and reported, "No, sir! We lost track of our demolitions experts during the fighting." He looked at his fellow officers, and they all had embarrassed expressions. "I-I'm afraid none of us have -- !"

"Darling!" The beautiful wife drew close and clutched her husband's sword arm. "I can sense more coming...many more!"

Her husband looked back at the Hellgate and frowned. "Hei...I can feel it, too." Defense Force battalions were only minutes away, they'd have the armaments...but they wouldn't get here in time.

The husband and wife looked at each other...and in a beat, with sadness in their eyes, they knew what they had to do. She said softly, "I have the power to destabilize the Hellgate." She could use her holy white magic to disrupt the critical balance of its black energy, which would result in the portal's destruction. Yet she had to stay to cast her magic...and when she did, the detonation would be instantaneous...

The husband nodded deeply. He said, "You'll need time to focus your magic...you'll need protection." For that reason alone, he had to stay with his beloved. There was no time for anything else.

Oh, they wished they could stay for Kyoko and Misa...but this was to seal the portal, to save the city they called home.

This was for the daughters they loved with all their souls.

The father ordered the cops, "All of you, get out of here now! If you value your lives, run out of the building! You'll have only a minute or two!"

The sergeant felt sudden fear, but not for himself. He asked with alarm, "Wh-what about you both?!"

His expression firm, his tone hard as steel, he only said, "We must stay! Now run!"

The wife cried, "Wait! Darling, your Sephiroth!" Then she said much more softly, "We both know Kyoko is more than worthy of it, just as Misa deserves my sword...!"

He smiled fondly and nodded. "Hei!" He carefully gave his wife his greatsword...

...and with the Sephiroth in one hand and her sheathed Muramasa in the other, she presented them to the police sergeant. "Please take these with you! Make sure they get back to the Temple and to our daughters! They already know they're meant to inherit these one day!"

Shocked, the sergeant began, "B-but ma'am -- !"

The brave and beautiful mother implored, "Please! Please do this for us...for our girls...!"

Agonized, the sergeant saluted her and said in an overwhelmed voice, "Yes, ma'am! Two of you each take a weapon, and carefully!" One took the Muramasa, but two other men had to carefully heft the Sephiroth between them...gods, the sword weighed over a hundred pounds! The officer in command said with feeling, "May the Heavens bless you both!"

The mother smiled and said softly, "We were already blessed in so many ways, sergeant. Now hurry!" The men hurried out with their precious cargo...the weapons that would be inherited by their daughters.

It took all of the beauty's strength not to cry as she turned back to the Hellgate and to her husband, who stood only a few meters before the nightmare energy that composed its portal. She reached her beloved and took his hand. He asked, "Are you ready?"

She bowed deeply. "I will be, darling. I love you."

He barely had the time to kiss her sweet lips before the next wave began to come through. Dozens of them again. The man looked at the horde, smiled, and rushed to meet them. He expressed his love for his wife by taking on the demons with his bare hands, and he was glorious. The woman thought of their daughters as she focused inward -- her hands took mystic gestures. She began to marshall her holy power...

A moment later, just after the squad of soldiers exited the building with the Vanquishers' swords, they were knocked off their feet as a great underground blast sent tremors through the entire city. The parking structure was literally leveled as it sank and collapsed. In the days afterward, as the authorities searched through the rubble, nothing was left of the Hellgate. The same could almost have been said for the brave husband and wife, the Vanquishers who sacrificed themselves to stop the crisis. Only the barest ashes of them were found scattered through the debris.

There was nothing left of Kyoko and Misa's parents in this mortal world but the swords they passed on...and the memories their daughters would forever hold sacred...

--3--

Five years later, the sisters had healed in some ways from the loss of their parents...in so many others, the loss left behind a great void in their lives and a sadness that might only ease when they were reunited with their mother and father in the Heavens one day.

It was a warm, beautiful day in the green, forested foothills a few miles outside of Demon City 7. There was a remote, isolated, sacrosanct place known only to Vanquishers and their families, reachable by a simple dirt road. It was the Shrine of Vanquishers, a compound dominated by a solemn brick-red pagoda that housed the remains of fallen demon slayers. Many of these heroes lost during the Tokyo Kingdom's history were interned here in their crypts...others, like the sisters' parents, left no mortal remains behind...they were given humble yet beautiful altars where their loved ones could pray and pay their respects.

Since only demon slayers, their relations and servants of the Temple knew of this Shrine, it wasn't a public place. Once a day, miko -- mystic maidens and followers from the Temple -- would maintain its grounds and the Shrine itself, in the mornings. It didn't have guards -- it didn't need any. The compound was protected by powerful holy wards rivaled only by the protections of important bastions like Edo Castle itself that covered every inch of space in case any dark forces wanted to attack it -- the Demonkind could be as petty as they were cruel -- and any that tried would experience truly brutal consequences.

It was the early afternoon when Misa Asagi came to the Shrine...she and her beloved Kyoko visited here once every week for the past five years, without fail. They usually did so together, but this day Misa arrived by herself riding her BMX. Not long ago, Kyoko called her imoute's cell phone and said she might run late...Misa reassured that it was all right and she would wait for her beloved. Kyoko didn't say why she was delayed, and Misa thought it might be because of the city's usually-thick traffic. It wouldn't have been the first time Kyoko was tardy for that reason...the elder Vanquisher's Nissan might have been fast, but that didn't help when caught in the middle of gridlock.

The Shrine's compound was completely vacant...Misa couldn't sense anyone else here with her hyper-natural senses as she crossed through its great gates and entered the pagoda. Yes, there was an underlying sadness Misa always felt ever since the loss of her mother and father...but here as she knelt before her parents' altar -- the most recent addition to her family's ancestral crypt -- and left her offerings, like she and Kyoko did every week, she felt that sadness ease so much. As she gazed at a picture of her mother and father placed just above their memorial tablet, Misa felt the same serenity and certainty being here like she did every moment with them when they were alive. She prayed to her parents, her thoughts gently communicated her purest gratitude to them, how much she would always love and miss them from the bottom of her heart.

Not for the first time, sweet Misa could really feel mother and father's presence, like they were there with her...and she wouldn't have been surprised if they were in an unseen, ethereal form.

--4--

Misa Asagi took the stone stairway down from the inner gate, a tranquil smile on her lovely face. So much had happened to her in the past five years. For three of those years she's been the demon slayer she once dreamed she could be as a child, following the footsteps of her beloved Kyoko. Misa had faced a unique, deadly baptism as a Vanquisher when she and her onee-chan saved each other's lives and eternal souls from the Black Monk, Fei. It troubled them both ever since what Fei said that night, that one day in the future, the netherworldly forces of the Dark God Yin Lau Wong would invade the mortal world to conquer it. The Gods of the Heavens, in an age long ago, swore they would never interfere with mortal affairs again...unless their opposites, the demonic gods of the Netherregions, directly threatened the Earth.

But mortals had been plagued by the worst of the Demonkind, the servants of the Dark Gods, again and again since...that, for better or worse, was a different story. It was the role of the blessed Slayers to defend their world from such threats. But could anyone on Earth be properly prepared for a full-scale invasion of such forces, even the divinely gifted like the Tokyo Kingdom's Vanquishers? Misa didn't want to doubt they could face such a dire threat, but brave and stoic Kyoko couldn't help but express worry every time they talked about it. They warned the Masters of their Order, who spread the word to every sect of Slayers across the planet, and in turn they forewarned many world leaders very quietly to begin preparing. Some listened, but others didn't believe...they were afraid to believe, and Misa couldn't blame them for that.

And the Angels on Earth? Kyoko and Misa forewarned the highest-ranking of the Heavenly servants in Tokyo, the capital of their kingdom...the reaction the sisters received wasn't exactly encouraging. It was no secret many Angels didn't even want to be in the mortal realm; Misa observed that some Angels they talked to were ambivalent while others seemed eager for a fight, at least as a change of pace from watching mortals constantly creating problems for themselves!

In the end, the sisters understood they could do little more than what all Slayers worthy of the distinction already did every day. Be vigilant. Be ready for anything. For better or worse, they could only wait for the invasion. Whenever it would happen.

In spite of past tragedy and what the future might have held in store, Misa's lovely smile was still serene as she reached the bottom of the stone steps. The outer perimeter gate was just ahead. There was one all-important reason why the girl was able to heal at all during the past five years...she thought of that reason, her beloved Kyoko, which was why she smiled. There was only one person she loved more than her parents...Misa knew in her soul she could never love anyone more than her elder sister, she felt beyond blessed to have Kyoko. As much as she was willing to wait for Kyoko, more and more she grew to miss her older sister so much when they were apart. Misa already felt an ache in her heart for her onee-chan to be close to her again -- !

Misa felt it and stopped in her tracks. Her hyper-senses detected that someone else was here...they must have arrived while the girl was paying her respects. And it wasn't Kyoko. The young Vanquisher caught the faint scent of jasmine, from not far away.

Misa Asagi was always ready for anything...no matter where she went, she carried her sword, the Muramasa. Her left hand clenched her sheathed sword briefly. Then, boldly, the girl closed her eyes and spoke loudly into the quiet air. "I have higher senses than ordinary mortals, whoever you are. For instance, I can tell you're a mortal, too. You don't have that signature scent demons have.

"Let me see you, please!"

"I'm right here!" The voice was surprisingly neutral in its accent yet as thick as a tiger's purr. Misa looked to the source of the voice and her breath nearly caught in her throat. The lady in red was standing on top of one of the compound's inner walls, her posture strong and confident and unexpectedly alluring. Gods, she was beautiful...not as beautiful as Kyoko, Misa thought, but she was definitely striking in her own right! The blonde was of mixed descent, she looked about the same age as Misa, with captivating eyes of emerald green. Those eyes looked at the girl quietly, neither kind nor threatening.

Misa considered the lady in red and said, "You must be here for me." It wasn't a question.

The blonde nodded. "Yes." She leapt easily from the top of the wall...she landed on the ground with a feline grace. She began to stride toward the young Vanquisher.

Misa asked, "What do you want?" She already suspected...

...and the seductress confirmed it by answering softly, "I am here to kill you." She stopped several paces away. So quiet. So aloof.

Misa sighed and thought, Of course she is! Misa nodded. "Okay. I'm honored that you would be so honest. Barumusu sent you, didn't he?" Another good reason to be ever-vigilant and ready. How many damned times had the demon who ruled all crime in Demon City 7 tried to kill the sisters? In the past three years, not long after they saved each other from the Black Monk, they had been attacked repeatedly by well-organized forces at seemingly random times and places. Their enemies were mortal, demonic or a mix of both, and highly motivated.

And from little details, telltales left amongst their enemies' remains each time, it was clear the attacks were connected, they came from the same unknowable, evil source. It didn't help that the sisters lived and moved publicly, just like anyone else, so Misa wasn't too surprised that an enemy like this captivating stranger in red could have followed her here. But this alluring vision was mortal...she must have been greatly skilled and confident in her ability to confront a demon slayer, who was blessed to be above and beyond the ordinary!

Attacks like this had become almost routine for Misa and Kyoko, but they wouldn't let that change how they lived. And really, none of the random threats they were forced to contend with were nearly as dangerous as when Mizuki Oe kidnapped them both about six months ago and put them through so much torment on that cruise ship. That situation was comparatively so much more perilous, but thankfully they gave one another the strength to endure and be victorious.

The lady in red was silent, simply looked at Misa after the girl asked her question. Misa said, "No answer, huh? If Barumusu wasn't your master, you would have said so. Your silence tells me a lot, anyway. You're not the first he's sent to try to kill me and my sister, you know.

"I'm surprised you would challenge me alone and without any help. You must know what Slayers can do. That makes you very brave...or way too confident. Either way, you're not clearly armed."

Misa frowned a little. "I ought to make this fair, then."

Misa gazed at the lady in red as she slowly lowered to one knee...the Vanquisher never took her eyes off the visitor as she carefully laid her Muramasa on the ground next to her feet. Then she rose again. Unarmed.

The blonde's eyebrows lifted...a curve formed on one side of her beautiful mouth. She purred, "You might be a bit too confident yourself. A warrior should keep hold of their weapon in a fight."

Misa nodded. "Like I said. You must know what I can do. And if you don't...I'll be more than happy to show you!" Then she bowed deeply, in a show of sweet respect. The stranger in red bowed fully in turn. Misa Asagi quickly entered a fighting stance and said with a smile, "Whenever you're ready!" The girl couldn't help but admire the lady in red...she had to know that she was outclassed in every respect by Misa, who was several times stronger and faster than any normal mortal!

Misa let the enemy come to her...and the lady in red did so with a fluid grace. The blonde attacked with a martial prowess clearly steeped in the ancient arts of Chinese Kung Fu. But it wasn't obvious at first which style she was utilizing, it seemed to be a mixed combination of them. Misa only dodged at first, noting aspects of both Northern and Southern styles.

Yes, Misa Asagi was a sweet girl with a giving heart and soul. She was very different in the heat of battle against demonic evil, as she was driven by her pure courage and righteous anger to defend herself, any innocents who needed her protection, and especially to support the sister she loved above all others. Misa was increasingly becoming just like Kyoko in combat, just as dangerous and merciless as one could imagine out of pure necessity.

As the young women fought in this tranquil setting, though, Misa couldn't consider the mystery lady clad in tight red leather a legitimate threat. In fact, the young Slayer didn't sense any true evil or malicious intent from her opponent! There was a coolness and strength about her that reminded Misa of Kyoko a bit...her beguiling green eyes only offered mystery and made the sweet Slayer desire to know more about her...

...and because of her nature and growing curiosity toward the lady in red, Misa governed herself...she instinctively held back from really using her blessed gifts and abilities...over a minute of graceful combat passed as they seemed to perform a dangerous, lethal dance with one another...

...and the fighter in red was starting to impress her! The lady was fast, Misa thought, much faster than she could have predicted from the start, and her mix of nonlinear fighting styles was catching the Slayer off her guard. Misa had to increase her own speed to block some unexpectedly powerful blows, but still, she couldn't find it in her heart to really cut loose and do the blonde real damage...!

Then Misa's opponent surprised her! The girl didn't see immediately that she had a short rod on a harness attached to her back. Misa caught a couple of glimpses of something there, but the blonde was amazing as she fought and wouldn't let the Slayer see anymore. Suddenly, the lady in red made a small mistake, enough to give Misa an opening...but the sweet girl hesitated.

The blonde frowned, seeming to take offense, and with even greater speed spun like a whirlwind to one side of the Vanquisher...as she reached around and took the short rod, flipped a hidden switch in its handle and it extended to become twice as long!...

...and the stun rod flared to electric life just before the lady in red swung and it struck Misa Asagi just below her sternum! Instantly, every muscle in her body seized up painfully, the girl wasn't even able to scream as she absorbed over 100,000 Volts! It would have been as fatal as a lightning strike if an ordinary mortal was hit with the weapon! Knocked backward a few yards, Misa crumpled to her hands and knees, virtually breathless and trembling for a moment!

The stun rod thrumming with power in her slender hand, Reiko Scarlet Sakura slowly, casually approached Misa with a sensual gait. She said, "I will be completely honest with you, Misa Asagi. I do have a master, but he is not Barumusu." Reiko stood above the sweet Slayer who was still doubled over, trying to catch her breath. "I am not here because I am being paid to kill you. I am not here because of hate or any personal feelings. I am simply following orders. Nothing more."

Reiko sighed and offered, "As a matter of fact, I wish that our present circumstances were different. You are extremely cute." Her sultry lips turned into a smirk. "But really. I did hope for much more of a challenge from you."

Misa Asagi stiffened as she stared at the dirt. The girl felt her cheeks flush hot from anger! She snarled, "Well then, this should make you happy!"

Faster than Reiko had ever seen anyone move in her entire life, Misa Asagi burst upright and with a leaping roundhouse kicked the stun rod out of the blonde's hand...it rocketed clear across the outer perimeter courtyard and embedded in a wall!

The angry Vanquisher was in pure battle mode as she took a fighting stance again! Misa Asagi yelled, "We haven't even started yet, dammit! LET'S DO THIS!"

Reiko smiled brightly with anticipation as she tensed...she was happy and more than ready...!

"Stop right there!" It was a new voice, full of power and passion, that reached Misa and Reiko...both turned to see a third person who just arrived and was standing within the outer gate:

It was Kyoko Asagi. Her blue eyes stared at Reiko with quiet, cold fury as she held her great Sephiroth at the ready. The Warrior Worth a Thousand was there for her sweet Misa and she was NOT amused!

　
TO BE CONTINUED!

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Part three will be coming soon!

Giving credit where it's due!

XNALara created by Dusan Pavliceck
XPS created by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
Misa Asagi and Reiko Scarlet Sakura by
Kyoko Asagi Classy Casual meshmod by !
Electric FX by

Scenery:
DOA Sakura Stage by