# My sleeping queen

Olga Burshtun

This is continuation of Blood Plus. Children of Diva have grown up, and now living an ordinary life. everything seems to be normal. Bot the past likes to come back, and former fears cannot be forgotten... Big Thanks to Tomas Godwin for his translation

My sleeping queen


"Hurry up, today is that day!" Mizuki persistently pulled sister by hand, jumping over multiple stairs of the staircase all at one.

"The one Uncle Kai was telling us about?" Otori barely caught up with her sister. Mizuki was so excited, that didn't even notice the confusion of her twin-sister.

"Exactly!" said she over the shoulder, accelerating. Sisters already were not just descending, they were rushing down the gray staircase; then, not slowing down, crossed the noisy schoolyard, passing all their classmates and acquaintances in a blink.

"Hurry up Otori, we are already getting late! If you would not hesitate so much and got ready sooner, we would have already been at the bus stop," under the dissatisfied gaze of blue eyes of sister, Otori grew even sadder. Mizuki often scolded her for acting slow or being way too cautious. So it was, even though they were alike by face, their characters and habits were totally different. That, though, never was an obstacle for sisters in the way of loving and understanding each other, replacing each others weak spots and softening some sharp edges of both.

Kai, even though, he fiercely protested against being called like that, asking to call him Dad, tried to teach them from childhood, that they are single family and must hold to each other tightly. Almost like Mizuki right now was holding to Otori, was holding so tight, that sister couldn't free herself, how hard she even wouldn't try. Long strands of black hair militantly waved behind her back, blue eyes with one only gaze could pacify curious school children, so to their escape, no one dared to interfere. Everyone, who didn't go from the way Mizuki pushed away with her free hand and Otori had repeatedly nod and smile awkwardly, making excuses for sisters rudeness

They, of course, didn't make it on time on bus, so had to run all the way to the Omoro. When they finally got to the family restaurant, at the doors already waited red-haired man with a big basket in hand.

"Mizuki! Otori! Well, finally!" He met them with a smile, as warm and sincere, as always. "You are a bit late somehow."

"I beg your pardon, Kai, all because Otori," Mizuki pulled sister's sleeve finally releasing her thin wrist.

"How many times I have asked, call me Dad," with free hand he ruffled a blond mane of his randomly sticking out hair, then sighed and grinned again, "Okay, okay. Let's get moving."

Basket he put in the back seat of the white truck. Girls themselves took their favorite places. Mizuki to the right, Otori on the left. They didn't change the school uniform, as even in it twin-sisters looked solemnly.

Kai didn't tire of wondering how cute and look alike they both are just like two drops of water, but only superficially.

"Where are we going?" Lively asked Otori, leaning to the front seat.

"To the family crypt Miyagusuku," said Kai already turning to the road. By luck, today on the road there was not a lot of cars. He would go there in the morning, if girls had no lessons. "Do you remember I told you about your aunt?"

"Yes, of course, Kai. We pay her a "visit" since childhood time to time," Mizuki outpaced sister.

Once Kai and his friend David told sisters that they're special, even more than regard themselves other children. They have a special, "magic" blood. And because of it they must be very careful and do not trust anyone this secret. And the same special were their mother, father and aunt, which were now deeply sleeping in a large, grey cocoon inside the crypt. Kai frequently told them about the Saya, about his sworn sister. He with warmth and bit of sorrow spoke about her courageous nature, good temper, and very rarely about their shared past. It seemed that man consciously conceals something very bad from his foster children, something that he had to endure with Saya.

The long grey staircase was leading to the crypt, and a small empty clearing before the entrance to the family sanctuary.

"Here we are," Kai put down his basket and for some reason looked around. Mizuki and Otori were waiting behind his back, hesitating to go first into darkness behind a rectangular door. Kai breathed in deeply, inhaling more air in and along with it the guts. In fact, going inside now, to see Saya, this was a big ordeal even for him. He was waiting for this day, with trepidation awaited when she finally opens her eyes. He ran the restaurant, raised girls, like father them with Rick once, but not even for a moment forgot about her.

About the one, who sleeps deeply inside the crypt, wrapped in the silky embrace of the spider webs. About Saya. Inside the crypt a noise was heard, and Mizuki instinctively pulled ahead. Otori vice versa - hid behind Kai, trembling with fear.

"This should be it, she wakes up," spoke to himself Kai and went first inside the crypt. Behind him bravely stepped Mizuki and only then, few moments later, after hesitating a bit, brown-eyed Otori. This was really happening. Just before their eyes big extruded cocoon started to exfoliate under the pressure of thin figure, which was beating inside grey canvas. Her long fingers with one single effort tore cloth of the tight cocoon, forming in the bottom of it a narrow gap. From this gap together with sticky gray matter and thin Web broke out along the flexible pallid silhouette, muffled in blue-black scarf own glossy hair. Girl from small elevation fell on the floor with a faint dull thumping sound and remained motionless. She seemed non-living. Cocoon was disclosed. The exposed body of the girl now lied just before the amazed guests and was not moving.

"Saya!" Kai was the first to come to his senses. He jumped to his sister, and leaned over her helplessly viewing. Saya did not answer him, it seemed, even didn't heard that someone called her, motionlessly lying on the stone.

"Mizuki, bring a basket!" asked he, remaining near breathless girl.

"Right away, Kai!" Girl immediately rushed out of the "door", and returned with a big woven basket. Usually Kai took her with him, when took her and sister to the picnic, but today inside was not food, but clothing and towels. And another from under all this goodness, for some reason was seen scissors. Mizuki placed it at the feet of Kai, curiously looking at the Saya. Otori was not even daring to come closer, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. Hair of their aunt's was exactly the same black tint as her sisters, and very, very long, skin seemed to be translucent porcelain on elegant slim body. First that Kai took out was towel - with it he covered bared back of the motionless girl and dried her wet hair. Then he had to dress Saya. Actually, where was her past clothing, he could not understand. Could it be that cloth simply weakened in this black goo from cocoon?

By the time he gathered up collected things, taking out favourite dress of his sister, Saya started to show the first signs of life. Her shoulders climbed and descended, crypt filled with easy quiet sigh and then she shivered all over the body. She rose above the floor and looked just before with beautiful dull-red eyes.

"What a beauty," admiringly sighed Otori, still hiding behind his uncle and his sister. Mizuki threw at twin a judging gaze. Perhaps Otori rarely looked in the mirror, so she didn't notice anything. But family resemblance was now evident. The Saya had exactly same oval and features of face as Otori. And from gloomy dusk of the crypt at them looked ruby eyes of her sister. If not explained by Kai once that Saya is their mother's aunt, now Mizuki would definitely took this girl for their mother. A very young copy of their mother's at the first look. And this was because Saya externally was the same age as they with Otori. Her face was smooth without a single wrinkle, not even a single sign of years she lived before. It seemed like time itself stopped for this mysterious maiden once and never started its beat again.

Even repeating to herself "aunt Saya", heart of Mizuki still was heavily beating inside, and confusion and anxiety prevented it from beating easy. She as if felt deep within herself her heartbeat, calm and quiet. Felt pulsing of her relative blood in her veins. And from this feeling it felt joyful, but a bit scary. Coral lips of Saya stretched out in the tender childlike innocent smile. Behind their backs suddenly Otori sighed again.

"Mizuki, can you help me to dress her up?" Kai again addressed the blue-eyed twin.

"Yes, of course," answered she, stuttering from own confusion, and sat down beside. Dressing Saya was not a simple task. She said nothing and stared at them with baby interest, clearly with no understanding and not recognizing Kai. She behaved exactly like the newborn child, what was strange by itself. When dressing was finished, Kai took scissors from basket and, seating Saya in front of him, carefully cut the excess black hair, leaving them with the length up to waist.

Dressed and shod, with her hair now taken care of, girl even more resembled their mother. Well, or a third twin-sister. Mizuki immediately alerted on this similarity and Otori only delighted.

"Why she looks so at us and does not respond?" asked Mizuki, helping to lead Saya out onto the clearing before the crypt. Getting under sunlight, Saya immediately raised head in the sky, wondering everything she saw, just as a small child.

"Right now Saya resembles a newborn child, she remembers nothing and in this condition will stay for a while," Kai alarmingly sighed, carefully holding his sister by the shoulders. In her long hibernation Saya even forgot how to walk and repeatedly slipped or made a false step.

"You could call this a small amnesia," quieter added Kai. He was worried, excited, but very happy. Mizuki for the first time saw her father being such. Now, in the company of so naive, serene Saya he as if bloomed. He often called Saya his younger sister, although now girl by age rather looked as his daughter. Was such external difference determined by the very magic blood that flowed in them three? Mizuki had a lot to think about. Exquisite beauty and glowing eyes of Saya, reminded her stories about the mysterious nocturnal creatures that once inhabited the world. This word by itself came was begging to come to her lips. But Mizuki just only shook head.

"Like this, Saya, soon we will get there," Kai commented, smiling. He slowly went down the stairs with sister, although it seemed that she doesn't even listens to or even understands what he says. With grief in half they reached the truck, and Kai seated Saya in the back with Mizuki, asking Otori to take forward seat in the contrary.

"I propose to celebrate the return of Saya," he cheerfully smiled and even, sang something to himself.

"Celebration! How wonderful!" cheered up Otori, Mizuki simply stayed quiet. She was thinking thoughts that so far have been very alarming and were not in the same mood with party. They four had returned home within an hour. Kai asked Mizuki and Otori to take basket to the House and started to help his sister. He helped her to get out of the car and proceeded to the house, all the way dragging her on himself, because the girl still couldn't move around normally.

What to do with Saya next, Kai had no idea, so he decided to call David after taking sister upstairs. But it turned out David went on the meeting. So the only thing that remained was to organize a small family celebration, hoping to feed poor, surely starving Saya.

Girls willingly began cooking and Kai meanwhile went for more products. Staying together, Otori and Mizuki time to time uncomfortably looked up towards the ceiling, listening if maybe Saya will call them.

"Tell, you noticed that she is a lot like us?" started talking first Mizuki, cutting carrot in circles.

Otori casually shrugged, diligently wiping the pot.

"This is all strange somehow," her sister continued slowly moving the knife.

"Mizuki, say," Otori went silent while gazing at the dishes. Besides she was sitting shifting from heel to toe, which was a sure sign that the sister was worried. Mizuki deferred knife.

"Say," stuttered she, sighed heavily and continued, "Have you ever been in love?"

Blue eyes of the twin-sister went wide open, eyebrows started to creep up on the forehead.

"You know, I like a boy and I ..." Otori thoroughly blushed, going silent again.

"His name is Daigo, isn't it?" Quickly guessed her sister. Otori bestowed the surprised look, and confusedly nodded.

"Yes I noticed how you look at him," besides, in some incomprehensible way Mizuki could feel the heartbeat of sister's.

"Yes, he is ... He is very cute and... He is attentive and..." Otori started to list qualities of her chosen one. And Mizuki smiled, listening to her.

"But you're not going to open yourself to him, I hope. First, try to meet him, learn what kind of a man he is," Mizuki firmly shook her head. "No, not even when you can! You remember our main rule! Anyone..."

"Do not tell, don't show, never trust the secret of our blood to anyone," echoed her sister, being able to shake up the index finger in the same tempo as Mizuki knife. "Yes I know, I know, I had no intention to..." Started to make excuses girl, but here she was interrupted by the outlandish noise.

Like something solid collided with and destroyed the wall. Mizuki and Otori synchronously looked around. "What was it?" Otori instinctively jumped up and hid behind sister. She always looked for protection from Mizuki in any difficult situation, and always found support from her sister.

Ever since childhood she was accustomed to hide behind her back, when the kids on the playground were teasing them for the color of their eyes. For Mizuki it was saturated blue, exactly cold sea smooth. For Otori sorrel, like expensive red wine with a shine of true Cabernet.

"It is in the courtyard," quickly identified Mizuki. The sound in truth was coming from outside, repeating itself again and again and it seemed it was getting closer to them.

Next thing what saw the girls, was the wall faГade of the restaurant breaking down. Under the impact of two lanky broad-shouldered figures, tables and chairs shattered into small bits, cracking.

Before girls were standing beasts at two bent legs, enhanced by gray skin with long front paws, elongated snout and truly mad dull eyes. They were not like any people, or on any other living creature seen by girls before. In biology textbook one could not find such nightmarish monsters probably.

Mad eyes roamed around the room, and then stopped on the twins. One of the monsters tried to move forward, menacingly revealing its mouth-jaw.

Mizuki shut her eyes tightly and Otori pushed herself against her back, but creature was not able to attack, it was stopped by the volley of loud shots. Room filled with long moan, filled with pain.

At doors appeared Kai in his most militant position, with his beloved black handgun in his hand.

"Girls, run away!" He shouted over the moans of the wounded creatures. But Otori and Mizuki were too overwhelmed by events, and therefore not moved from their spots, silently gazing at monsters and their sworn father, equipped with weapons.

Kai quietly cursed to himself, and by releasing another couple of bullets just in case in to the narrow forehead of terrible hoodlums, rushed to the twins. He forced them to neighboring door, before one of the beings that suffered the least, as the second one he seemed to manage to shoot down, will follow them with segue into the wall and scratching the floor.

Rushing out from another door, and passing corridor, Kai closed room's door, barricading it with standing nearby coffee table. The furniture you can take care of later, besides after the invasion of chiropterans, probably, little will be left of their kitchen and restaurant. Wall and floor shook and scream were heard down the corridor.

"What is it? What is this creature?" screamed Otori, grabbing Mizuki sleeves.

"The ghosts from the past," sighed Kai, reloading his father's pistol. He could not think that these creatures survived, after the war, in which Saya won.

"Past?" Otori skipped back from Mizuki and leaned against the opposite wall with horror looking as her sworn father reloads gun. She was shaking and crying, not remembering herself from fear.

The creature what came in their home, it was awful! And it was screaming so horrifyingly, angrily turning the tables by huge paws with big claws, hurling furniture into walls.

"Sit quietly, you both," hissed Kai, giving twins a short gaze. Mizuki wasn't afraid of appeared chiropteran, and Otori in opposite was shaking as leaf. Although she had same passionate eyes as Saya, she lacked courage and bravery of hers.

If there was a sword of Saya, and Kai requested twins for help, surely first to jump into battle would be Mizuki, bravely helping to protect her family from terrible scourge. Exactly like once did Saya.

Otori was not like this, she was against violence. That exactly is why Kai was here, he himself must protect the girls. The Saya is now a little confused, the first few days she will be a helpless baby for some time now and how he managed to assure she remembered nothing of herself or her past. So for whose head these chiropterans came this time and came from where?

Soon the side wall shook and as if it was cardboard it was cut by powerful claws of terrible creature. First in one spot then in another formed holes. As there was no time for thinking, Kay removed gun fuse and jumped out of the shelter, aiming exactly into hideous creature's head.

He used almost the entire magazine, but chiropteran could not be stopped with simple bullets. From the pain he retreated back, but if even bullet pierced the wrinkled skin as wound on the spot healed by itself and the beast was like new. Hungry and angry.

"I wish David would be here..."

When the bullets were over, it was time for chiropteran to attack. He rushed forward, pawing him, but Kai deftly jumped aside, rolling over on his side, along the way, trying to reload the weapon. He shot and shot while on the floor didn't appear an impressive trail and aimed exclusively in the head. Chiropteran failed and finally fell to the floor, but it was unclear whether dying, or simply unconscious from numerous injuries.

Meanwhile, second chiropteran seemingly woke up and clambered into one of the holes, seeking in a room where twins were. Kai rushed there, jumping over the body of razed behemoth. But one of the cabinets not withstood the rampage of the fight and collapsed just on him, pushing Kai to the floor. Instant shock passed, and he tried to move hands and feet, happily finding himself alive and seemingly to be integer. Rumble rattled gentle walls, and it was coming from a nearby guestroom. Kai even heard the cry of the Otori and terrible caveat of Mizuki.

"Otori!" Kai tried to break free from under wood sliver that an hour ago was part of the interior of the CafИ. "Mizuki!" Finally, he was able to pull out his right hand. It took him superhuman efforts to move from what once a wardrobe was stand up and limp to the room. Through a huge hole in the wall he already could see twins. Mizuki stood, having shielded sister, spreading her hands and Otori hid behind her, covering her head with hands and wailing.

"Hang on!" Shouted Kai - he already had aimed in the back of chiropteran, but was outpaced by the coffin ... or rather not quite coffin. It was half a little sarcophagus, half iron case for large strong tool. It, with a loud crack, hit chiropteran by shoulders, nailing the beast to the floor.

"Haji?" Kai quickly dropped the gun. Not to recognize the owner of the case was impossible. And in a moment appeared in person his slim black haired master, as always in something resembling if not concert tailcoat then a Tuxedo.

One hand of his was like of an ordinary person's; with it man took hold of his case. And the other was exactly predator's paw with sharp long talons. He without superfluous Preludes stabbed their edge in the body of the agonizing chiropteran, cutting his extruded head with a single elegant swing.

And as usual from the wounds a fountain of blood came - splattering all around, spectacularly painting all into dark crimson color. Chiropteran was dead, and outsider straightened out, hanging his never changing case behind the back. He watched Kai calmly and kept silent, without unnecessary emotions and without greeting. This undoubtedly was Haji!

"You are as always on time," Kai greeted old friend at last, smiling and hiding handgun behind the belt. Haji replied nothing quietly retreating from twins, giving Kai opportunity to hug them and check if they are all right. Mizuki seemed surprised, but not scared, but Otori seemed to be still in deep shock.

"I must thank you," Kai turned around to this enigmatic, elegant Chevalier and his smile became even greater. How many years have passed, and Haji remained the same. It's nice to know that not everyone in this world is changing.

"Ah yes, meet Haji," Kai thought suddenly, he embraced the girls for the shoulders and pushing them ahead, though he had to raise Otori from floor first. "These are Otori and Mizuki." He went silent, giving time a cellist to examine the grown-up twins. Otori was still sniffing, sweeping tears and Mizuki was proudly and boldly staring in the face of their Savior.

"Children of Diva?" With smooth voice asked forever young Chevalier. Kai had no chance to respond, noise from corridor could mean only one thing, another chiropteran still was alive.

Haji, with a lightning fast move disappeared in the opening, gracefully hiding from the eye of the twins. Mizuki was in awe from the speed with which the stranger zoomed past and Otori still was not responding to surrounding, crying. Kai clutched girls by the shoulders.

"Now, the entire family really is assembled," he smiled so happily, as if not he just had to cope with the undead horror from the distant past.

***