DECEMBER 29TH, 5032

I was frozen in place - a gun pointed in my direction. My eyes widened, everything was in slow motion as I tried to think of what to do. It was all in vain; the familiar plump man pulled the trigger. The bullet escaped the safety of the black gun – making its way towards me. I wanted to move – to avoid my impending death but it was useless. I was going to die...to be one with the stars.

I squeezed my eyes shut; the crystal within my heart burned my chest as if it knew my death approached.

I heard a loud clang; my eyes snapped open to see something silver before me. The curvature of the weapon was silver with grey outlining, the staff of it designed with multiple colored roses.

I opened my mouth to speak – the words left my lips, but no sound came out. What am I saying? Who am I talking to? Who saved me?

“Scarlet.”

I moaned, turning on my left side. What was that dream about? Is that going to happen or was it simply a dream? Ugh, my head hurts. I felt something soft brush against my cheek.

“Meow.”

Wait a minute.

“Scarlet, wake up. You have to eat.” Christian’s deep voice announced. I opened one eye to see Moonlight poking his nose against mine.

“What are you doing here?” I mumbled; my eyes felt heavy with sleep.

“Meow, meow.” Moonlight hit me with his paw.

“Ugh. Why are you hitting me?” I complained, cuddling the pillow; my face snuggled between the soft white sheets.

“He’s telling you to sit up and eat,” Christian replied.

My mind finally registered Christian’s presence. I lifted my head; the heaviness made the task harder than I’d expected. I looked over my shoulder to see Christian relaxed next to me with his hand on my waist, a worried expression plastered on his handsome face.

“Why do I feel like shit? This is the worst hangover ever.” I groaned, my eyes already began to close.

“Come here.” Christian gestured, sitting up before opening his arms. I rotated to face him before crawling into his embrace. I sighed in relief, resting my head on his bare chest.

“Sorry, I got really drunk, didn’t I?” I whispered.

“Yes. It was enjoyable though. Well, until Akane showed up.” Christian revealed.

“Akane? What did I do? Did I pull a Michael?” I questioned, looking up to meet his gaze. He smirked.

“Almost. I thought you said you weren’t bisexual.”

“I’m not. I like cock, but drunk me doesn’t like to be held down by my morals.” I mumbled. He chuckled in response.

“O.M. G. Did I kiss Akane?” I questioned, astonished.

“No. You were close, I think. I had to remind you that we’re together, and you asked if you could have the both of us.”

“I did not!”

“You sure did. I had to pry you off her. Then she did something that pissed me off.” Christian mumbled.

“What did she do?”

“She cut your lip.”

*Silence*

“Are you okay?” I questioned.

“Yes. I healed it before it would become a problem. There were a bunch of vampires nearby. She knew that.”

“Did you guys fight?” I tried to recall the whole ordeal, but everything was fuzzy.

“Nope. I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt or causing a scene. I’m surprised you remembered my alias.” He commented.

“I called you Alex?”

“Yup.”

“What happened after?”

“I encouraged us to leave, and you said bye and bounced. I took my eyes off you for a second and you were already at the exit bumping into Michael.”

I sighed. Thank goodness.

“Did Michael foresee it?” I inquired.

“Yup. He foresaw our confrontation and came to give us backup if anything went down. You clung to him, and he was able to take you away before you passed out.”

“That’s embarrassing. I guess it’s better than all the times Alfred had to lug my drunk ass to my flat.” I pondered to myself.

“Hah, that is better. Anyways, I was able to put a tracking device on that Daichi brat.” Christian emphasized. I relaxed my head against his chest, already tired of looking up for so long.

“You really hate him. You don’t normally despise people.” I commented.

“I hate anyone who tries to make moves on our girl.” He replied. I smirked.

“You guys are overprotective,” I replied.

“Are not.” He argued.

“Anyways, did anything else happen? Me feeling like shit is just because of that?” I inquired.

“You summoned a water spirit.”

“Come again? Water what? And why is Moonlight here?” I questioned, staring at Moonlight who was walking on top of my legs. We took a moment to watch him roll down the mini hill our legs made beneath the sheets. He stopped, staring at us before tilting his head.

“Meow.”

“You’re really enjoying yourself over there.” I acknowledged. He walked towards us, nestling himself on Christian’s chest and my neck. I petted him soothingly, my actions rewarded with a round of purrs.

“I honestly don’t know. Maybe it has to do with the spirit you summoned.”

“Like a ghost or something like our spirits?”

“No, it’s basically summoning magic. You use an element and form it into whatever you want. If you want it to form in a shape of person it can. You did exactly that but with water. She stood at the edge of your bed. I believe your dream was Mother Starlight trying to show you what’s to come, and you unconsciously created a form for her.” Christian presented.

“I...don’t really remember what my dream was. To be honest, I haven’t recalled any of my dreams since we got here.” I admitted.

“Agni helped us with that,” Christian revealed.

“Agni? He never shows up unless it’s to tease me, bother Ezriel or shit’s about to go down.” I looked up at him.

“That’s what I said,” Christian remarked with a pleased look on his face.

“Great minds think alike. Now, what was my dream about?” I prompt.

“The bomb. You explained about the different elements and their feelings as the event happened. There is definitely a bomb on this ship and will go off if we don’t stop this drug deal. Agni basically said we’re not looking at the bigger picture. He also wants you to talk to Cyrus.” He disclosed.

I lifted my eyebrow at him.

“What does Cyrus have to do with any of this, and how did Agni know to interfere?”

“Agni’s a mystery. I think only Ezriel can figure him out and that’s only because they hate one another and try to do anything to piss each other off. As for Cyrus, I got no clue; he’s still asleep.”

“What time is it?”

“Three in the morning,” Christian replied.

“Okay...we’ll figure this out in the morning?” I concluded. I already struggled to stay awake. Christian placed a kiss on my forehead.

“Yes. Agni said you’d be really weak from the summoning. We’ll work on it, just rest.” Christian encouraged.

“But...” I began but trailed off. I didn’t want to complain, but I still felt I hadn’t been contributing to the team like I should.

“Scar. I know what you’re thinking. You’re helping with this case in your own way. Please, don’t think you’re not contributing simply because you’re not behind a computer or scouting the ship. Understand?” Christian consoled; his hand played with my hair.

“Okay,” I replied, looking into his eyes. I already knew he meant every word.

“Get some rest. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Meow.”

“Yes, I love you as well, Moonlight. Still don’t get why you’re not with Nightmare.”

“Meow.”

“Yup, don’t understand cat.” Christian commented, yawning. I giggled.

If only he knew. Goodnight Risuki.

I opened my eyes; the sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtains. I sat up to see Christian fast asleep next to me. I smirked at his peaceful expression - leaning forward and placing a kiss on his lips. He groaned; my lips left his when his eyes opened slowly. Silver orbs greeted me.

“Cyrus?”

“Good morning Scarlet. A pleasure to see you again.” He greeted in a low, husky voice. I gave him a soft smile.

“It is. Christian asleep?” I questioned. Cyrus was similar to Agni, only showing himself in odd situations like when Christian was drunk. He did enjoy taking control when Christian was deep in sleep but again, it was rare for most of the boys to get lots of sleep. Except for Michael.

“Yes. He’s exhausted from the previous night. How’s your lip?” He questioned. I blinked in confusion before remembering Christian’s explanation yesterday about Akane.

“Why did Akane do that?” I asked, more to myself than to Cyrus, who sat up – his hand ruffled his purple hair which was beginning to shift to silver, a sign of him being in control.

“Scarlet. What do you think about Akane?”

“What do I think about her? I don’t know. I barely know her. But she seems nice. I just don’t know where I stand when I’m around her. Like when we first met, I felt weird...jealous that Christian was with Cece. It was as if I was truly in Irina’s role and felt Christian was interested in Cece. Since then, I have been getting that same vibe. It’s as if I lose myself entirely until I’m reminded again by someone.” I confessed.

He nodded; his eyes closed as if he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Scarlet, do you sense her aura when you’re around her?”

“Yes. But...hmm...it’s well, I never really pondered on it. The first time we met, it was strong. But during the last two interactions, it was pretty subdued? It feels different too.” I admitted, not having thought about those details.

I’d noticed her chest tattoo wasn’t present either. Sure, she could have hidden it with makeup but why? She hadn’t done so when we first met.

“I want you to do something for me.” Cyrus began. I sat up, shuffling in bed to face him.

“What is it?” I felt excited to be able to do something to help the team.

“Think of it like a mission. No one but us will know about it. Christian’s asleep. He won’t know we had this discussion.”

I nodded, sitting straighter as I waited for him to continue.

“Everyone is currently asleep. I want you to get in your disguise and look for Akane. I don’t want you doing anything crazy. I simply want you to hang out with her for the day. I want you to take a few breaks in between. Go to the washroom, or say you’re going to make a phone call etc. Assess her auras.” He explained.

“Okay...I can do that. And auras?” I agreed before clarifying. He grinned.

“Yup. Just be very vigilant.”

“There’s one more thing I need you to do, this has to be convincing.” He revealed.

“I’m ready,” I confirmed.

He leaned forward, whispering a set of instructions into my ear. My eyes grew wide, pulling back to stare at him.

“Um...are you sure? Christian may overreact.” I disclosed.

“He needs a good shake up once in a while. He’ll live.” Cyrus shrugged, not an ounce of remorse in his voice.

“You’re evil.”

“I’m a demon. We’re supposed to be like that.” He winked.

“They’re gonna worry though.” I defended.

“One night won’t kill them. Well...if the bomb goes off, that’s a whole different scenario. This will be the best way to put our plan into motion. Plus, I need your mind clear on New Year’s Eve if we’re going to stop this deal from occurring.” He explained.

“Okay. I’ll do it. But promise you’ll explain to the others why I did it. Especially Christian.” I warned.

“Yes. I’ll ask Agni for his divine assistance in revealing the truth so Christian doesn’t go on a murder spree and Ethan doesn’t shoot shit.” Cyrus agreed.

“He doesn’t shoot shit.” I commented.

“His other side does, and all you need is to flick that switch. Ethan wouldn’t hesitate either, especially when it comes to you.”

I sighed, knowing he was right about Christian and Ethan.

“Fine. Do we start now?” I questioned, looking at my attire – a white t-shirt. I blushed, suddenly realizing I wasn’t wearing a bra – my nipples visible against the thin fabric.

Cyrus grinned, leaning forward; his hand slid against my cheek as he pressed his lips to mine. I moaned, struggling to stay focused as his lips dominated mine. He pulled away after a minute of passionate kissing.

“Yes. You can shower and get ready. I’ll be with you until you find her.” He whispered. We stared into each other’s eyes, those silver orbs glowed lightly.

“I should go shower then.”

“You should.”

“But, you don’t want me to.”

“Hmm...accurate.”

“Five minutes.”

“More than enough for me, Scarlet.” He didn’t waste any time; his lips claimed mine once more while he pressed me into the sheets.

Operation Hide and Seek – In progress.