The lighting in the room was poor. A human would have had difficulty making out the details. That point was, however, of only academic interest, since there were no humans present. In fact, the chamber was almost completely empty. The room appeared to have originally been a natural cave formation. The traces of removed stalactites were still visible in the ceiling. The corresponding remains of stalagmites in the floor were, however, barely visible. They seemed to have been worn down gradually, as if by centuries of use. The room had only two occupants, one seated, one standing, both beautiful, both female, and neither human. At first glance the seated figure would probably seem the more striking of the two. The reason for this was simple, she was green. Not as green as a fir-tree, but greener than a human suffering from motion sickness. It was a light, almost friendly shade of green. It was rather reminiscent of the shade of green of the first dandelions of spring, lightly steamed. It contrasted nicely with her red eyes, creating a sort of Christmasy effect. She had however, gotten tired of the "Mrs. Claus" jokes rather rapidly, and they were now an offense punished by death. Her hair was also green, a darker shade than her skin though. It was like the color of fresh chives. Her dress was an impressive reddish orange color, as if it had been woven out of flame. Its hemline ended just below her ankles, it was backless, and its sleeves ended in stiff cuffs. The standing figure had a quite different appearance. Her skin was pale, though not quite pale it enough to seem unnatural. Her hair was a very deep black. She was dressed in a simple woman's business suit. On her forehead, there was a single black star. "You can't win alone. Accept, or watch as all you have worked for is destroyed," the Black Star said presently. "I must admit, your offer certainly intrigues me," Yasha said calmly. "Ask yourself one question Yasha. Do you really dislike me more than Death?" Kuroi Hoshi asked pointedly. Before responding, Yasha grinned. "Very well then, my old enemy. I accept," Yasha turned her head and pursed her lips disapprovingly at an empty corner of her throne room. "Kousenteki! Come. I have a task for you." ****************************************************************************************** Dark Star Chapter 23: Though the Brightest Fell This chapter written by Philip Barkow. Originally created by Lady Chaos (known in the realm of mortals as Chandra Rooney). Thanks go to my pre-readers: Katy Coope, Delfina, and Lady Chaos. My respects to Lucifer Morningstar. He fell because an order was not enough to make him stop loving. ****************************************************************************************** She woke to the smell of antiseptic. Blinking, she opened her eyes to the sight of a middle-aged man. He was wearing a white lab coat, making notes on a clipboard. "Ah, good to see you've regained consciousness Detective Kaede," the man in a lab coat said in an irritatingly cheerful tone. "Where.." the detective winced, and brought her hand to her head. "Where am I?" "The Rezubian Memorial Hospital. I'm Dr. Fukumi," the doctor replied, and offered his hand to shake. Kaede ignored him. "You were found unconscious downtown. You seem to have fainted and hit your head. Any idea what happened?" "I don't remember," she said, frowning. "Short term memory loss is not unusual in cases of minor head trauma. Tell me if anything comes to you," the doctor paused as a nurse came up behind him. "In the meantime Michiyo here will take care of you." "Ready for your sponge bath, Detective Kaede?" Michiyo asked with an all too sincere seeming smile. Kaede held her head in her hands and made a slight groan. *********************************************************************************** He sipped his Chianti with every sign of enjoyment, and leaned back in his chair. The deep black of his hair and suit made a sharp contrast to the bright red liquid he was drinking. "Varaeir, why don't you take a seat? You're starting to make the waitress nervous," the darkly handsome man said without bothering to look up. Making a slight adjustment to the edge of his blue jacket, Varaeir sat down. Doing so seemed to make feel slightly uncomfortable. "Lord Kichigaisakka," he began. "Now, Varaeir. There's no need for such formality," Kichigaisakka interrupted. "So, what do you think of the twins?" "Their minds are unusual. Each contains an echo of the other. The link they have makes it dangerous for me to scan them. I may have been noticed," the telepath reported. "You are too cautious, my friend. I suppose you still think that Nesuni is a danger," Kichigaisakka replied confidently. "She is my lord," Varaeir responded more forcefully. "There is a duality to her nature. Something is lurking below the surface she shows to the world." "Nonsense. You are becoming paranoid in your old age," Kichigaisakka paused to sip his wine. "I manipulate that girl with great ease. She dealt with Firu quite satisfactorily, even if you did have to Mind Spike him first." "I am uncertain that she was successful. Kitsune are not always easy to kill," Varaeir replied in a grave tone. "Enough. Sit down, have a drink of wine. The Chianti is delightful," Kichigaisakka said, offering the bottle. "I don't drink... wine," Varaeir declined, his voice momentarily assuming a vaguely Slavic accent. "And I am disturbed that you are so willing to recreate while discussing such things." "I accept what cannot be changed, my friend," he said, giving Varaeir a slight, almost sad smile. "And we agreed that this path was necessary." *********************************************************************************** Elsewhere in town, Vincent had once again found himself heeding the call of his muse. Her call had left him on a rooftop somewhere in a residential district, alone save for a magpie and his canvas. At the center of the portrait Nesuni stood, slouching slightly. She was held up by strings, allowing her to be manipulated like a marionette. The strings were held by another figure. The puppeteer was shrouded in shadow, but she looked almost exactly like Nesuni, except for her cruel smile. Off to the left, one of Nesuni's strings was held by Kichigaisakka. He wore a confident smile, and was apparently unaware that the other end of the string in his hand was still held by the shadowed Nesuni, or that it was looped around his throat. The magpie watched Vincent paint, a mixture of pain and fear in its eyes.