SHIFT 2 - Purgatory

A new beginning

Nagisa smiled as the sun rose up over the mountains behind the school. They had returned two days ago. Classes were to start today. He sipped from the cup in his hand. A light step caught his attention. He didn't turn immediately, preferring to watch the orange pink and purple swirling across the sky. There was a gentle huff as the dragon shifter sank down beside him.

"You're a vampire. Why do you get up before the sun?" Ryu grouched, snatching the nearly empty cup from the teens' hand.

Nagisa chuckled as the dragon finished his coffee. He thought back on the last week of break. Having Coldar and Ryu in his home had been fun. Lucifer was up to his old tricks of hiding in the shadows.

Nagisa laughed every time the vampire scared the crap out of his friends. Coldar was especially prone to these antics. Nagisa had seen, on more than one occasion, the smirk that twitched at the corners of his brother's lips.

Aside from that, Mori was relentless in his training. With Marcus back at full capacity, for however long it lasts, he joined in on this. Actively fighting the best fighter of the family was a daunting experience for Nagisa. Marcus was on another level than fighting Mori. Over the years, Nagisa had found ways to match or even overcome many of Mori's tricks. But Marcus, he was an enigma to the boy.

Watching his other siblings fight Marcus had been fun. Xavier pretty much just ran around trying to stay out of contact with anything their eldest sibling held in his hand. Ozzie learned to switch to the half human half wolf state his brother liked to fight in. This gave him a slight advantage, but not against Marcus. Marcus did teach him some new ways of handling this new body he chose to adapt.

The girls weren't spared either. Whoever said Marcus was the best, hadn't seen his little sister go against him. Whip in hand, Faraday beat her brother two out of the five times they fought. One was technically a tie since Marcus feigned being in pain to win! Hari tried her best, but her siren skills did little against the man who took down a dragon single handedly. Cami hardly ever fought without her twin at her side. She was considered the weakest Romanari, yet even she learned a few things at the hands of her eldest brother.

Carter, although more used to fighting at his twins' side, held his own for the first half of his match against Marcus. As he watched, Nagisa could tell Marcus was baiting his brother. Carter fell into every trap Marcus created for him. In the end, he hadn't stood a chance. Mori was able to hold his own. Their match was a draw. So was Marcus' match against Lucifer.

Collin tried his hand at fighting the legend. He lasted less than five minutes against him. Nagisa was needed to revive his idiot cousin. When Ryu stepped up to the vampire, everything stilled. Silence filled the air around them. Ryu bowed to Marcus.

"Teach me how to win." He asked. Marcus was good at schooling his features.

"Very well." The legend of the Romanari family didn't hold back.

Their match was epic. It went on for half the afternoon. Neither giving in, neither backing down. They stuck out at each other, anger composed as they fought on. In the end, only Reginald was able to call it quits. Marcus had laughed at the dragon shifter.

"Never have I fought anyone who could keep up with me like that. I have faith that you won't be breaking my brother's heart in Tuscany." Marcus had left after that.

No one saw him for two days. When he came back, he was overly jovial. Laughing and teasing his younger siblings. Until the day his world nearly imploded. The barrier shook the castle. There was a high-pitched cry from outside. Little Moon Moon's voice rose up in fear as she cried for her favorite uncle. Nagisa was several steps behind the girl's own father in reaching her. Mori and Lucifer came out of the shadows as Ozzie appeared from the mist surrounding the land. Everyone stood looking at the woman holding her daughter's hand while cradling her newborn son.