Brynhildr Aria

Chapter Two: The Horned Girl

Chapter Two: The Horned Girl

Mother Ship Admirabilis, Dark Side of the Moon-

"Father, I'm so sorry!" Amamiko groveled on her knees before a tall, pale, white-haired man flashing dark violet eyes. He looked upon the girl with a gleam of emptiness. Not scorn, not anger, not even disappointment, just a stark, cold blankness. He watched on in silence as Amamiko continued to prostrate herself at his boots.

"I had the S-Class Brynhildr, I really did! I was going to take her back to the ship, but then...Seishirou showed up...I was so scared...I couldn't do anything! Please forgive me, Father!"

Sigmund pursed his lips, disgusted at her pathetic display. He raised his hand and said, "That's enough, Amamiko. Even though you did not capture the S-Class Brynhildr, you have at least discovered her location and identity. She resides in London, England, in the form of a girl named Yuki Takanashi. For now, that is all we need. The S-Class Brynhildr appears to have lost her memories, and even with her horns uncovered, she still hasn't fully awakened yet, so it shouldn't be too difficult to subdue her. As for Seishirou...I had a feeling he'd show up. Indeed, he is a problem, but he's grown rather soft. He isn't the bloodthirsty beast he used to be. I'll deal with him myself when that time comes."

He reached out to the pink-haired Brynhildr. "Come to me, Amamiko." Her teary eyes lit up at the sight of Sigmund's open arms. "Yes, Father..." She latched onto his long black coat and curled up in his lap like a small child, snuggling close to his chest. Sigmund gazed into the darkness of the corridor ahead. "Kosagi, step forward. I have a job for you."

A small, petite young lady emerged and took a bow before standing up straight. She wore a fluffy black Gothic Lolita dress, complete with a lacy headband. Her short, buttery blonde hair was done up in drill-like pigtails. She flashed bubblegum-pink eyes and said, "I am here, Master Sigmund. What is it you ask of me?"

"I'm putting you in charge of capturing the S-Class Brynhildr," Sigmund replied. "From the information we have gathered, we've determined she is studying at the University of London. You will be posing as a transfer student to get close to Takanashi and make friends with her. Once you've gotten close enough, you may subdue her and take her back to the Admirabilis. The University is one of the few places where Seishirou can't follow her, so you shouldn't have to worry about him. If she struggles...you may injure her as much as you like, as long as you don't kill her. Understood?"

Kosagi nodded slowly, the glint of tears boiling up in her eyes. "I...I understand." Sigmund cocked an eyebrow. "I sense apprehension in you. Quash it. I don't think you need to be told twice about what will happen to you if you don't succeed. You wouldn't want to be ejected, now would you?"

Kosagi shook her head, rattling off the horrific memories. How many times had she seen him unleash the wrath of his appetite upon so many of her other unfortunate sisters? She wasn't ready to become another statistic. "No, Master Sigmund. I swear to you...I will succeed."

This was terrible. How long had I been asleep for? I must've missed all my classes for sure. Slowly, but surely, I dragged myself from the clutches of sleep and crawled out from under the covers. That must have been some nightmare. It couldn't have been real, right? I mean, that was crazy. Everything seemed to be fine now. I was back in my flat, safe and sound. My horns were gone, no one was trying to kill me, and Seishirou Kamui was nowhere to be found.

After last night, all of those things counted as huge pluses. When I awoke, I noticed I was still in my sailor suit. Oh, well. I must've been so tired I forgot to put on my pajamas before I fell asleep. As I clambered out of bed, I caught the indistinct chatter of the TV downstairs. That was odd. I didn't remember turning it on last night. Then again, my last memory of the previous night was passing out in Seishirou's arms, so I couldn't really be sure of anything anymore.