Head reeling from what she’d seen in Nerissa’s note, Yuu had never been more content to return to Ramshackle through the Ashengrotto Cavern mirror. She had also never been more remiss to receive instructions.


    “You have to bite me again… and pull the venom out… with your mouth. Every three hours?” she clarified, for what felt like the third time.


    “There’s more to the medical process than that. It involves using my magic to pull the destructive substances out of your bloodstream several times before it is completely gone.”


    “But you have to bite me?”


    Azul sighed deeply. “Yes, that is correct.”


    “Every three hours?”


    “Yes, Yuu.”


    “Isn’t that what got us into this in the first place?”


    Azul presented her with the instruction list from the sea witch so that she could read, again, for herself. There was no getting around this….there was no getting around Grim’s noise, either.


    “Human, you’re BACK! I thought you’d never come back, and I’m SO hungry, and—waitaminute, why is he still here?’


    Grim came galloping into the entryway, lured by the sound of voices


    “Grim….” Yuu groaned. “You might have to stay with Heartslabyul a few more days.”


    “I what? But they only eat cake! NEVER tuna!” he whined.


    “Then you’re going to have to be quiet for a while,” Yuu groaned. She was dead on her feet, and Azul… Azul was looking far past worse for wear.


    “Azul… how about you sleep on one of the empty beds here? At least for the first few hours, so you can have SOME energy to deal with Jade and Floyd?”


    It said worlds for Azul’s fatigue that he didn’t even argue, or make a fuss about not wanting to owe anyone anything. He left her and grim in the foyer, and picked a random room to disappear into. She would have to wake him in three hours to start with the removal, but for now—


    “Henchhuman, I demand an explanation!” Grim pouted, crossing his arms over his fuzzy chest, and glaring at her from one and a half foot high. “You come back hurt, then you leave without explaining, and then you’re gone for two days! Mrah! Can I even count on you for classes anymore?”


    “It’s… Monday, isn’t it?” Yuu mumbled, trying her best to kick off her shoes at the entry.


    “It is WEDNESDAY, human!”


    “Mmph,” she moaned. “Well, at least my attendance won’t matter much longer…”


    “NYAGH! Neither of us will if we get kicked out!”


    Grim gawked, following close on her heels as she made her way upstairs toward her own bed.


    “You won’t get kicked out, Grim.” She shot him a half-hearted smile. “Well, you might not. Did you take notes in classes yesterday?”


    “Course I did!” the little devil announced proudly. “I’m gonna make top ten on exams.”


    “Mmhm. And you didn’t fall asleep in any of the classes?”


    “The Great Grim would never—”


    She snorted as his rant began, and held up a hand. “I believe you, I believe you. Listen, Grim, I’ve got a top priority security mission for you.”


    “You tryna give me orders?” he said suspiciously?


    “I need you to bite, maim, or kill anything that tries to wake me up in the next three hours, kay? Especially the ghosts. Do it, and I’ll make fresh tuna for dinner, kay?”


    “Hmmm… Guess you do need my protection every once and a while.”


    “Thanks, Grim. You are truly great,” Yuu bent down and scratched him behind his ears—something he only ever let her do when no one was watching. “And thanks for worrying about me while I was gone….”


    “Yeah, well, next time don’t just go disappearing on me…” he grumbled.


    Yuu would have to manage telling him about her chance to return home another time. For now, the process to change from legs to tail had been a little tiring, true, but using that tail to swim across a city and back, and then transform and travel again—it was more than enough to take it out of a human. She stripped her damp clothing and traded it for a fresh t-shirt. Yuu was asleep before her head really reached her pillow.


    *


    Once more, it was as though dreams took backstage to memories, one by one clamoring to be seen.


    A brother. Her brother. Playing the piano because he could see her playing as a girl. She’d hated it, but him? He’d wanted to be like her so badly, and when she’d surpassed her skill, she’d been happy to give him the limelight.


    A mother who was always there, always trying—sometimes too hard. She’d schooled them, taken them on trips, and made life a better adventure, learning which things to give her emotion and time, and which things not to. She could see her face again, and tears sprung up on her from out of nowhere.


    A father. A father who was funny and had done so much more than give them stupid nicknames. He taught her how to write, how to negotiate, how to talk to people, how to do her hair—which, as she tearfully recalled, had been the worst of all sources for it. Still, he’d tried. They’d all tried. It wasn’t perfect, and they were happier for it.


    Then, there was her sister…. A sister so similar to Mallory, it hurt. She was a careful thinker about so many things that she often missed what was right in front of her. She liked stuffed ducks and penguins, and forgave Yuu when she’d accidentally let the dryer eat one of them.


    Moments flashed by with each of them. Eating the worst burned pancakes she could ever recall tasting. Laughing so hard her sides could bust when her brother started drawing bean-themed cartoons. Late-night panic over calculus homework. What had she been doing in calculus, anyway?


    She was deliriously happy to see each of their faces. So why did she feel like something… dark was lurking at the edge of these memories. Why did she feel so close to desperation?


    Someone was shaking her shoulder.


    Yuu surfaced from the depths of unconsciousness like a diver breaking through turbulent waters—gasping, disoriented, and with the strange, suffocating feeling that she had forgotten how to breathe. Her body felt wrong, like she had been folded too small and stuffed inside herself, and for a long moment, she lay there, blinking up at a ceiling that blurred in and out of focus.


    Something cold curled around her wrist. A familiar weight.


    Azul.


    The scent of him hit her first. A clean scent, like cologne and sea spray. Before she’d even opened her eyes, she knew him. She knew the shape of his hand.


    Her fingers twitched against Azul’s grip. He tensed—just barely—but didn’t pull away.


    "Yuu?" His voice, calm on the surface but coiled tight beneath, barely cut through the ringing in her ears.


    She turned her head toward him, lips parting, searching for words that refused to form. The pressure in her chest climbed higher, suffocating, until—


    "Hm? I thought I remembered…”


    In that space between waking and sleeping, for the first time since taking the potion, the real terror set in. Something dark lurked on the edge of her mind, threatening to take her, and her time in the world as she knew it—here, in twisted wonderland—could now come to a close any day.


    Azul tugged at her wrist, his cool fingers pulling her from the terror, not asking anything of her, waiting for her to wake, even though he was clearly hardly awake himself.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    “Have you remembered that three hours are past?” he prompted, sitting uncomfortably on her bed.


    “Oh!” she sluggish propped herself next to him. “Oh, right. Sorry I didn’t come to wake you. I was going to let you lie down as long as possible…”


    Yuu tugged the t-shirt down over her shoulder, and pushed herself to sit close to Azul.


    “I hope you’re good at this…” she said sleepily. She longed for rest, but was almost glad not to be wading through her memories, so many happy memories…. Toward that dark thing.


    Azul only rolled his eyes. He might be tired, but he was certainly looking more refreshed than she.


    Non-human advantages… she thought jealousy.


    “I am good at this. What exactly do you take me for?”


    The smile was back on Yuu’s face before she’d even given it permission to be there.


    “Should I really answer that?”


    “No.”


    She ignored him.


    “I think you’re someone who has a lot of….fun biting people.” She winked.


    Despite himself, that purple blush that she’d grown so fond of seeing was starting to bloom across his cheeks and ears.


    “I—! It is a medical process, don’t make it weird!” he choked, flustered.


    Yuu bit her lip, leaning closer to him, shoulder already bared.


    “Should we have a contract for this?”


    “This is punishment for every sin I have ever committed,” Azul muttered under his breath, taking her proximity as permission. “Tell me if there’s anything… troublesome.”


    Taking hold of her shoulders to steady her, he put his teeth to her shoulder, and lightly sank them in.


    It hurt, but there was something beyond just hurting. Something deep inside her blood was being rooted out. She could feel the tug of his magic on the flow of her vitals, and though she knew he wouldn’t do her any real harm, something in her didn’t want to let… whatever he was taking, leave.


    She grit her teeth through the discomfort, and then, after only a minute, it was over, and Azul was pulling away, leaving a light wet imprint on her skin.


    “The bathroom is over there,” she directed quickly. “If you want to spit—”


    She said it right as he swallowed.


    She watched in morbid fascination as he pulled a face, then straightened his clothing, and turned away.


    “Um… mouthwash?” she offered awkwardly.


    “No…” he sighed, still not looking at her. “No, I.. I need to retrain my system as well. This is part of the process. Although I admit it’s not comfortable.”


    “I—Azul, I—” she reached for him, not knowing why, but he was already standing before she could touch him.


    “I’m going back to the lounge. I’ve neglected business there long enough. Meet me in the courtyard after classes.”


    “Class… yes, class….” Yuu was close to turning right back and burying herself in her pillow.


    What was the point of class now, anyway?


    “Sure,” she agreed instead. “I’ll be in the courtyard in three hours, and… hang on. How did you get in here?”


    He blinked. “I beg your pardon? The door wasn’t locked.”


    “That’s not what I—Grim!” she caught sight of his guilty tail slinking past the doorway just in time. “Grim! What part of ‘maim or kill’ wasn’t clear to you?”


    “Maim or kill, Yuu? Really?” Azul grumbled as Grim’s tail disappeared from view.


    “I know you can hear me, Grim!” Yuu shot to her feet in annoyance.


    “It would appear your security system can be bribed with tuna,” Azul said cooly. “If its any consolation, he was prowling the corridors quite dutifully when I woke up.”


    “Don’t you dare pay him,” Yuu growled. “He doesn’t deserve it.”


    “Come now, Yuu, I’m a man of my word,” Azul said, straightening.


    “And, how much tuna am I worth to him, dare I ask?”


    “Thirty cans. Of the premium type.”


    “Judas,” she swore. “Only thirty?”


    “I’m not sure what that means,” he said, moving to the door, himself. “But I do have things that I need to do. This whole affair has kept me away from my schedule for quite some time, as you know…”


    “Yes, yes,” she waved him off tiredly. “You go. I’ll see you then—and please don’t call it an affair.”


    She managed to squeeze a small smile out of him before he left.


    *


    Azul


    Azul’s perfect attendance was ruined, he knew it; however, for once in his life, he was beginning to question if that sort of thing really mattered. He had connections who would provide him with notes. He would still place top in the school. What concerned him more was how Jade and Floyd had managed the lounge—alone—for the day and a half he’d been gone.


    He entered the Mostro Lounge, midday, to find Floyd mixing drinks in the middle of the lounge on a large, open counter that he’d set up in the middle of the floor. Jade was in the back, cooking—something he’d been strictly banned from doing ever since he’d nearly killed Malleus—MALLEUS—with a toxic mushroom risotto, and there was a crowd dancing in the middle of the room, to…. Seven-help-him, was that a pirate shanty blasting through the speakers.


    “Floyd. Jade,” Azul dropped his voice into the guttural sonic used by marine life underwater.


    Under the sea, the language sounded pretty. Above water, it was sonic enough to cut through the blaring speakers and shouting party guests, and reach right to where they stood, smiles frozen on their faces, when Azul entered the main lounge.


    Unfortunately, Azul had forgotten that he was….far from looking his best.


    Azul felt a scowl forming on his face as he recalled that his suit jacket had long since been discarded, along with his hat and scarf. His shirt was probably only partially buttoned, as well, and here in front of all these witnesses, as the volume in the room dropped to nothing.


    “SCATTER!” Floyd yelled over the guests heads. “TABS LATER! WE’LL MAIL ‘EM!”


    Like minnows before a shark, the crowd dissolved, rushing past Azul and out the doors, and dissolving before his eyes like an overpriced bath bomb.


    “Floyd, if that’s alcohol in the lounge. Served to minors. In the middle of the day—” Azul snarled.


    “Boss!” Floyd jumped the counter, sauntering over to Azul. “We thought you’d be gone at least another twelve hours. What, solved little shrimpy’s problem already? Or…. has she solved yours?”


    Floyd’s smile was a bit too wide as he sauntered up to Azul, his yellow eyes lingering uncomfortably long on Azul’s wrinkled clothes, and missing buttons.


    “Had fun, Boss?”


    “So nice to see you again, Azul,” Jade greeted, his cooking project having mysteriously vanished behind him as he made his way to the lounge floor. “Only gone a day, and so many interesting developments.”


    “I can see that,” Azul spat. He was going to have a shower. He was going to take a rejuvenation potion, and then he was going to take these eels and hand them by their—


    “Not yet, I’m afraid,” Jade sighed dramatically. “This little show was actually Floyd’s attempt at distracting the student body from the more… dramatic developments.”


    Azul froze in his villainous internal ramblijng.


    “What developments?”


    “The Ramshackle prefect has… friends,” Jade said smoothly.


    “She has a prince with a soft head, and a bunch of Pomfiore puffs, and an actual dragon busting down our door asking where she was,” Floyd added indecorously.


    “Indeed,” Jade nodded. “I’m afraid that you and the prefect didn’t just vanish for two days—she disappeared after already being injured. That means her friends have had 48 full hours to spiral into full-blown panic mode.


    “Where the hell have you been?! She got bit by something and THEN you disappeared? Is it a curse? Did someone take her? Did she join a cult? Blink twice if she needs help,” Floyd provided in an imitative voice.


    “Could you not just say you didn’t know?” Azul groaned.


    “We considered it,” Floyd admitted. “Didn’t work. We could have said you took her away to heal in private.”


    “Too dramatic,” said Jade.


    “Or that they ran off together for a romantic getaway!” Floyd proposed. “I wanted to use that one.”


    “We did not,” Jade calmed Azul before he could start yelling again.


    “They left together, and she’s safe but didn’t want to talk about it,” Floyd suggested, as though he found the idea distasteful.


    “Far too vague,” said Jade, and Azul happened to agree.


    “So we decided to distract ‘em, instead!” Floyd said cheerily.


    “And that is the only thing right now keeping you from a good wringing,” groaned Azul. “Fortunately, we found a solution, and all will be well and back to normal within a few hours.”


    “Will it?” Floyd smiled suggestively. “Jade, I don’t think he knows….”


    “Knows what?” Azul snapped, impatience getting the better of him.


    “It appears his mother did not inform him…In that case, there’s something on your desk you really should see, Azul,” added Jade.


    If this was one more addition to her ridiculous instructions, Azul was going to have an aneurysm, however, when he stormed up to his office desk, what he found had nothing to do with Yuu.


    “This is impossible.” He gaped at the stack of papers on his desk, sure that he was hallucinating.


    “Oh, we thought so, too…” said Floyd, picking up one of the golden papers, and waving it in front of the light. “But no.”


    “They’re all real, Azul,” said Jade.


    “These were gone. They were destroyed. Leone destroyed them, himself.”


    “Well, then, he missed a few….hundred.” Floyd shrugged.


    There on his desk, though it wasn’t all of them, was a stack of contracts. HIS contracts. Not all of them, to be sure, but at least half of the ones he’d thought destroyed before he overblotted. Years of power returned to him in a few seconds. Years of collecting, magic, blackmail, leverage, and all here, and intact, and his. It meant he had control over people who hadn’t dealt with him in years. It meant that half of the student body would owe him service long after graduation. He could start an empire with contracts like these—he had planned to, before…


    There was a note waiting for him on the top of the stack.


    These came at quite a cost, but I suspect you’ll find them useful in the days to come. Once your human leaves this world, we have a world of work to do before the others arrive, and a partnership—it appears the Banejaws are willing to sign a deal with us after all.


    <ol>


    <li> R. Ashengrotto</li>


    </ol>


    “This is—this is—”


    “Insane,” Floyd supplied.


    “She is your mother,” said Jade smoothly.


    “Don’t insult me,” Azul groaned.