The Half Lilin: By The Light Of The Moon (Chapter 4) By shinieris Thanks To Stanman63 for editing! She merely cocked her head to the left. With a sweep of her hand, she telekinetically pushed the last car into its parking box, spread her wings and fled. "That's unexpected," I remarked as I started to chase after her. Unfortunately, she was far too fast for me. By the time I reached the second floor, she was gone.

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"So care to tell me what's going on?" Chris said as he drove at 90 miles an hour on L.A's busy roads.

I didn't answer him. My mind was too busy thinking about Tell and little Vicky as well as that thing that happened 10 years ago. To think that it was Mom who made Vicky an orphan and that she was there when the werewolf struck, as if she knew beforehand when and where it was going to happen. Yet, she did nothing to prevent it from happening. Mom has a lot of explaining to do.

"PAT!" Chris smacked me in the back of my head.

"WHAT?!"

"I asked you what the hell is going on, like a hundred times already!"

"Liar!"

"You care to tell me why we're going to the mall on the other side of the city?"

I showed him the hairpin.

"I know that the pigeon transformed into that. What I want to know is, was that supposed to mean anything?"

"You're not even surprised at how the pigeon was able to transform into a hairpin?"

"Your mom already showed me enough amazing things. Compared to things she did, that magic trick of yours was like a third rate children's show," he said with a straight face.

Mom again! Why is it that everything has to do with Mom? She of all people should know that she's supposed to maintain the Code of Concealment. What the hell was she trying to prove?

"So?" Chris said out of the blue.

I looked at him. "What?"

"Explanation?" I saw his right eyebrow raised a little bit.

"I made this last Christmas for Tell. At that time, I was facing the possibility of never returning home. So I gave her this," I raised the hairpin, "So that she would be able to find me if I did got lost. It was actually made in a pair. Both should've came back to me together. I don't understand why only one returned."

"So now Tell's trying to find you? Can't she just call home?"

"This is NOT like going low on battery or lacking signal bars! To send the messengers, she must really want to send them. In this case, she really needed someone who could help."

"Just what kind of trouble is she in?"

"You probably won't believe me. I can hardly believe it myself."

"Try me."

"Alright. It's a werewolf."

"Werewolf?"

"Yes, werewolf."

"Ha!" he exhaled loudly.

"Why are you feeling relieved?! You're supposed to be shocked! Doubtful! Even downright denial! You haven't shown even a single obvious expression since we left!"

He was silent as he navigated the traffic.

"Answer me, damnit!"

"Would you like it if I was to keep telling you that there are no such things as werewolves or demons? Would you feel better if I say that it's all in your head?"

"Well no, but you could've at least appear surprised," I whined.

"Don't you know already that acting is way beneath me? I could've acted the perfect gentleman all these years, but I didn't. The thought of anyone other than me kissing or touching you filled me with rage."

"So that was why you were such a jerk?"

"Yup!"

I was about to give him a piece of my mind when he pulled over into the parking lot in question. I looked at the hairpin and felt a bit of relief to see that the ruby was still glowing, albeit being rather weak. At least it wasn't fading anymore. That means that Tell is still alive. Then I thought of little Vicky and became very worried again as the hairpin could give no indication of his status.

Please let him be safe.

It was a scene out of disaster movies. Cars were strewn all over the floor. Most of the cars had big dents on it, some on the sides, the front and some had dents on its roof. It was like a hurricane was here. But that wasn't all I saw. There were strange eerie glows that flew around or near the dents on the cars and slowly fixed each of the dents. And at the far side of the floor, a familiar form was telekinetically pushing the cars back into empty parking lots. It was a lili. One with dark purple hair and a pair of horns that made it look like she sported a pair of white wings on her head.

I know her. I've seen her before my duel in Yenne Velt. She was in Delilah's clique.

As soon as the car stopped with a loud screech, I opened the door and got out. I was immediately seized by two men, whom from the look of their uniforms seemed to be the mall's security.

"Let me go!" I cried.

"Pat! Get off her!" he yelled at the two men just as three more appeared and tried to grab him. He puunched one in the face and kicked one in the guts but was unable to avoid the punch from the third guy. That punch on his jaw left him winded for a few seconds, giving the same man the opportunity to put his knee in Chris's stomach, quickly followed by another hit on Chris's back.

I renewed my struggles as I saw Chris fell to the floor. Unfortunately, my struggles proved futile as both of the security guys kept a firm arm lock on both my arms on both my arms from behind. Kicking them was equally useless as my legs couldn't hit anything significant.

Chris on the other hand was in his element. He acted as if he belonged there, fighting three big-ish guys at the same time. He rolled around on the floor, then made that helicopter kick they often showed in those silly kungfu films, effectively tripping one before he did the same with another. Geez, I thought those fancy moves would never work.

He then jumped up from his horizontal position so suddenly and proceeded to deliver two simultaneous smacks on the security guy's ears as if he intended to flatten the guy's head. I bet his ears were ringing like ding dong bells now.

I didn't have much time to worry about that guy because the two guys behind me roughly pushed me to the floor, with one of them crossing my hands on my back and kneeling on it, effectively pinning my hands to my back with almost 200 pounds worth of dead weight. The other guy left me and stepped forward to help his friends. I found four against one to be very unfair.

"Chris!" I cried, just as he delivered a kick to the side of the last guy, causing him to black out.

"Yeah?" He gave the guy another kick just to make sure.

"Behind..." he punched the oncoming guy's face without looking, "... oh never mind."

He turned around to look at me, grinning like the way he used to when we were much younger. That grin that I used to adore when we were kids. Oh, how I missed those days when he wasn't always angry and there was no reason to hate him.

"Pat, were you worried about me? I knew it! You still love me, don't you?" He made that grin again and now it felt like he was mocking me. Why? Because he beat up four guys and I couldn't even get one off my back!

"In your dreams, rat bastard," I replied, finding it hard to draw breath as I was still pinned under that beefy security guy.

"I know you don't mean that, babe. Now you just stay tight. That perv sitting on your back will regret staying a second too long," he said while he crunched his fingers. The he charged and tackled the guy sitting on me in one swift move, reminding me of the times in high school when I would discretely watch him as he practiced his drills on the football field.

Gosh! How many times did I actually do that?

I sat up and watched as Chris give the guy a good pummeling. It was obvious that Chris had the upper hand, before he brought it down swiftly on the man's back. He also obviously had no problem with kicking a man when he's down on his back, because he did just that. Or at least he did up to the point when the guy passed out. Then he crouched next to the guy, his fingers feeling the pulse at the guys neck. He delivered another punch at the guy's jaw as he started to come around.

I didn't know what made me do it, but I crawled towards him as he looked at me. He had his head up and was grinning with that adorable grin of his. Without another thought, I took hold of his face with both hands and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips which lasted a full minute.

"What's that about, babe?" he asked as he stood up and helped me up as he straightened himself up. His left arm then encircled my waist. Then he grinned again and it actually made his face younger and naive. Great Mother. I don't understand how he could actually look naive.

We both looked at the purple haired lili at about the same time. I then noticed two bodies, Tell and little Vicky lying unmoving at the center of the maelstrom. I couldn't tell whether they were still alive, judging from what I could see from here.

I took a glance at the hairpin. At least Tell's still alive, I thought as I saw the ruby glow faintly.

"What are you doing here, sister?" I addressed the lili.

Her only response was a cool glance at me. Her hands seemingly working autonomously from her body as it moved about, manipulating the cars to move forward and backward. I tried to keep myself calm as I asked her, "What happened to the werewolf?"

This time she turned to look at me. "Were you involved in the attack on my sister and son, sister?"

She merely cocked her head to the left. With a sweep of her hand, she telekinetically pushed the last car into its parking box, spread her wings and fled.

"That's unexpected," I remarked as I started to chase after her. Unfortunately, she was far too fast for me. By the time I reached the second floor, she was gone. Probably blinked away.

When I got back, Chris was checking the pulse on little Vicky and Tell's necks.

"Weak, but stable," he said.

"I have a lot of questions here. Questions like what happened to the wound on Tell's stomach. Is there any way to rouse them?"

Chris rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose you can try pouring water on their faces or slapping their faces until they wake up."

"So crude. I think I'll try a much gentler method," I said as I put my palms on Tell's heart.

Chris grinned again, with that adorable childish grin, "Just like a girl."

"Oh, shut up," I snapped as I slowly imagine myself transferring pink healing glow to Tell. I was only partially successful. Tell's pulses got stronger, but she hadn't woke up, yet.

"I must've become weaker. Even such a simple aura transfer sapped my strength far too much," I remarked after finding myself unable to get up.

"Will you be OK?" Chris asked as he held me by my upper left arm. I looked at his face and saw concern in it. It almost made me want to cry. He hadn't shown me that face since we were fifteen.

Noticing me looking at him with tears in my eyes, he suddenly appeared uncomfortable, then he loosened his hold on my upper arm, "Sorry, babe. Am I hurting you?"

"What? No! Help me up, please. I need to try wake up little Vicky. Maybe he can tell me what's going on."

"Why don't we do this at home? You're too weak to do this again."

"I'm fine. Just help me up."

"You're not really OK, are you?"

"Chris! Lay off it. Stop freaking me out with that expression on your face. Just... help me. I can't stand on my own."

"No!"

"Excuse me? Did you just 'no'?"

"I don't want you to harm yourself."

"Seriously? Seriously? This coming from the guy who broke my leg with a hockey stick?"

"Would you please give up on that? I was sorry. How many times do I have to say that? I didn't realize what I was doing."

"Suuure. Let's make a deal. You help me get to little Vicky and I shut up about that for a month."

"For ever."

"Two months."

"For ever."

"Half a year?"

"For ever."

"Gosh! You don't let up, do you? There is such a thing as a compromise, you know," I said, slightly annoyed.

"For ever, or you crawl there on your own."

"Meanie! Fine, I'll crawl there myself. I don't need you at all!" It was just 10 feet anyway.

"Go on ahead. I'm going to enjoy watching this," he said with a chuckle.

I paused. I thought about him watching me crawl away. It wasn't the degradation that made me rethink my move. I was just worried that he might be watching my bum. No, he was definitely going to watch my bum. Then he'll make some macho remark that will leave me red in the face.

"OK, fine. You win. I'll shut my mouth about that for a year if you'll help me get over there."

"For ever!"

"A year!"

"Fine, a year and you marry me when you break your promise."

I bit my lower lip before saying, " Gee, that's almost like rape, you know? And your confidence that I can't keep a promise is kinda insulting."

"Oh, you will. It's just a matter of when. Besides, I'm just reinforcing the promise that WE made long ago."

I looked up at him in defiance. "Your confidence pisses me off. Just so you know, I'm only agreeing because I don't want to argue much longer. Now GET ME OVER THERE!"

"I know we're only accompanied by unconscious people, but please, pipe it down. You're piercing my eardrums," he said as he put his arms under my knees and shoulders, then heaved me up.

"Umm, Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"I mean help me walk there. You don't have to carry me all the way."

"I want to. It reminds me of the first night we spent together."

"Uhh, the first night? Didn't I break into your bedroom through the window?"

"I'm talking about Christmas Eve."

"Christmas Eve? That was hardly our first night together."

"Feels like it to me," he gently placed me on the concrete floor, "Do your stuff. Just... be careful, OK?"

"Sure," I said as I did the same thing as what I did with Tell.

The pinkish glow enveloped my hands, as expected. I transferred the pinkish glow to little Vicky's body, as expected. Then the glow was absorbed into his body in a blink, not expected. A charge of purple lightning shot forth from little Vicky's body, hitting my chest, causing me to fly backward through the air, definitely not expected.

I gasped hard as the back of my head hit the concrete ceiling first, followed by my upper body. Then the momentum was gone and I fell straight down onto the floor, equally as hard.

The last thing I heard before everything went dark was Chris calling my name, twice.

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To Be Continued

*Comments are always welcomed.