Mile High Club

Mokou stared up at the sky. It was a Monday and usually she'd be at the school helping out with the kids' needs. Right now there were much more important matters. Everything was to be well taken care of back home and at least with regards to that, she could breathe easily. Keine's condition had stabilized, though it wouldn't stay that way for long. Without the mental strength to control a Standmaku, it would slowly wreak havoc on her fragile body.

"She hadn't slept all night. It's only manifested on her arms but... given enough time, it'll grow to cover her whole body. Her immune system will soon become compromised and eventually she'll lapse into a coma and die." Mokou looked grim.

"Well, we don't have much time then. I've contacted personnel from the Yagokoro Foundation to be here to watch over her 24/7." Eirin said. White coated men and women entered through Eientei's main gate. Professional doctors and nurses, they were the best of the best. The Yagokoro Foundation trained and employed some of the brightest minds in the world and were a leader in medical technology not just in Japan, but all over the world with hospitals and clinics in China, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. It was a global leader in this industry.

"Doesn't matter how good these doctors are, we're the only ones with the power to help her." Mokou stared off into the clouds. The morning was beautiful and the weather was perfect, masking the underlying sense of dread in the air.

"How are you feeling, Keine?" Kaguya said, putting a bowl of soup by her bedside. Her favorite, chicken and peas.

"I really don't know what happened to me, I'm sorry Kaguya." She had been out for some time now, hooked up to various medical instruments. Unbeknownst to her, this would only serve to delay her symptoms.

"You sure scared us... passing out like that." Eirin tried her best to put on a smile, though not quite being able to mask the unease in her face and her tone of voice.

"I'll be ok." Keine said. "I can get back to work in a few hours and..." She lapsed into a coughing fit.

"Don't speak. We'll handle this." She didn't know why, Kaguya but somehow, she felt her heart soften. After all, she was one of the women who had helped raise her, after the death of her parents.

"Thank you Kaguya. You're very sweet. Maybe it's not so bad being sick, right? You're so much nicer." Keine squeezed Kaguya's hand lightly.

"Don't worry about a single thing, Keine."

"Guys..." Mokou said, standing in the doorway, suitcase in tow. "It's time."

"Yes." They all agreed. And so, began the start of their bizarre adventure.

* * * * *

"So... they discovered where I am." The haunting voice echoed throughout the huge mansion. "And they want to come here to Egypt. Eirin Yagokoro... Kaguya Houraisan... Fujiwara no Mokou... and..." A sinister laugh rung through the study. "Reisen Undongein Inaba... who betrayed me. Interesting! Very interesting!" The sinister laugh continued.

"Mistress PADIO, we shall depart at once." A number of figures had gathered before the figure sprawled across a huge king-sized bed. "A number of us have already gone ahead to intercept them."

"Good, good." PADIO spoke slowly, swirling the glass of blood that she held, the crimson liquid staining her pale lips. "Make sure none of them make it here alive."

"Very good, mistress. I will go too, to oversee the others." A hooded woman stood out from among the silhouettes. As the rest began to disperse without a word, she continued standing.

"What about that girl... where is she?" PADIO looked up from the book she was reading to glance at the woman who stood before her.

"Already on her way to Hong Kong as we speak. With someone of her skills, I doubt they'd survive." The hooded woman turned before making her leave, the heavy double doors of the master bedroom closing behind her.

"Eirin Yagokoro! You don't know what you've gotten yourself into." The vampire smiled before returning to her book.

* * * * *

The plane had left Japan at 8:30 PM on Tuesday. The trip would take a grueling 12 hours, with stopovers at Bangkok, Kuwait and finally at Cairo, just in time for lunch at 1:00 PM on a Wednesday. Despite some slight paranoia over flying in a plane, Kaguya was able to get somewhat comfortable. The deaths of her parents in a plane crash still haunted her. Though some initial turbulence made for a bumpy ride, as the night went on it became a smooth, relaxing experience. Right now, they were traveling over the East China Sea and would be in Bangkok, Thailand just before midnight. Dinner was grilled chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes with a side of salad. The group were now just settling in for some shuteye before the first stopover.

"Pssst... Kaguya. Are you awake?" Eirin shifted in her seat.

"Huh? What's up?"

"I don't know... I can't help but feel like we're being watched." Eirin shrugged. She looked around. It was so quiet inside the cabin that you could probably hear a pin drop.

"Kaguya... did you hear that!" It was a buzzing sound that caught Eirin's attention. At first it was distant. One could have immediately dismissed it as engine sounds. Not Eirin though. She had worked out in the bamboo fields long enough to know an insect sound when she heard one. "An insect? On the plane?"

"It can't be... Wriggle Nightbug? It has to be her! She's a firefly youkai with power of insects." Mokou said. "I heard stories about her but to somehow get onto an international flight and try to kill humans?"

"She's notorious for causing accidents back in the day and causing all sorts of accidents, arsons and people being attacked by swarms of deadly insects. Of course, to the naked eye these all looked like nothing more than accidents. Now that she had a Standmaku, she's even more dangerous!"

"Wait... there it is." Kaguya pointed out a dark figure flying among the rows of seats. She tapped the two seats in front of her where Mokou and Reisen were sitting.

"I noticed it. It's... a firefly?" Mokou poked her head out into the aisle, noticing the small dot of light flying seemingly at random through the cabin. "That's no ordinary firefly... It's huge! I've never seen a firefly that big though!"

"Wait a minute... where did it go?" Eirin strained to see in the darkness. She could hear it, but now it was hidden somewhere.

"Mokou, could it be a Standmaku?" Kaguya asked. She was getting worried. Indeed, the fact that a firefly had randomly gotten onto an airliner was highly suspicious.

"Kaguya, it's right behind you!" Eirin raised her voice as seemingly out of nowhere, the massive firefly had reappeared. The creature was right up in Kaguya's face. As it neared it revealed a mouth that was almost human-like. Where mandibles should have been, something similar to a jaw complete with teeth was.

"Star Sapphire!" Kaguya's Standmaku took a swipe at the creature, though its extreme agility proved too fast even for her.

"It dodged Star Sapphire's attack! Kaguya's Standmaku could catch a bullet from point blank range... that settles it. It hast to be an enemy Standmaku!" Mokou said. Now it was certain; an enemy Standmaku was on their flight.

"Watch out Kaguya, there it is again!" The insect's attack was different this time. It managed to open its jaw, unfurling a sharp appendage heading straight for Kaguya's face. Despite Star Sapphire's efforts to dodge it, the horrible 'tongue' had penetrated straight through Star Sapphire's hand, causing a small hole in Kaguya's arm which began to leak blood.

"Fuck!" Kaguya recoiled in pain. With its free hand it grasped onto the tip of the tongue.

"This thing..." The pain in Kaguya's hand was stinging. "I don't know how long I can hold it for..." She could feel the bug exerting more and more force. It was clear now; the creature was aiming for her head.