• Chapter 4

    William walked out of the bathroom all ready for bed when he noticed Serenity was gone and gasped. "(S-Serenity's... gone...?)" He tought. He dropped his towel and ran down the hall quietly. "SERENITY!!!" He yelled in whispers. "PSSSST!!!" He was tip-toe'ing around the entire house looking for her. He was about to turn to the living room when he bumbs with Serenity, who was on her way back to the room.
    "Serenity! Where did you go? I told you to stay in my room."
    "But I! No one! ... The cheesecake made me do it." Serenity babbled as she looked for an excuse.
    "No! No... no excuses. Back to the room, young lady." William said pointing back up the hall. Serenity frowned and lowered her head as she dragged her feet back to the room.

    Serenity was sound asleep in her bed, eight minutes later. William wasn't fond of the idea of her sleeping in his closet but she insisted: "It's a walk-in closet the size of my old room. I wont notice the difference... trust me." Serenity threw a bunch of sheets on the floor and called it a bed. William, who was not liking it so much, threw in practically a million coushins and pillows on the floor along with the sheets. Serenity snuggled in her homemade bed and there she was: sleeping in her coushin planet she called "bed".

    William turned off the light to his closet and closed the door. He walked over to his bed and fell asleep.



    Matt was walking back up to his dormroom. He was dragging his feet and his vest hanged. This was the first time since a looong time he'd spend the night alone without Serenity. He looked at the number on his door: 203 and sighed.
    "Matthew..." Said a deep, masculine voice form behind. Matthew turned around and saw Gontou standing before him. Matthew placed his vest on and stood up straight.
    "Your excellency. What is the purpose of your visit?"
    "I overheard you talking with Ranzaroth before you had departed..."
    "Oh... w-well what about it, sir?" Gontou got closer to him and smiled.
    "I heard you wanted to become the child of prophecy..." Matt gasped. "I know you want to be the child of prophecy but... Matthew, I believe it's not up to you. It's a destiny thing."
    Matt narrowed his eyes and sigh. "Yes but... to achive that goal, I will do anything. Even if it meant defying destiny itself." Matt smiled a grin.
    "Anything? Well... from what I can guess, the least you could do right now to acquire that goal is to become stronger. Don't you think?"
    "Yes."
    "And also... to eliminate the current child of prophecy..."
    "So..."
    "Join me, Matthew. Become my fallower. With me, you shall acquire that respect... and more."
    "And more?" Gontou smiled a yes. "Respect... hmm... I like the sound of that..."
    "So what do you say, child?"
    "Yes... I will... I will achive my goal... even at the cost of my HQ loyalty." Matt untied his HQ armband and leaned forward in respect towards Gontou.
    "Yes... yes..." Gontou left out a sinister chuckle. His plan was now in motion.




    "Master William. Master William." Whispered Lawrence, William's personal butler. William, still asleep, turned around the other way. "Master!"
    "Huh? What?" William moaned.
    "I-I went this morning to fetch your clothes but... um... it's gonna sound weird but... there is a gal sleeping in your closet..." William bursted up and grabbed Lawrence from the shoulders and shook him.
    "Did you tell dad?!"
    "N-No." William sighed in relief.
    "Oh... thank God. No one must know."
    "But, Sir, who's she?"
    "Her name's Serenity. I rescued... she rescued me last night. She didn't have a place to stay so I brought her along with me."
    "With all due respect, sir, but... what will you tell your father?"
    "Father must not know. He'll throw her out of the house like he did with mom. Promise me you wont tell."
    "O-Okay... I-I promise."
    "Good. So now that you know about my little secret... will you help me?"
    "Help you?"
    "Well... she's kind of a handful. Mischievous at times."
    "Oh... well... How may I help you?"
    "I need you to take care of her while I run with my schedule."
    "Oh yes. You have archery class today."
    "Great. Well, I'll get ready. Make sure you give her breakfeast, clothes, whatever she needs."
    "Whatever she needs?
    "Whatever she needs... not whatever she ask." William clarified.
    "Need not ask. Got it!"
    "Good. Got my clothes?"
    "Yes, here." Lawrence gave William his clothes and walked out of the room. William took a short shower and got dressed. When he stepped out, Lawrence was waiting for him outside.
    "Breakfeast is downstairs, master." William walked out to the hall and Lawrence fallowed.
    "Erm... don't." William stopped him.
    "..."
    "Stay here with her."
    "But I have to get her breakfeast."
    "Oh. Very well then." Lawrence and William walked down the hall both nervous, hoping no one finds out about Serenity.



    "Uh... nhg..." Serenity was waking up. "Awww... I slept like I've never slept before... ooh God... I want to sleep some more... oh yes." Serenity laid down again and slept with a smile. When she was at HQ, she rarely had time to sleep. "This is some punishment... granpa' Ranzaroth."




    Ranzaroth, who was watching her from a crystal sphere in his office got pissed.
    "Granpa'?! I'm twenty eight, damnit!" Ranzaroth stood up. "That's it! I'm going over there and scold her personally." He said with a huff. Ranzaroth stormed out of his office and into the elevator. Whas he really going to the world of the living?



    William sat on one end of the long rectangular table, that very morning. He slowly chewed his breakfeast as he stared at his father, Oscar, silently on the other end of the table reading the paper.
    "D-Dad?"
    "Hmm?" He asked still with his face buried into the paper.
    "What are you going to do today?" Oscar folded the paper and placed it next to him on the table. He took a sip from his coffee and sighed.
    "Will, why do you need to know?"
    "Well... I tought... maybe you and I could go for a walk in the park tonight..."
    "William, I am a very busy man. Time is money. I don't have space in my schedule for stupid things such as-"
    "Spending time with your son?!" William yelped. Oscar frowned darkly.
    "... exactly... I don't have time for you." He stood up, fixed his tie, and walked out of the room. William sigh and continued eating.

    Lawrence carried in his hand a tray filled with all kinds of breakfeast. From cereal to oatmeal and bread to french toast. He slowly entered William's room and tip- toed to his closet aka Serenity's room.
    "Miss um... uh what was her name. Moon? No..." Lawrence struggled to remember her name. "Midnight? No. Not either. Serenade. Serenity! Serenity, that's it. Um... Miss Serenity?" Serenity slowly opened her eyes, just to find a descent man infront of her.
    "Oh... who are you? Grandpa?"
    "G-Grandpa?!" Lawrence huffed. "I say... I must assure you, Misssss..." He emphasized. "I am 52 years old and I am not a grandpa."
    "52?!" Serenity chuckled. "Well that is old."
    "No it's not." Lawrence got pissed off in a fancy and british way. "The legal senior age is 60! I'm hip and I am funky in every chilling way, yo!" Lawrence crossed his arms.
    "O...k..." Serenity sat up. "Who are you?"
    "I'm Lawrence, peace out, master William's personal butler. Here at your service. I put the -oosh in skaboosh and the chill- in chilling, yo" Lawrence snag (rap) and placed the tray infront of her with a gangster look on his face.
    "Do you put the -uck in ew you suck, as well?"
    "That's tight, yo... wait whaaa?" He screeched "No, I don't. That's... that's... eh how do you say preposterous street style?"
    "Sick..."
    "Yeah that's right. That's sick, man... woman." Serenity laughed and began eating her breakfeast. As she ate, Lawrence explained to her that he has been with William since he was just a baby because his father threw out his mother out on the streets right after she gave birth. Her name was Patty and she went missing right after. He told her about William's life and that his last girlfriend was murdered last year.
    "Murdered? By who?" Serenity asked as she took a sip from her orange juice.
    "No one knows. Actually, when the news of her death arrived here, the police had a prime list of suspect. Master William went missing for three days. When he came back, all the suspects where found murdered in a back alley."
    "... what does that has to do with Will?"
    "Nothi- well... I don't know." Serenity got on her knees and crawled closer to Lawrence.
    "Do you think he murdered them?" She asked with a grin on her face.
    "Murder? Well -ahem- I say!" He babbled. Serenity backed up a little bit and raised an eyebrow.
    "Well I would've done it if it were my case." She said flatly. Lawrence was surprised.
    "Note to self: not to upset lady Serenity." Serenity smiled and finished her breakfeast.




    Meanwhile, Matt was waiting for Gountou on the death realm. It was a cold and dark place. All you could see were tumbleweeds, dust, and rocks. There was no sun on the horizon and the wind blew hard. Suddenly, demons and spirits arised from the floor below Matt. Surprised, he leaped into the air and pulled out his sword. He landed and took a look. "(Too many. Guess I'll have to go directly to plan B.)" He pulled a second sword from his back and began slaying all those demons.

    When he finally finished, Gontou appeared from behind. "Calm down, child. Are you planning on slaying my entire army?"

    "Army?" Matt wondered. "But these are all just demons of low rank. Easy to destroy."

    "But they are my secret army. I can make them powerful at my own will." He said as he patted a demon that appeared next to him.

    "Really? You can do that? Then make me powerful now so I can find and kill the child of prophecy." Matt insisted.

    "Oh no. That would be cheating your way to the top. Let's play by the rules."

    "... fine. So... now what?"

    "We train. I will give you all my knowledge later. We must first build stamina. Then potential; then insitincts, balance, and of course, sense." Matt placed his swords back in the holder and kneeled down and leaned to Gontou. "You belong to me now, Matthew."

    "Yes... my lord."




    Back in the world of the living, night had fallen and the stars were out. Serenity was cuddled up in one corner of the closet with the lights out. Only one small lamp lit a small corner of the room. She was hugging her knees tightly as she saw looked at the picture of Matt she placed on the floor. She flipped it and in the back was written a message.

    To: Serenity
    I'm glad we were placed together as a team.
    From: Matthew heart

    She sighed as one tear streamed down her face. She was wearing one of Williams button up shirts. It was getting wrinkly due to her position but she didn't care. "I wonder what Matt's up to now..." She whispered to herself. Just then, a hand appeared next to her. She looked up and saw William with a kind smile. "Huh?"
    "C'mon... lets go for a walk." Serenity grabbed his hand and he pulled her up.



    They were taking a walk on the park, thirty minutes later. None of them had said a word so far. It was cold and the path was a little frozen. Both of them them were heavily dressed for winter but they didn't mind since it was so cold. Finally, Will got the guts to speak.
    "So... Serenity, why were you crying?" He asked without facing her.
    "W-Why do you ask, Will?" Will stepped forward in her path and looked at her straight in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but instead narrowed his eyes and chuckled.
    "You're the strangest thing that's ever happened to me, Serenity. I feel like you're an adventure and... that makes me feel over protective of you." Serenity looked down at the icy street. "I don't want anything bad happening to you while in my care." He explained. "I've lost too much in this life."
    "I am with you because I can't return home."
    "Where is home exactly?"
    "William... I don't know how to put this in a way you can understand. I don't expect you to believe me but... I'm not human."
    "I know." He said flatly for Serenity's surprise.
    "Y-You do?"
    "Of course. I mean, who else would now so much about soul?"
    "Then you know about HQ and soulwatchers?"
    "Yes. I also know about soul keepers, soul masters, demons, demonic animals, and more."
    "Then why did you-"
    "I was acting." He interrupted.
    "So... how... why do you know all this?"
    "I don't know why. I just do."
    "But that's stupid. How come you not know?"
    "I dunno. I guess it came with me."
    "It can't just 'come with you'" Serenity insisted. William rolled his eyes. Serenity kept babbling about how absurd that sounded, next thing she knows, there lips were locked together. After that short kiss, Will backed up.
    "You talk too much. I had to do it. Don't get the wrong idea." He clarified. Serenity, shocked, was experiencing a epic moment of random love feelings.
    "But- I- you- lips-" She babbled senseless words. "Why did you kissed me?"
    "If there's one thing I learned about girls, it's that a kiss is enough to shut them up. Anyway, why are you so up tight about it?"
    "... it was my first kiss... it felt so good..." Serenity's cheeks turned ivory red.
    "... your first kiss? At the age of seventeen?" William chuckled.
    "HEY! When you're a soul watcher it's not like you have time for romancing?!" She said in defense. William bursted out a loud chuckled. She babbled even more. William smiled. She kept saying senseless word. Eventually, William got annoyed. He narrowed his eyes and pressed his weight down to his heels. Serenity's eyes were wide open staring up at Will. Will, with a high brow, looked down at her for a silent minute. Serenity clutched onto his jacket and pulled him down, making contact with his lip. Serenity closed her eyes pasionately but William's were wide open in the shock. He slowly closed them and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't get the wrong idea, Serenity. This was your doing." He whispered. He grabbed her by the shoulders and cut contact with her. "Cut it out. It was just to shut you up!" Serenity backed away a little bit more. Just then, she sensed something horrible. "You felt that?!" Will asked. Serenity spunned around.
    "Yes... it's something... beyond amazing... in a bad way."
    "What do you mean?"
    "... back in HQ, my partner and I went on a mission to the nightmare realm. We had to search for demon called: Lauwd. It was easy finding it since it was immense. But... it's power was as amazing as it's size. I got the same feeling I'm sensing now so... I think this is gonna be ugly."
    "Wait are you saying this could be bad?"
    "This could be terrible. Come let's go." Serenity grabbed him by the hand and pulls him into the near forest in the park. As they run within the thick forest, Serenity pulled out her SOULHQ gun. She closed her eyes as she ran. She trusted William would guide her and that he would understand what she was doing. William picked her up and carried her as they ran through the forest. Serenity placed her hand above the gun and placed some of her soul into it. When the gun was loaded, she opened her eyes and clicked it. William placed her on the floor when the path was filled with fallen trees.
    "We're near." He said as he looked at scratches on the near standing trees.
    "Stay here. I'll be back." Serenity leaped up and landed on the other side on the huge fallen oak tree. She ran deeper into the forest and found herself before what seemed, a two tailed cat. It's eyes were bright yellow and it's fur was silky black. It's claws were very long and it had a long dragon-like tounge. Serenity smiled a grin.
    "HEY!!!! YOU BIG FAT KITTY!!!!! YEAH YOU, THE OVERSIZED HAIR BALL!!!! COME 'N GET! ME!!!!" She mocked. She took a turn and ran back from were she came from. The beast got angered and ran after her.




    Matt was training with Gontou back on the death realm when he sensed Serenity was in danger due to the seed. He ditched Gontou and left to search for her. Gontou raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Do what you must, child." He said to himself.




    William felt the ground shake and heard Serenity's yells from afar. As her sound grew louder so did the trembles. William turned around and Serenity appeared running to him.
    "Serenity!"
    "AAHH! GET OUT!" Serenity crashed and they both fell on the floor. "Oh... that always happens to me."
    "What?"
    "I crash a lot with guys."
    "Huh?"
    "RAAAAAAAAAWR!!!!!!" William looked up and saw a huge monster running towards them. The only thing that went through his mind was: OMFG.