• Chapter 2
    Serenity blinked twice before opening her eyes completely. It was just another typical morning for her. The black sea was a bit frozen and there was just a small hinch of sun on the horizon. Serenity stretched her arms and yawned. She looked next to her and saw a shirtless guy. She raised an eyebrow and curled her lips. She got on all fours and leaned over the guy just to get a look. She sighed in relief. It was just Matt.

    She got up from her bed and walked to the bathroom. She stepped inside and closed the door. She looked at herself in the mirror with her narrowed eyes. "Ugh! What a mess." She grabbed the purple toothbrush that was laying on the cup next to a green one and poured dental paste in it. She brushed her teeth and then rinsed her mouth with mouthwash. She grabbed her curling iron and fixed her hair. "I'm going to extend my curls a bit more today."

    Shortly after, Matt woked up. He turned around and saw Serenity infront of the mirror behind the door, fixing her HQ headband. "Huh? Going for bigger curls?" He joked still half asleep. Serenity tighten the knot and turned around. She ran to the bed and jumped untop of Matt. "Ahh!" They fell on the other side of the bed. Serenity untop of Matt with a smile on her face. She kissed him on the forehead and smiled again. "Goodmorning, Matthew." Matthew, who was comfused up to now, pushed her off from untop of him.
    "Okay. First of all, what do you want?" He asked as he stood up.
    "I don't know what you mean, Matthew..." Serenity said innocently. She was still on the floor, seating on her knees.
    "Don't go all childish on me." Matt rolled his eyes. "When you refer to me as Matthew, it's because you want me to do something stupid..." Serenity leaped up towards him and once again, landed on a soft yet hard abdomen.
    "Oh don't be so naive, I don't need to ask for you to do something stupid..."
    "Should I consider that an insult?"
    "I just want you to acompany me to the head counselors. That's all..."
    "Oh okay." Matt sighed in relief. Then, realizing the message, he gasped. "Wait! What?!" Serenity's smile grew even bigger. "I'm not going." Matthe shrugged. "Well... I was right about the stupid part..." He mumbled.
    "Oh c'mon. Please, please, please."
    "No." Matt and Serenity stood up.
    "Pretty please..." She joined her hands and curled her bottom lip down.
    "No!" Matt looked the other way to avoid her look.
    "Pretty please with a cherry."
    "Eww I hate cherries." He stook his tounge out.
    "Then would you like caramel with that?"
    "Yeah!"
    "That would be five yen!"
    "Okay." Matt pulled a yen coin from his coat pocket, which was hanging next to him, and gave it to Serenity, which she snatched from his hand. "Huh?! Wait a minute! Gimme my money back." Serenity smiled a grin.
    "Hah! Not only did you agreed but you also gave me money!!! SUCKER!!!!!" Serenity stormed down the hall. "Hey wait! come back here!" Matt didn't had time to get dressed so he simply grabbed his vest and ran behind her. Serenity ran down the hall and Matt fallowed, accidentally bumping into another soul watcher. "Oops sorry. On the run." He apologized as he ran deeper into the hall.

    And so, a girl and a shirtless boy, only with a vest, were running up and down HQ causing disturbance in the morning peace.

    ============later that same day==============

    "FAGGOTS!" The head counselour, Ranzaroth, slammed his hand against the podium as he scolded Serenity and Matt. "You, soul watchers, made a complete chaos out of HQ. I've been having constant argues and complaints about the behavior and actions taken by both of you this morning!!" He said enraged. Matt and Serenity were standing in the center of the dark room alumbrated by one light that shined down to both of them and Ranzaroth. The room was stadium styled and was extremely big. "I will not take such inadequate behavior on my building!" He said furiously. "Specially you, Matthew. One of our greatest soul watchers... is this the example you plan on giving to those inferior?" He asked turning his eyes to Serenity. Serenity stook her tounge out and crossed her arms. Ranzaroth's eyes were filled with rage. He sighed and wiped his straight black hair out of his face. "Tell me... what punishment is agreeable enough for both of them?" Ranzaroth asked to the people who hid in the shadows of the room. Each and all of them stood forward revealing there faces to the light. Serenity gasped. "(The thirty brothers... okay... now we're doomed...)" Serenity turned to Matt. He had a serious face. He knew this could affect his reputation among HQ. They all smiled a grin, each seating or standing on a column. "You should expell them completely out of our system." Said one of them.
    "Don't be stupid, Issaiah." Said another. "It's Matthew we're talking about here. We can't afford to lose him. He's useful at the moment." Serenity got pissed. It sounded annoying. As if they were using Matt as a pawn. "He's out of the question. I completely disagree with you."
    "Fine then. As you wish, Jeremiah. Let's expell that short brat next to him instead." Issaiah suggested. Serenity got frustrated. "(Did he just call me: short brat?)" Serenity frowned.
    "Now with that I can fully agree." Jeremiah smiled. Serenity checked on Matt's reaction. He simply looked down and sighed. The other twenty eight brothers shook there heads in agreement.
    "Well... the court has seem to come to a decision... Matthew, it's up to you... do we expell her?" Ranzaroth asked.
    "No!" Matt said without hesitation. "Can't you guys think of something else. I mean... thirty heads and only two of them think? Seriously!" All in the room began stood toughtful.
    "He's right." Jeremiah finally spoke. "We went to hard on them. Lets mild things a little bit." Jeremiah disapeared and then re-apeared behind Ranzaroth and the podium. He whispered into his ear and then went back to his space in the blink of an eye. "Hmm... very well..." Ranzaroth admitted.
    "What? What did he say?" Matt asked hoping it's nothing bad.
    "By the power vested in me..." Matt and Serenity's eyes grew big. "I here by sentence you by a week of hunt in the human realm without your Soulbook." He said in a serious tone. Matt's eyes turned to their whites and fell backwards. "HUNT FOR SOULS WITHOUT A SOULBOOK?!" Serenity yelped hopefully. "I mean....." She stepped back. "H-Hunt for s-souls... w-without a S-Soulbook?" She said in a shy tone.
    "Yes? Are you going to complain?" Ranzaroth asked raising an eyebrow. Matt bursted up infront of her and began making signs to her to cut it out but Serenity, as stubborn as ever, she said yes. "What? Are you sure? Look at the position you're know." Ranzaroth curled his bottom lip.
    "So? I'm in a position of rights. I will not do such thing." Matt began to bite his nails. The fact that Serenity is younger then him, makes her quite childish.
    "Child, shut your mouth trap!!" Said one of the thirty brothers, Gontou. "You just disrupted the peace within our building and you come to US!!! complaining?!?! What kind of stuck up brat are you?!?!?" Matt rubbed his temples.
    "Order! Order! I shall not accept such behavior on this hearing!" Ranzaroth yelled. Gontou wrinkled his nose and lowered his hands.
    "Psst! Serenity..." Matt whispered. "Shut your mouth..."
    "Serenity, how dare you raise your tone to us?" Ranzaroth asked turning to her.
    "Oh c'mon, cutie. You wouldn't make me, a innocent girl, do such thing?" She cooed.
    "You will do as I say... and just for that... even if you catch one soul in the human realm... as extra punishment, you shall not have access to HQ or other realms for two weeks." Matt's eyes grew even bigger. Serenity, who should be burying herself on the ground right now, still insisted. She opened her mouth really wide to complain but Matt quickly covered her mouth and smiled.
    "Erm... sorry your higness. I-I mean excellency... we shall be departing now."
    "We? No... only she..." Matt's smile flew off his face. Ranzaroth took a deep breath.
    "What? But she rarely understands all this... she would never make it."
    "I don't care. Not only did she defy my authority but she mocked me as well....." Ranzaroth looked at Jeremiah and Issaiah, who were hidding there laughter behind there hands. "She called him cutie..." Jeremiah mumbled. "This hearing is settled." The thirty brothers and Ranzaroth disapeared. When they were gone, Serenity pushed Matt's hand off her face.
    "Why did you do that?!"
    "SHUT UP!!" Matt was really mad. "You see what you did?!"
    "..."
    "You just dug your own grave!"
    "No, I didn't"
    "YES YOU DID!!" Matt began to pace around.
    "Don't worry..." She rolled her eyes.
    "Don't worry? You're going to the most dangerous realm IN ALL KNOWN *YOKAI!!!" *(Note:Yokai= supernatural being in japanese)
    "I know..." She said flatly.
    Matt turned around and grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "And how can you be so HAPPY!?"
    "Because that's exactly what I wanted..."
    "Oh well then oka- wait! WHAAAAA?" Matt's jaw went down to the floor.
    "What I said... I mean, think, Matt. Why would I want to talk to the head counselor in the first place?"
    She did had a point. This morning, she asked him to acompany her to see the head counselor.
    "Yes but... now... you have to go alone... unless... you don't want me to come along?" Serenity got closer and hugged him. "Matt, you're a very powerful soul watcher... and I admire that... but sometimes... I feel jelous of you..." One tear streamed down her face. "In our missions... you always do most of the work... and all I do is... be a burden to you..." Matt wrapped his arm around her and joined her in her tears. "I... want to become stronger... so that one day... I can be... as powerful as you... Matthew..." Matt pushed her away. He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. He fell on his knees and his body began to tremble. "So what?" He said in between sobs. "You're going to throw your life away?"
    "No... I..."
    "YOU'LL GET KILLED!!!"
    "..."
    "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!! WHEN A SOUL WONDERS AROUND THE INCORRECT REALM... IT VANISHES!!!"
    "Don't worry... I'll come back... I promise... No spirit will devour me... and I wont vanish..."
    "How can you be so sure?!?!?!"
    "... I'm not... I just have..." Matt looked up. He was holding her hands as she looked down at him. "faith..."

    * * *

    Serenity was alone in her dormroom. She was preparing her backpack for her lonely trip. "(Matt said he had to do something... I hope he manages to come back before I leave...)" Serenity tought as she tied her black choker around her neck. She was wearing her HQ uniform. For females, it was a black tank top, long black pants, boots, white finger cut gloves, and a headband that represented there loyalty to HQ. For males, it was long black pants, boots, the headband, black finger cut gloves and no shirt. Instead, males had a black cross mark on there back or abdomen. For top ranks like Matt, male or female, they all wore a white vest with a skull emblem under the right shoulder.

    Matt was on the elevator. Ross and Vincent were on it as well. "Hey Matt, what floor?" Vincent asked with a smile. "The top floor..." Matt didn't even bother to face him. He was to focused on whatever he was planning. "Um... okay..." Vincent pressed the number on the top and elevator doors closed. Vincent then dropped his hands on his pockets.
    "Is there something wrong?" Ross asked placing her hand on his shoulder. The doors opened on the last floor. "Yes." Matt stepped out of the elevator and into the crowded hall, leaving Vincent and Ross speechless.

    Matt slid across the people and stormed inside Ranzaroth's office. He slammed his hand on his desk and looked at him straight in his tired-looking eyes. "What is it that you want, Matthew?" His masculine voice asked. "I want permission to leave the realm."
    "Why? Where do you need to go?"
    "To the human realm..."
    "I told you before the hearing ended. Only she will go."
    "That's fine but, sir..." Matt sat down on the chair behind him and screeched it closer to the desk. "She's not very powerful... she could die out there..."
    "So?"
    "So... I want you to grant me access to the world of the living... so I can keep an eye on her..."
    "Keep an eye on her? For what? If something were to happen to her, there's nothing you can do about it."
    "What?! Why not?!"
    "Because, it was..."
    "I have as much to do with this as she does." Matt interrupted.
    "... fine... you may go but!" Ranzaroth smiled a grin. "But she must not know..."
    "Why are you so focused on her going alone?!?!"
    "Don't you raise your tone at me!!" Matt shrugged back on his seat.
    "I do because I care for her..."
    "Huh?" Now Matthew was comfused.
    "I had a vision last night... that showed Serenity's desire to become stronger." Ranzaroth stood up and began pacing around his office. "I don't know if you're aware... she wants to be acknowledge by you... more then anything..."
    "But I don't understand... why send her off to the human realm?"
    "After my vision, I told the thirty brothers of it. They all agreed to put her to a test. We believe that... um... nevermind."
    "Nevermind what?"
    He turned around to look out his window and sighed.
    "Nothing" He turned back to Matt with a kind smile. "You may go... as long as you fullfill our condition..."