Well, I'm very tired of working on this, and its a whole lot better than
the first one, so please reread!  There are a couple of new passages and a
lot of old ones have been reworked for the better.  The first part still
has very little zing, but the second part gets back into the same sort of
feel as the previous parts of the fanfic.

Email me if you want to read the intro, ch. 1, ch. 2 and sidestory 1,
since I keep them at hand/at keyboard/at file/ready to email/something of
that nature.

Miyu, Larva and related story elements are owned by a most excellent
manga-ka, Kakinouchi Narumi, and Hirano Toshihiro, her husband, who helped
produce the OAVs and the series of short novels.  It is distributed by
Dark Horse (manga) and Animeigo (OAVs) here in the US. Everything else is
mine, all mine!  Mwahahahaha!

Ari

Chapter 3 Start

Miyu yawned politely behind her hand.  Below the tree she sat in stood Ari
and Jenny.  She was bored.  The halting conversation between the two
teenagers was putting her to sleep.  She drifted off into a recollection
borrowed from Ari's memories of a much more interesting event from two
weeks past.

**********

Ari was definitely worried.  He had spent the last twenty minutes of lunch
looking for Mieko.  She wasn't at her locker.  She had missed her last
class.  None of her friends had seen her since early this morning. He
debated swinging by the nurse's office to see if she had gone home sick.
Deciding it wouldn't hurt to check, he started down the hallway.  A
younger girl came tearing around a corner and ran right into him, knocking
herself down and him staggering backwards.  Reaching out to steady himself
against a wall, he recognized the smaller girl on the floor as Midori
Izumi, a friend of Mieko's.  He was about to yell at her when he saw the
scared expression on her face.  "Izumi-san, what's wrong?"

"Mi . . . Mieko!" gasped Midori.  Struggling to regain her breath, she
tried again.  "Mieko-san's in trouble!"

"Trouble?  Where is she?"  Kneeling down, he grabbed Midori by the
shoulders, shaking her gently but insistently.  "Where is she?  What is
wrong?" Still a little dazed, Midori stared at him blankly for a minute
before his question registered.  "She's behind the gym.  Mendou-san has
her . . ."  She trailed off as she realized that Ari was no longer there,
gone in the blink of an eye.  "No, we need to get a teacher!"  Startled,
she stared wildly around, but he had vanished without a trace.

Borrowing from E'ani's vast reservoir gave him the energy he needed.
Power sang through his blood as he moved between dimensions and slid
towards his destination.  Those last three words he had heard repeated
again and again in his mind, feeding his fear and rage.  It was Mendou,
again.

Rematerializing beside the gym, he cautiously looked around the corner.
First he saw Hiero, facing away from him, arrogantly leaning forward.  And
then, beyond that monster, he saw Mieko, trembling, her back against the
wall.  Mendou was pushing her chin up with one hand, the other trying to
force her against him.  Mieko cried out and tried to jerk her head free.
Laughing, Hiero pulled her in tighter, forcing her chin up further.  "You
still want me, don't you, pretty girl?" he jeered.  Licking his lips, he
brought his head down to kiss her.

Something inside of Ari snapped. A scream of rage filled the air as his
battle aura flared into life.  "NO!" he howled, leaping around the corner.
Hiero spun around, a startled look on his face.  Ari raised his hand and
unleashed a blast of red energy that engulfed the larger boy, knocking him
away from Mieko.

For a second, Ari was blinded by the bright flare of light.  As his sight
returned, he stepped back in astonishment.  A blue aura now surrounded
Mendou. Ari's attack wasn't touching him.  Damn, Ari growled to himself,
he's a foci.  I'd better finish fast before E'ani shows up and starts
panicking.  He opened the channel wider, shaking slightly as the energy
passing through his body increased ten-fold.  Still Hiero stood, untouched
and unhurt.

He smirked.  "Nice try, lover boy.  Keep it up.  Just let it all out."  He
threw his head back and laughed as a startled Ari stopped his attack.
"Here, try this on for size," Mendou said with a grin.  Without further
warning a bright star formed between his hands and shot through the air
towards Ari.

Ari pivoted to one side, but the sphere changed course to follow his
movement, moving too fast for him to dodge again.  He screamed in agony as
a wave of blue fire engulfed him from head to toe.  The grass beneath his
feet began to smolder.  The air around him was so hot he couldn't breath.
Doubling over in agony, he finally managed to summon enough control to
teleport a short distance away, leaving the flames behind.  He crouched on
the ground, panting.  This wasn't working.

"I pity weaklings like you," Mendou sneered.  He paused dramatically,
throwing his arms wide flamboyantly.  "Ready to die?"  he asked as he
closed the distance between them rapidly.  Grabbing Ari by the hair, he
lifted him up until the smaller boy's feet dangled above the ground.
"Considering you tried so hard, I will be sure to make this hurt as much
as possible."  Ari screamed as a terrible pulling sensation began at the
top of his head.  He could feel all the blood in his body flowing upwards,
and his heart spasmed once and then stopped beating.  His energy was being
rapidly drained, and he couldn't stop it. He continued to scream as his
body began to age rapidly as his physical vitality was leeched out along
with the energy. His hair slowly turned white and a haze of dust created
by his dying skin surrounded him.

It was then that E'ani finally arrived in his head.  *Fool!  ENOUGH.* The
pain stopped, though the power continued to flow out.  *Foci, what have
you done?  I give you the freedom of being alone and this is the result.*
E'ani paused, and Ari could sense him probing the other foci.  *Ah.  The
Other is not fully awake in this one.  You would have died before I got
here if He was.  This time I will be able to rescue you.  Perhaps not next
time.  Think about that, eh?*

Fighting to remain conscious, it was all Ari could do to respond.  *No!
This is my fight!  She's my friend, and I have to protect her!* His mind
weakened, and one last thought flickered through.  *This is my problem,
not yours.*

E'ani considered it briefly.  *In the interest of peaceful coexistence,
you may try one more time, foci, but only once more.*  Ari felt the
shadow's presence withdraw, but E'ani left him with one last gift, the
intense pain did not resume.  Free at least from it's crippling effects,
he could now concentrate well enough to redirect his remaining energy into
his legs.  He brought his knee up as hard as he could into Mendou's
crotch.  The older boy doubled over, clutching his privates with both
hands and letting go of Ari.

Ten years of practice took over as Ari's feet hit the ground.  Without
losing momentum or balance, he swiveled around on one foot bringing the
other up in a smooth arc to connect with Mendou's chin with tremendous
force.  Hiero flew backwards, slamming in to a tree trunk.  For a second
he remained standing, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he
collapsed to the ground.

Ari was almost doubled over as well, and gasping for air.  He finally
managed to speak. "You beat me up once before, Mendou.  You wouldn't
remember, of course, we were little kids at the time, but I do.  And I've
spent ten years preparing."  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his
body, scanning to find where it was damaged.  Everything hurt, all over,
there wasn't one part of him that didn't feel some sort of pain.  He
concentrated again, drawing energy from E'ani, recharging his own core.
With the slow patience required for healing, he carefully converted more
and more energy back through his bloodstream and into his body, reversing
the effects of Mendou's drain.  Hiero stirred and groaned, but there was
nothing Ari could do until he finished fixing himself.  Moving too soon
would leave him permanently damaged.  He grimaced as muscles spasmed and
flesh stretched, writhing under his skin.

Finally, he was done.  Straightening up, he saw Hiero had returned to his
feet, weaving a little, still in shock from smacking into the tree.  Hiero
tripped on a root and collapsed to the ground, still desperately trying to
shake off the shock that fogged his brain.  He braced against the
tree and levered himself upright, his back against the trunk.

He tried to move sideways as Ari began to stalk towards him, but
unfortunately he forgot about the tree root and almost fell again as he
stumbled over it.  Ari lashed out with a kick to the side, knocking Hiero
away from the tree.  He staggered sideways a few steps, then turned to
face Ari once again.  He smirked confidently as he deflected Ari's next
attack, his equilibrium and balance finally returning to normal.

"You're still alive, eh?" Hiero mused, staring intently at Ari.  "Let's
make an end of it, then."  A tight beam of blue energy lanced out from his
hands, impaling Ari through the chest.  Ari staggered back a step, then
pushed back with his own protective aura, deflecting the beam into the
ground.  The gaping hole in his chest slowly closed as his body
regenerated from the damage done it.  Hiero blanched slightly.  It had
begun to dawn on him that Ari's powers might far exceeded his, and he
glanced around frantically for a way to escape.

A scream ripped from Ari's throat as he launched himself again at his
hated opponent.  Just enough warning for Hiero, who brought his arms up to
protect himself, generating an intense blue field between them.  Ari
slammed into the hastily raised shield and bounced back in a shower of
sparks.  He smashed at Hiero with a backhand slash.  Energy crackled off
Hiero's shield.  It was no longer strong enough to withstand the
combination of physical blows and psychic energy attacks, and Ari's
onslaught began to get through, resulting in a series of bloody slashes
and burn marks down Hiero's raised arms. Screaming in rage, Ari twisted
through a reverse kick, smashing Hiero further away from where Mieko had
collapsed at the base of the wall.

She was clutching her ripped shirt together, and she shivered repeatedly.
Ari stopped as her eyes caught his.  For a brief second time stopped as
her eyes drew him into their depths and a darkness engulfed his soul.  He
took a deep breath of air, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs.  A blast
of energy from Hiero knocked him down and brought him back to his senses.
He glared at Hiero, and with a scream he hurled himself back into battle.

Repeatedly, now, Ari lashed out, driving Hiero back, more scratches and
burns appearing with every strike.  Hatred burned within his heart, and
though each blow brought some measure of release, there was little
satisfaction in the pain inflicted.  Finally, he had had enough, and he
pulled his fist back for one last, final blow.

"Ter'animus, save me!" Hiero screamed as Ari's fist smashed through his
weakened shield.  Time slowed as the fist moved with agonizing slowness
towards his head.  No, it can't end this way, he whimpered in his mind as
he fought to bring an arm ever so slowly up to block a blow he knew would
kill him if it got through.

For a split second Hiero was still there, then with a slight pop of
imploding air he vanished.  Ari's fist slammed into the ground with a
massive discharge of energy, leaving a small crater and a large area of
burned grass.

**********

There was a sudden silence.  Midori ran as fast as she could.  She had
heard the screams and blows and cries of agony.  She berated herself for
telling Ari, she should have known better.  Almost at the corner, she
paused, and then started in terror as a howl of rage ripped through the
air.  "nnnNNNOOOOOO!!!  Come back, you coward! You're not supposed to get
away, you're suppose to die!  uuUAAHHHHH!"

Peeking around the corner, she could see Ari, surrounded by a glowing red
aura, raging at an empty burnt spot on the ground.  Glancing past him, she
spotted Mieko struggling to rise from where she had been sitting against
the wall.  Her shirt had been ripped down the front and her bra twisted to
one side.  One hand was cupped gently over an exposed breast while the
other pushed against the wall.  It was her eyes that bothered Midori the
most.  There was something wild about them, something that gave Midori a
funny feeling inside . . .

**********

He felt the presence of another foci nearby.  Turning to face the new
danger, he screamed in rage at the sight of an enemy standing by the
corner of the building.  He shook his head as something began to itch at
the back of his brain.  He would destroy them all!  His uneasiness did not
go away, though, and a sudden sharp stabbing pain brought reason flooding
back into his mind.  With one last growl, he let the battle rage die out.
It was only Midori, staring at him in shock.

There was something he was forgetting, a thought floating just out of
reach in the back of his mind, but he couldn't remember what it was.  A
cool hand slipped under his shirt and pressed against his back.  He went
rigid as his senses were suddenly overwhelmed and burning.  He was
consumed by a feeling so strong it temporarily blinded him as he tried to
arc away from that hand.  Breaking free, he twisted about to face this new
attack.

He stared in shock at the girl standing there.  He glanced down, and then
back up again quickly, blushing.  "Mie. . . Mieko!  Are you ok?" he
stammered, carefully looking straight down at his feet, nervously backing
away and rubbing at his arm.  When he finally looked back up, her eyes
caught his.  The fierce passion in them held him frozen in place, like a
rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.

His mouth was suddenly very dry, and he swallowed convulsively.  Her lips
parted ever so slightly, and he could hear her breathing, small gasps that
left him dizzy.  She smiled at him, finally, and raised her hands up in
supplication, eloquently and silently begging him to place his hands in
hers.  He closed his eyes and turned his head away, too tired to move.
Something was very wrong, and she was definitely not the Mieko he thought
he knew, but he couldn't figure it out.  He shuddered as raw desire burned
through his body and mind, leaving him completely shaken and unable to
control his most basic physical and mental reactions.

He took a half step forward, and she moved as well.  Her arms reached out
to embrace him, but with a wail of anguish he wrenched away from her,
turning around and almost falling, coordination gone as he tried to flee
but couldn't.  E'ani began to wail inside his head as the girl continued
to move closer. The only coherent thought Ari could make out was for Ari
to run, to keep the Other away.  The shadow's fear almost drove him mad,
radiating from their shared core in terrifying waves as E'ani struggled
with and against him to regain control of their mutual body.

He again tried to move away from her, but only managed a few steps before
the internal fire obliterated the last of the restraints he had thrown up
to stop it.  It wasn't just that feeling, the particular one every teenage
boy discovers when a pretty girl smiles and moves closer.  It was twisted
and different, more intense and disorientating, and so powerful that it
simply flowed over every barrier he threw in its way like a tidal wave.

Finally he stopped moving, desperately trying to clear his head enough to
think.  He lost control complete as arms embraced him from behind, and his
knees began to buckle as he felt her body pressing against his.  In his
mind E'ani was now screaming in sheer terror.  Ari's eyes snapped open and
he desperately gasped for air.

Her hands slipped under his shirt, moving across his body, seeking.  He
froze, unable to react.  She slowly moved around his body, opening his
shirt and running her hands across his bare skin.  It was too much, and
his muscles spasmed once then again froze in place.  There was only a
blank spot in his mind where E'ani had been.

Pushing his shirt down to bare one shoulder, she tugged at him,
insistently, pulling him down to her level.  Her small hand touched his
throat, then slid down his body to rest against his side.  She stretched
up to press her lips against his, and then proceeded to place a series of
small kisses down his neck.  Her lips whispered across his skin till she
reached the hollow where neck and shoulder met.

A sharp pain lanced through his chest as her teeth pierced his skin.  His
eyes glazed over as the intense feeling shifted from pain to pleasure. The
pressure on his mind mounted, leaving him precariously balanced between
consciousness and the darkness of oblivion.  She began to hum, her lips
vibrating gently against his skin.  His head fell back as ecstasy
overwhelmed him.

A coldness began to seep into his bones, and the deep power of his
recharged core flowed out of him and into that delicate little mouth
pressed against his skin.  The fire within continued to burn unabated as
the girl's body moved against his.  The touch made his heart beat faster
and his blood surge, pulsing out of his body rapidly. Some small
instinctive part of his soul continued to draw on E'ani's power, replacing
blood and energy as fast as possible, desperately trying to keep him
alive.

After a time had passed and his body continued to weaken, he found he was
finally able to think clearly and move a little.  Weakly lifting one hand,
he gently placed it on her shoulder, shaking her ever so slightly to get
her attention.  "Please . .  . stop, Mieko.  I don't think I can give you
anymore. Please!" he whispered, drawing breath raggedly to keep from
passing out.  She gave a little sigh, and with a lick of her tongue and a
sweet kiss of her mouth let go of his shoulder.  His arms reflexively
caught her as she collapsed against him.

"Why, Mieko?" he wondered aloud, "What are you?"  There was no response.
Looking down, he found she was fast asleep in his arms.  He felt Midori's
eyes on them, then, and turned toward her, beseechingly looking for help.

**********

In the present, Miyu shuddered slightly, delicately licking her lips.  She
could still remember, watching, also trembling as the other fed.  And now,
she tried to separate the two of them, to find out who and what they were,
the ones hiding within the two young bodies.  Miyu had used all her skill
and power to hide Ari from Mieko, but somehow the girl was still able to
find him.  She had entered the park and headed straight across it towards
the spot where Ari and Jenny stood talking.

Larva observed from the shadows behind her in the tree.  He shifted
abruptly, as if bothered by some small insect.  He gave a small sigh and
then touched his cheek briefly before faded away, vanishing into the
shadow of a tree limb, leaving Miyu to her own devices for a time.

**********

Mieko stumbled as she stepped on yet another rock.  There had been no time
at all, not even to put on shoes.  So far she had been lucky, since her
pajamas looked enough like one of the newer fads that people paid no
attention and no one appeared to have noticed that she was wearing house
slippers.

But these weren't thick enough to protect her feet from the rough ground,
and Tel's need now dragged her through a park.  She cried out a little as
she stepped on a broken branch and then almost tripped as part of it
snagged her pajama leg.  Where was Ari?  Couldn't he hear Her calling him?
She slipped on some wet grass and sat down abruptly.  Sobbing now,
bruised, cold and scared, she panicked.  Struggling to regain her
feet, she began to run forward blindly.

A wall loomed ahead, blocking her path.  She took a step towards it and
something pushed back, stopping her.  She started to move to one side, but
Tel stopped her.  *I can feel him now!  He's straight ahead!* Tel's power
flared briefly and Mieko could sense the barrier weakening, finally
allowing her push through.  Now she too could feel him, a warm,
intoxicating presence, like gentle sunshine.  Tel was frantic, the small
energy use having drained her available power.  *Climb over, I need him
right now!* she demanded.

The wall was too high, and there was nothing she could use to climb over
it.  *I can't.  You find a way over, Tel.  And he's talking to someone on
the other side, I can hear them.*  She was too tired to make out what was
being said, and the wall damped out most of it, anyway.

*Call him!  I can't reach his mind, something is still blocking me.* With
a sad weariness, she called his name.  "Ozawa-san?"  There was a sudden
silence from the other side.

She pressed her face and hands against the cool bricks of the wall.  A
wave of nausea clenched her stomach, and she retched silently.  When it
finally stopped, she called his name again.  "Ari-kun."  Her voice dropped
to a whisper, muffled againt the wall.  "I'm sorry . . . please!"

**********

He stopped moving at her voice.  No!  He hadn't had a chance to tell Jenny
everything he wanted to tell her.  He glanced back at Jenny with a growing
dread.  There was a determined look on her face.  Oh, no, she wouldn't,
she couldn't, he told himself.

"Where is she?" Jenny asked.  He shrugged wearily and pointed at the wall.
"I imagine she came looking for me again.  Somehow she always knows where
I am."  Using E'ani's power, he reached out and gently lifted Mieko up and
over the wall, carefully lowering her to the ground next to him.

"Ari-kun, I'm sorry.  She's hungry.  Please, Ari!"  Mieko looked at him
with those large, pleading eyes, standing there in her pajamas.  He could
see that she was trembling slightly, but she came no closer.  She had
sworn to never let Her touch him if he refused, but he couldn't.  He had
seen how Tel punished Mieko for that declaration, and the subtle
demonstration of Her ability to inflict pain on his childhood friend was
not wasted on him.

He sighed and began to unbutton his shirt.  "Hisada-san, would you please
leave?  I would rather you didn't see this."  He took his jacket and shirt
off.  "It's not her fault, she hates it more than I do.  Come here, Mieko,
let's take care of Her Highness."  Mieko continued to stare into his eyes
for a moment longer, looking for what he knew not, then with a little cry
she flew into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Ari.  She . . . she . . ."  For a brief second longer she was
still his Mieko, and then the other was there.  "Hello, lover," she
purred.  Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down.  Glancing
over his shoulder, he saw Jenny hadn't left yet.  "Please leave,
Hisada-san,"  he pleaded.  He could feel Mieko's lips on his skin, slowly
moving back and forth, a little touch of tongue here and there, tasting.
He shuddered as she moved against him, and then he closed his eyes as he
felt the slight suction as she found her favorite spot.

"What's wrong with her?" Jenny whispered.  His eyes snapped open in shock.
She hadn't left.  She had moved closer, trying to see what Mieko was
doing.  He almost laughed.  Of course, he asked her to leave, so she
remained and asked questions.  "I don't know.  Well, I'm not completely
sure.  I have . . ." and he winced as Mieko finally bit, " . . . my
suspicions.  She's not alone, there's something else there, but whatever
it is, it's hunger is making her do this."

He closed his eyes again, and the pain increased and increased until it
became a pure brightness in his mind, so intense he felt disconnected from
the rest of himself.  Mieko was now floating a few inches above the
ground, and she was humming to herself, the same strange tune she hummed
every time.  Her hands pressed against his chest, and her eyes sparkled
languidly, half closed with pleasure.

If he ever found a way to kill it without hurting her, he would.  He could
feel the tug of that little mouth on his shoulder all the way down to the
core of his being.  Pain and pleasure washed over his soul.  Weariness
slowly began to replace them as he felt the energy and vitality flowing
out of him, slowly draining him dry.  But never quite all the way.
Somehow he always managed to regenerate himself just enough, using E'ani's
enormous pool of energy to bring himself back from the edge.

**********

Miyu leaned back against the tree above, her eyes closed.  Her body is
shivering continuously.  It's been too long since she last fed.  Her mouth
opens slightly, her small fangs bared.  Something warm presses against her
lips and she bites instinctively, greedily sucking blood from the wrist
pressed against her mouth.  When her eyes open she almost chokes as she
realizes who she is drinking from.  Her head turns slightly, and her eyes
lock with his, hidden behind his mask.  She remembers the first time she
met him, and the first time he let her do this to him.  Convulsively she
swallows and then begins to drink again, shuddering as her need overwhelms
her. There is only pain on her face, though, and her eyes are cold with
anger at his presumption.  Though she feeds eagerly, her whole body speaks
of her disdain for his offering.

Inside the mask, hidden from everyone, the one called Larvae shudders.
For him it is no sacrifice to thus provide for her.  A part of him longs
for the day when their dark task is finally done, returning the last of
the lost ones to the waiting darkness.  Then and only then would he be
freed, just as she would be.  Then and only then would he be able put his
arms around her, pulling her to him to gently kiss those tender lips, no
mask to separate them.  He would tell her all he wanted so desperately now
to tell her, and then he would lose himself once and for all in the depths
of her eyes.  Tears flow behind his mask as he watches her feed.  Someday
I will make you whole, he promises silently, but for now I will cry for
both of us, since you cannot.

**********

Grey shapes float high above the scene, gently probing those gathered
below.  They are those sent to watch, but now they shimmer and disappear
with a ripple of their powerful flukes.  Time begins to blur by them,
flowing backwards past their sleek forms and the veils of the past part
before them as they find the one they seek . . .

The sky blazes with fire as a piece of the sun falls from the sky.  A man
peers up through the trees.  On a sudden, unknown impulse, he stands and
begins to run in the direction it will land.  He travels for more than an
hour, till he can smell burning grass and the trees begin to thin,
revealing a huge plain ahead.

Pausing at the edge, hiding behind some bushes, he peers out in curiosity
at the bright, shiny rock that rests in a large blackened area of ground.
A sudden whining noise makes him duck, and he wants to run, but he can no
longer control his body.  His body stands up and his head turns to look
directly at the strange object.  A hole slowly begins to open in one side
. . .

Something inside of him screams in anger as people-like shapes begin to
emerge from the shiny rock.  He tries to turn, to run, to hide, but that
Something inside makes him walk toward them.  His hands tingle.  He can
just barely see them out of the corners of his eyes.  The man's mind
writhes in horror as he sees fire engulfing his hands. His arms raise up
and now his hands point straight at the large, shiny rock.  With a
shrieking roar, the fire on his hands flares out towards the rock and
there is a large explosion.  A chunk of the rock flies off and it tilts to
one side.  One of the figures standing outside raises its hand and . . .

The watchers flee forward through time.  Sleek bodies playfully bump
against one another as blunt noses pierce through time, returning them to
the present.  An Old One had told them to go, to find one more piece of
the puzzle.  There was nothing more to learn there, though, and they surge
forward through time to return to their beloved cradle, the sea.  Every
little stray bit of memory added, slowly but surely, to the total the
Ancient was piecing together as his children gathered the parts of the
mystery, bit by bit . . .

End Chapter 3

C&C much appreciated.  Fight scenes are hard!  I can see what I want in my
head, but the description in words - never adequate, always too verbose or
to simple.  Grrrrr.  Oh, author's note - Ari is a cripple since birth, so
how the heck does he spend the last 10 years training in martial arts?
All those powers he was born with (oops, I don't think I've mentioned
those in the story yet, have I?  A-ha-ha-ha, well, I'll leave it, I think
he gets around to explaining it partially in about two chapters, or maybe
the next) allow him to move his body, but he can only manage this for
about an hour a day (more and he burns himself out and gets to spend some
serious time in a coma recuperating).  Fortunately, this allowed him to
train himself physically, building some muscle tone but more importantly
allowing him to ingrain the moves mentally.  This is why he really, really
likes having E'ani around, no matter how much it complicates his life - he
now has enough power to draw on to move his body all the time.

Salute!

Charles K. Hurst - ImageNation Corp. Wage Slave/Employee - RPI graduate-MechE
Chocolate and Anime Forever!  1 year, 2 months a fan and counting.
MI = eps. 96  MB = eps. 76 - 0/0 episodes each to utter boredom or Fushigi!
FY = eps. 24  Escaflowne = eps. 13 - ?/? to my next bout of depression. ^ ^