.01. - Reiya



The clouds had obscured the moonlight, leaving the city beneath shrouded 
with inky darkness. The buildings formed a jungle that reached high up 
towards the skyline, an amalgam of concrete and metal. It was already quite 
late into the night; the streets were devoid of people, the occasional 
piercing yowl of a cat being the only sign of life. Lights curved above the 
deserted sidewalk, casting pale yellow circles through the enveloping 
blackness.

A faint shuffling marked the arrival of a lonely couple, their faces weary 
as they trudged steadily down the sidewalk and towards the comforting 
bright lights of a hotel up ahead. It was perhaps a mile or so away, but to 
them it seemed to be far more. He was supporting her with one arm, their 
breaths coming raggedly from their chests, sending plumes of frost 
spiralling in the air. They had been walking for hours: an unfortunate 
side-effect of a badly-timed car problem. Just a little more, and they 
would be able to rest for the night.

She nearly fell, her ankle finally giving way as her foot tripped over a 
loose soda can. He reached out to support her, his arms strong and sure. 
With one hand, he tilted her face up so that their eyes met.

"We're almost there," he said reassuringly. "Hang on."

But she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes shifted to focus behind them, as 
she raised her hand to point over his shoulder. The man blinked in mild 
confusion before turning around to see what she was pointing at, and as he 
did the shadow of something very large and fast swooped just out of his 
peripheral vision. The rush of its passing raised goosebumps on his neck; 
it was cold, very cold, and as he scrambled back to his feet, he realized 
that it was right behind him.

He turned around and came face-to-face with a shadow that seemed borne out 
of the depths of Hell itself, a lumbering shape that was blurred and 
indistinct, outlined in blackness even darker than the surrounding night. 
Its pupiless eyes shone a piercing deep red that seemed to look directly 
into his soul, and in that moment, he realized that he was too frightened 
to move.

The thing raised a dark paw, its intent perfectly clear to them. The woman 
screamed; he struggled desperately and managed to tackle her out of the way 
just before the monster's limb struck into the concrete pavement. The 
sidewalk all but exploded under the force, flying apart in a cloud of dust 
and debris. The man struggled to his feet, reaching for the Swiss-army 
knife in his pocket - better than nothing, though he doubted it would do 
much - only to be lifted bodily off the ground as the creature slid forward 
with incongruous grace, burying its fist in his stomach.

He gasped and coughed, twitching once before dropping back down to the 
ground, writhing in pain and clutching at his middle. The woman screamed 
again, raising her arms in futility to ward off the impending blow... a 
blow that never came. A strange, sharp sound resounded through the air, 
followed by the dulled impact of the monster's limb hitting the dusty 
pavement. She lowered her arms and saw the creature roaring in pain, its 
massive arm severed cleanly at the shoulder. Blood was oozing from the 
stump, pooling darkly beneath the light overhead.

The thing barely had time to turn around before a second blow came shining 
through the darkness, a silver burst of light slashing through its other 
arm with ease. It screamed this time, the pain blinding its sensibilities - 
and simply decided to charge forward in a mad attempt to lash out at its 
invisible attacker. The woman shrieked once more as the creature, spurting 
ichor from its armless body, rapidly closed the distance between them. She 
scrambled backwards in a desperate attempt at escape -

- and suddenly there was someone in front of her. Someone who looked human, 
her skirt flapping in the ensuing breeze the speed of her approach had 
caused. She remained in place for what seemed like an eternity before 
taking one step back, pushing at the monster with her open hand in a 
simple, quiet shove. The creature staggered back and toppled over onto the 
sidewalk, a gaping, glowing hole in its chest. It struck the ground 
heavily, and did not move.

The woman tried to form words, to articulate her utter disbelief at what 
had just happened. It didn't work. She tried once more, and that was when 
the figure turned around to face her. It was a young girl, her features 
delicate but sharp, dressed in a blue long-sleeved jacket and a 
neatly-pressed skirt. Every detail of her appearance burned itself into the 
woman's mind as she took in the sight. White socks, plain black sneakers. A 
bracelet around her right wrist, with an arrowhead-shaped crest pointing 
away from her thumb. It wasn't until her third time looking that she 
noticed the girl was holding a slender sword in that same hand, the blade 
seemingly shining brightly with its own light.

She smiled and reached out with her free hand, offering to help the woman 
up. "Are you all right?" she said, her expression wholly calm. "Your friend 
took a bad hit earlier, but he'll be fine."

"I..." the woman stuttered, eyeing the sword nervously and wondering 
exactly what was going on here. No answers came immediately to mind. "Um..."

"Hm?" the girl said, her hand still stretched outwards expectantly.

The woman tried to articulate the rush of thoughts in her head and managed 
to come up with only one question. "Who... who are you?"

"Ah," the girl said, smiling once more. "That's not important... but if you 
must know, my name is Reiya."

__________

Angelblade

by Jeffrey Yang

08.22.02 to 09.21.02

__________


Her name was Reiya indeed: Reiya Eice, one of many unremarkable employees 
at the local Book-Zilla chain store in the city of Hoshimi. She was 
seventeen, a young soul who had chosen not to walk the same path as her 
friends. At a younger age, Reiya's parents had passed away in an automotive 
accident, leaving her on her own in the world. There had been no tears or 
fits of depression. Instead, she simply went home from the local high 
school one day and did not come back for a long time; even her friends lost 
track of where she went off to... until they met again at the store just a 
few miles away from the very border of the city.

She had been wearing an apron/uniform at the time with the Book-Zilla logo 
emblazoned in white across the breast, the fabric a deep blue and her own 
shirt a similarly-shaded tone beneath to match. It was what she was wearing 
now, as she strode easily across the parking lot with her bike in tow. One 
of the benefits of not having to worry about school was the peace of mind 
it brought about. One of the drawbacks was not being able to really afford 
anything she would have wanted a few years ago... a large house, countless 
dresses, and her own shiny car. On the other hand, it did provide her with 
ample opportunities to exercise and was far more affordable (and less 
troublesome) than a car.

Reiya chained the bike to the rack placed neatly in front of the store 
before pushing the door open, stepping inside against a cool rush of air. 
It was only a few minutes past two, and as such, the store was mostly 
empty. Her co-worker glanced up from his magazine and smiled, waving 
briefly before turning his attention back to his article. She smiled 
faintly in return - making sure to keep the exchange mute - and silently 
made her way behind the counter to get everything ready for her shift as 
she pored over the events of last night in her mind.

The couple had been fortunate, in that she had decided to take a walk for 
no particular reason last night. Well, that wasn't entirely true - ever 
since she had discovered her Guardian, she had been having premonitions. 
They were usually brief, chilling moments when her heart throbbed with a 
sensation of dread that left her shivering for minutes afterwards; there 
had been one right before she went to bed, and as such Reiya had decided to 
take a look around the neighborhood to make sure everything was all right.

She took a stack of magazines from the back room - ones that her co-worker 
was supposed to have put out on display - and meandered over to the 
shelves, not bothering to mention it to him as she passed. The couple had 
looked so terrified as she stood over them, her Guardian in hand... perhaps 
they hadn't realized that she had saved their lives. The shock of seeing 
one of the demons, which seemed to be frequenting the streets with 
increasing boldness, was probably too much for them. To her, it was just a 
demon. The manifestation of her Guardian had been an obvious sign for her 
to protect those weaker than herself, and that was exactly what she had 
chosen to do.

Reiya began to lay out each of the magazines carefully, making sure they 
were sitting correctly on the shelves before moving on to the next section. 
The job she had wasn't the most thrilling, but it was necessary. Her other 
job was far less mundane, one she didn't let anyone but her closest friends 
- those with Guardians as well - know about. For the time being, it would 
have to do.

The bells on the door chimed softly as it swung open. She glanced up from 
her work, expecting to see a few kids who had left classes early to pick up 
the latest issue of whatever comic or magazine had their interest at the 
time... and was mildly surprised when she saw two of her friends standing 
in the doorway, peeking around curiously. There was a young girl and a 
slightly older boy. The girl's features were pleasingly smooth, her eyes 
and hair brown; the latter was clipped short in the back, with a braid on 
each side of her face. The boy - or rather, the young man - standing 
besides her was looking a bit apprehensive. He immediately stepped past the 
young girl (who was poking with the gift certificates on the counter) and 
made his way towards Reiya, his expression growing more concerned as he 
approached.

"Are you all right?" he said, glancing furtively over at the co-worker, who 
was thankfully gathering his belongings so he could go home. Reiya just 
looked slightly bemused at all the sudden attention, not responding right 
away. She took her time in setting the remainder of the magazines on a 
table closeby, almost humming as she did so.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she finally said, pulling out the seat for him after 
she had finished. "What's Minaki doing here?"

Toji followed Reiya's glance as she looked past his shoulder towards the 
young girl, who was still toying around with the certificates on the 
counter. "She was worried too," he said quietly. "We heard about what 
happened."

"See you tomorrow, Dave!" Reiya called out as the co-worker headed on out 
the door, leaving the three of them alone inside. With him gone, Reiya's 
expression and tone both became firm. "I can handle myself, Toji. You don't 
have to worry about me losing my head out there."

"That's not really the problem." Toji kept his eye on Minaki as she made 
her way from the certificates over to the giftcards, noting her wide-eyed 
exuberance as she riffled through the variety. "You aren't supposed to go 
out by yourself, Reiya. You know that."

Reiya nodded absently and moved to resume her arranging, gesturing for Toji 
to stay seated as he began to rise up from his chair. "I know. If you want, 
I'll apologize to you, even though it's not going to change anything. I 
came out of it alive, and the demon didn't... it's as simple as that."

"And what if you hadn't?" His eyes strayed towards the bracelet she wore 
constantly, upon the arrowhead pointing away from her hand.

"Then I would've went knowing that I died doing something I was destined to 
do."

Toji shook his head in disbelief as he shifted his gaze away to focus upon 
her back. "Reiya, please... don't shut me out right now," he pleaded. "You 
felt it again, didn't you? There wouldn't have been any other reason for 
you to go otherwise."

His words caused her to pause in her steps, one hand poised to place an 
issue of Gamers Watch on the shelf. Silence filled the space in between, 
interrupted only by Minaki's footsteps as she began to move into the aisles 
of books placed in the middle of the store. Reiya turned to look at him, 
her expression still cautious and reserved. "I did."

"Why didn't you at least try to contact us?" Toji persisted. "We would've 
been able to help - "

"It wasn't difficult at all."

"Even so..."

Reiya smiled abruptly, a genuinely warm and friendly smile. "What does 
Minaki think? Minaki, are you there?"

"Here!" The voice came from somewhere in the midst of the bookshelves, 
sweet and soft.

"Minaki, tell her what you told me," Toji said, sounding vaguely 
exasperated now. "She isn't listening to me at all."

Minaki came bounding out, carrying a few issues of Heart Heart Delight, her 
latest textual infatuation. "Oh, you mean Reiya?" she said. "She's not 
listening because she's right."

Toji blanched. "What?!"

"See?" Reiya said, trying her hardest to not look satisfied. "Minaki knows 
what's going on. But seriously, Toji, if there had been a problem I would 
have called for you. I never planned to go out there on my own, you know... 
it just sort of... happened."

He didn't look satisfied with that answer. "Look. Reiya. I can't help it if 
I worry, all right?" He frowned, then ran a hand through his hair trying to 
come up with the proper way to word what he wanted to say without sounding 
too forward. "It's been over a year already... for us, anyways. I know it's 
been longer for you, but the least you can do is to give us a chance."

Reiya nodded. "Thanks... I appreciate it." She finished arranging the 
magazines and headed back towards the counter to grab the rest of the 
month's stock. "I'm going out tonight for a routine check. You two can come 
along if you want. If you're not busy, that is... um, I don't mean to sound 
snobby about it."

Toji shrugged, watching Minaki go up to the counter with the latest issues 
of Heart Heart Delight in her hands, her purse already opened. "I have a 
test tomorrow... you know how it goes. Minaki should be fine, though."

"I'll be fine," Minaki said, nodding as she pushed the magazines towards 
Reiya. "Could you give me a discount? Please?"

Reiya smiled and shook her head no. "Sorry... college students with valid 
IDs and senior citizens only. Maybe when you're older..."

"Aww."

"All right. Well, I guess I'm going then," Toji said, finally standing up 
from the table, his fingers dropping a little piece of paper he had been 
unconsciously folding all along. A few more seconds and it would have been 
a tiny paper crane. He picked up his backpack and headed for the door, 
turning around and leaning against it as he watched the transaction. "I'll 
see about dropping by later this week... we'll be around at the usual place 
after school as well. Try to be there, all right?"

She nodded idly from behind the cash register. "I'll try."

"Try harder?"

A wry smirk crossed her lips. "If you insist."

_____


Her shift ended sometime between nine and ten, during that time when the 
store was technically closed but not actually closed just yet. Business had 
been surprisingly good that day considering it was the middle of the week, 
and Reiya had found herself a bit pressed to manage the entire store by 
herself. Despite its status as a state-wide franchise, the Hoshimi 
Book-Zilla district manager was often out and about doing other things, 
delegating such minor tasks as running the store to its employees. 
Currently, there were exactly four people working at the Hoshimi branch: 
Reiya, her co-worker, and two other college students who came in during odd 
hours once in a while. She found herself doing much of the inventory and 
actual bookkeeping most of the time, not to mention a lot of the managing 
as well.

Not that she minded. There was a certain tranquility about the bookstore, 
one in which she took comfort in from her other life. She didn't think of 
it as hiding from destiny; the plain fact of the matter was that one had to 
remain practical about matters. If she couldn't provide for herself, there 
was no way she could be expected to provide for others. *That* would have 
been avoiding her fate, by neglecting herself - in the end, she wouldn't be 
able to take care of anyone. Her success hinged on her own well being, and 
that was something Reiya was painfully aware of, something she strived to 
maintain on a daily basis.

She unlocked her bicycle from the rack, the metallic clinks silencing the 
crickets that were singing in the bushes. The parking lot was already 
mostly empty save for a couple of part-timers left over from the fast-food 
joint on the far side of the plaza. A line of cars stopped at the traffic 
light, engines humming as they waited for the signal. Reiya swung her leg 
over the bike seat and made herself comfortable. One firm kick sent the 
bike speeding down the concrete walkways lining the plaza. She took a 
detour down a back road, gradually increasing in speed, her black hair 
trailing in the breeze.

The shift tonight was to be with Minaki, as arranged earlier. Toji was 
still in the midst of his week of examinations for school - he and Minaki 
went to the same school but were in different classes - and he was even 
more uptight about maintaining his standards of reality than Reiya was. The 
emergence of the Guardians had taken all of them by surprise, but they had 
taken it in stride, growing accustomed to the burden that destiny placed on 
their shoulders. The three of them differed in degrees: Minaki being the 
most accepting of her power, embracing it happily and willingly; Toji being 
the most doubtful, uncertain of what had been granted to him. Reiya lay 
somewhere in the middle, her convinction strong but her grasp of 
practicality unwavering.

Her legs pumped steadily as she directed her bike down the darkened 
streets, the lights overhead stopping short as she proceeded further into 
the residential areas. For some reason the city officials had opted to 
leave this part of town in the dark, perhaps from lack of funding. As a 
result, she had only the light of the moon to guide her towards Minaki's 
house, which was located somewhere in the maze of turns and cul-de-sacs she 
was maneuvering through. Reiya never understood why Minaki's parents chose 
to live in this part of town... the serenity during day and the 
overwhelming darkness of night seemed a perfect contrast to everything the 
girl stood for.

Their first meeting had been when Reiya first discovered her Guardian 
abilities, when she still thought that she could make something of herself 
in school. The Guardian had terrified her. It wasn't natural at all, and 
Reiya had found herself hunched over the sink in the girls' bathroom, 
staring at her glowing hand with wide eyes.

She could pull a sword from her hand... from somewhere within her arm. What 
was going on? It wasn't right... it wasn't right at all! Reiya clenched her 
fist, the warm light leaking between her curled fingers. Was this a sign of 
some sort?

"Miss Eice?"

That voice, sweet and tinged with uncertainty. Reiya glanced up from the 
sink expecting to see a bewildered student staring at her... but found only 
Minaki, her eyes warm and shimmering with strange hope. Hope? Yes, it was 
hope... Reiya didn't understand why, but she was certain of what she saw. 
She relaxed her fist and let her arm drop numbly to her side, laughing 
softly, the sound echoing bleakly. "Hello, Miss Harado. What a strange 
coincidence."

Minaki blinked in confusion, making a soft questioning noise before 
stepping further inside. "You should call me Minaki. Everyone else does. 
What were you doing, Miss Eice?"

"... nothing," Reiya muttered, her hand clenching once more. This time, no 
light came forth. It never appeared when she needed it, only when it was 
the most inconvenient for her.

"Your hand was glowing."

Reiya hissed and lifted her hand upwards defensively, clutching at it to 
obscure it from Minaki's sight (although Minaki looked more confused than 
anything else). "It's all right, Miss Eice," she said, reaching for Reiya's 
hand as she tried to move closer. Reiya immediately backed away quickly, 
not letting her. "I saw it but I won't tell anyone. It's a secret between 
us, all right?"

"Whatever..." This was definitely odd. She had heard stories about Minaki, 
and in the end it turned out that the accounts - which had sounded 
exaggerated at the least - were not too far from the mark. Minaki was 
supposedly a shy and extremely childish girl, traits that stemmed from her 
sheltered upbringing before she transferred to Hoshimi Academy. Reiya 
furrowed her brows, puzzled by the response. A secret? This was not a 
game... it was something that should not be...

"I'll tell you a secret too so we can be even," Minaki continued, smiling 
brightly all of a sudden as she raised her curled fist, her pinky finger 
extended. Reiya looked briefly around, wondering why she was still in the 
bathroom of all places; she had a class to get back to, and her teacher was 
probably on the verge of tromping out of the classroom to find out where 
she had gone off to. Best to get this over with quickly.

She extended her own pinky and hooked it around Minaki's, sealing the 
promise as solemnly as a child would have... a pinky promise was a pact not 
to be broken by time or distance. She seemed pleased by that, and quickly 
hopped back to leave a bit of space between the two of them. As Reiya 
looked on silently, Minaki lifted her hand up and to the side, splaying her 
fingers outwards, closing her eyes in concentration. Bright light suddenly 
coalesced in front of the girl, reflecting pools of white onto the tiled 
ground. Something began to form from the orb of energy spinning in the air, 
taking shape by shades and degrees as it traced the outline of a vaguely 
humanoid figure. A faint gust of wind sparked by the gathering of energy 
swirled about, Reiya's skirt rippling slightly.

The light and power formed into a woman, standing taller than Minaki 
herself - a being of color, bearing proud wings whose feathers were a rich 
purple. Her hair was a fiery red, flowing down her back wildly. She wore a 
set of white bracers and greaves, each fringed with gold with a sapphire 
gem set perfectly in the middle. Her form was enclosed within a deep navy 
blue bodysuit, her upper half covered with a white breastplate that bore 
sapphire upon the shoulderplates. She was majestic and radiant, the 
aspiration of a young girl's dreams. Perhaps it was what Minaki wanted to 
see herself as, or perhaps she was a messenger from God. Either way, Reiya 
found herself speechless for the space of a few moments, her mind unable to 
comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

Minaki smiled happily and hugged the woman from behind, wrapping her arms 
around her waist. "This is my friend. I named her Kalciane... and she's my 
secret." She peeked around Kalciane's right wing, looking at Reiya quite 
seriously. "You promised to keep the secret... so you will, right?"

"Um... I guess so," Reiya mumbled, her eyes still wide. Was this power of 
hers the same as what she could do? Why wasn't she the only one? The 
questions began to pile on top of themselves, and Reiya found herself 
unable to think any more - she fainted, sliding against Kalciane and onto 
the tiled floor.

That had been their first meeting, and Reiya had kept their secret well. 
Later on, they came to understand that there were many others, more than 
they had originally anticipated or thought to exist... Guardians who 
granted powers and Hosts who supported them. There were those like Minaki, 
who saw themselves as defenders of all that was good and proper. There were 
those like Reiya, who struggled with the abrupt power given to them, not 
knowing where they stood. There were those like Toji, who fought a losing 
battle against the reality of the matter: they were no longer simple human 
beings.

She cut across the deserted road on her bike, feeling the double jolt as 
she pedaled back onto the sidewalk. Minaki's home was just down the street, 
the only one that had the lights on at this time of night. Her neighborhood 
had recently been redeveloped and was now undergoing vigorous 
reconstruction, giving Reiya plenty of debris to avoid as she gradually 
made her way closer. Somehow - even amidst all the rubbish and materials 
strewn about the various house skeletons lining both sides of the street - 
Minaki's home remained a comfortable presence, nestled at the end all by 
itself. Reiya found herself smiling as she pulled up the driveway, her 
earlier doubts almost completely gone from her mind.

Setting the bike down on the asphalt, she approached the entrance and 
pressed the doorbell button briefly. The door opened almost instantly, the 
warm glow of muted lighting from the interior giving Minaki's face a near 
angelic appearance. For a moment, Reiya was reminded of Kalciane, whom she 
had seen in action many times already. Truly an angel both in battle and 
appearance, Reiya was not surprised that her Guardian had chosen to 
manifest itself in such a form. With Minaki's trusting, loving air, she had 
managed to surpass all of them in terms of pure ability; Kalciane herself 
was evidence of that, being far more evolved than Reiya's Setsuna or Toji's 
Liquis.

"Hi, Reiya!" Minaki said happily, pushing open the screen door and all but 
hopping out to greet her. "You're late. Was it busy tonight?"

Reiya smiled down at the girl, whose infectious demeanor never failed to 
cheer her up even in her darkest moments. "Yes, it was. Shall we go now?"

"Let's go. Mama and Papa said I couldn't be out too late, though... it's 
almost time for tests." Minaki peered anxiously upwards at Reiya, as if 
imploring her to wish all of the demons away for the night. Reiya simply 
looked back and ruffled Minaki's hair affectionately, stepping slowly away 
from the door. She could see Minaki's parents in the living room behind the 
screen door, waving and smiling at their daughter's guardian. It wasn't the 
first time she had been through this, yet it never failed to disturb her 
each time. Her parents knew of Minaki's Guardian and abilities. They looked 
to Reiya as a protector and mentor, entrusting their daughter's life in her 
hands.

*When did I deserve such a responsibility?* she wondered to herself, 
smiling slowly in return before turning around the little bend in the 
walkway to face the garage door. She pulled it upwards, hiking it open as 
the springs creaked laboriously, waiting as Minaki readied her own bike. 
*I'm in the same situation she's in.*

"Reiya? What are you thinking?" came Minaki's voice from the garage. She 
had always been able to sense when Reiya wasn't feeling herself ever since 
they came to know each other; it was something that hedged the line between 
luck and Guardian ability. Reiya was still not sure which it was, finding 
it to be both irritating and relieving at the same time. At least *someone* 
was able to tell. Toji still was not, but he was nowhere as far along as 
Minaki seemed to be, or as generally sensitive...

"Nothing important," Reiya answered, lifting her bike up as Minaki came out 
wearing a pink helmet, elbowpads, and kneepads over her normal schoolgirl 
outfit. "We should go now, before it gets too late."

"Okay." Minaki hopped onto the seat and was immediately off, making her way 
down another street that eventually opened out into a different part of 
town. "Tell me about your day, Reiya."

Reiya smiled again as she followed behind Minaki, the wind casting their 
words behind them. "Why so interested?"

"Because I want to know. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all," Reiya replied, mulling over what exactly had happened aside 
from the usual events of running a bookstore. "Let's see..."

_____


The two of them made their way out towards a part of the city that was 
still under development, the sidewalks littered with tattered posters 
requesting that the passerbys excuse the dust. Grimy tarp flapped lazily in 
a cool night breeze, managing to hide only the first floor of a skyscraper 
in construction that was surrounded by a chain link fence. Minaki and Reiya 
peered upwards briefly as the moon disappeared gradually behind a few 
clouds, leaving the site shrouded in blackness. They set their bikes onto 
the ground carefully before mincing their way up to the locked gates, 
peeking at the barbed wire atop the fence.

Reiya looked amused, if nothing else. "This is where it has to be," she 
said, pulling her right shirt sleeve up and crouching down to tighten the 
laces on her sneakers. "You feel the same, right?"

"Uh huh." Minaki smoothed out the front of her skirt and jumped up and 
forwards, clearing the fence easily to land on her feet on the other side. 
Reiya followed a moment later, and the two of them stretched their hands 
out to the side at the same time. Warm light infused the surrounding air, 
Minaki's Guardian taking shape first as Reiya's Guardian snaked slowly from 
her extended hand, the energy stemming from the bracelet on her wrist. 
Energy bled from their fingertips as each Guardian took shape, resolving 
into opaque solidity at the exact same moment; Kalciane brushed her hair 
aside, moving a few steps forward while Reiya eased Setsuna around against 
her forearm.

"Stay on the lookout," Reiya said instinctively, although the two of them 
knew already what they had to do. The demon's presence was especially 
strong in this area, their Guardian abilities sensing it clearly. Over the 
past year, there had been a surge in demon attacks, and they only had a few 
clues as to why they showed up and where they came from. The attacks bore 
little resemblance to each other aside from the fact that the demons almost 
always looked the same: towering brutes with greyish skin and red eyes, 
with a few slight variations upon that theme here and there. Most of the 
attacks were at night. They had tried to find some pattern to the attacks, 
but there was nothing they could discern just yet.

So they had settled on letting the enemy make the first move, biding their 
time by holding off the attacks as they - herself, Minaki, and Toji - 
continued to wait. Waiting for when the real enemy would show itself and 
make the first move, so that they could find the truth behind everything... 
even if it meant unlocking another world of mysteries. But for now -

It came from the left.

Minaki sensed it first, and Kalciane was gone in a blur of lavendar and 
blue. Reiya followed the Guardian angel quickly, leaping upwards onto the 
beams that supported the second story of the building, her footsteps light. 
She whirled around as something flashed by in the corner of her vision. It 
shifted back and forth until it had made its way higher; Kalciane spread 
her wings and gave chase, clenching her fists in anticipation. Reiya 
allowed herself to linger back for the moment. It was never a good idea to 
follow too close, especially in a situation like this.

"This one's different," Minaki murmured to herself as she drew close, 
keeping her gaze focused upwards towards the murky heights of the building. 
Periodic bursts of light were the only visible indication that the two were 
still up there, although Reiya knew that Minaki was undoubtedly focusing 
upon her Guardian's presence... keeping tabs upon the battle. She nodded 
and carefully made her way out towards the end of a protruding beam.

There was a wicked crunching sound from above. Reiya narrowly managed to 
move aside just as Kalciane came tumbling out from nowhere, barely stopping 
her fall with one hand grasping powerfully onto the girder. The metal 
shrieked and curved beneath her grip. Reiya peered downwards - they were at 
least six stories above ground now - before leaping upwards to meet the 
demon above herself. Somehow, things did not feel right... the demons 
before were not this powerful, especially against the likes of Kalciane.

Minaki frowned. "Come on, Kal," she whispered, balling her fists up. 
"What's wrong? You're better than this! Come on!"

Kalciane did not say a word. Instead, she replied by digging her fingers 
into the metal, denting it further as it creaked in protest. With a 
powerful swing, the angel propelled herself upwards and above the beam in a 
high turn, flipping in the air and landing back on the girder solidly with 
both feet. She smiled gently at Minaki, utterly silent, before opening her 
wings and flying back up to help Reiya -

- neither of them were anywhere in sight.

The strange, sharp sound of Reiya's Guardian Setsuna rang in the distance. 
Kalciane turned her head towards the direction it had come from and 
propelled herself forward in a burst of speed with her wings as the battle 
drew closer. Moments later Reiya and the demon came barrelling out from the 
darkness, locked sword against claw. Reiya was clearly struggling, her 
sword quivering beneath the demon's unholy strength. She peered upwards at 
the demon's red eyes, the windows to its soulless being, and she saw a 
terrible power there... it seemed as if it was laughing at her...

With a curdling roar, the demon jerked its massive arm around, flinging her 
away and into a beam. Reiya gasped sharply with impact, Setsuna flaring 
with a bright white as she hit; a moment later she was up on her feet, 
balancing herself carefully with her sword poised against her outstretched 
forearm. Although the impact hadn't hurt her, it had knocked the wind out 
of her - and her Guardian, who had been protecting her, was gradually 
growing more panicked. She could feel twinges of alarm racing up and down 
her arm, centering on her bracelet. Reiya set her teeth and did her best to 
calm it down, hanging back as Kalciane rushed forward to attack.

The demon intercepted the flurry of punches and kicks that the angel 
delivered, deflecting them with a skill that seemed very eerily human... 
moreso than any of their other encounters. Usually, a few blows were all it 
took to dispatch one of them. As they fought on, both Reiya and Minaki 
began to realize the same thing: *perhaps this was the enemy's move*. It 
was certainly long in coming, and if things kept going the way they were, 
it would prove to be too much for them to handle.

And indeed, the demon seemed to have little problem in holding off 
Kalciane's blows. It suddenly ducked as she went for a high roundhouse, one 
claw wrapping around her leg. The demon shifted, bringing its other arm 
around to lift the angel bodily upwards, and threw her towards one of the 
vertical beams. Kalciane managed to flip herself around in mid-flight, 
using one leg to push against the beam and propel herself back at the 
demon, her fist outstretched. But it was already too late. The demon was 
already under her, having anticipated the attack effortlessly; it grabbed 
her arm and simply threw her as she moved through the air, her momentum 
sending her crashing hard into an elevator cage near the edge of the structure.

"*Damn* it!" Reiya swore as Kalciane's form crumpled onto the platform, 
quickly bringing Setsuna upwards and dashing forward. The demon lashed out 
with its claws, its visage twisted in what looked like a grin of triumph. 
She easily deflected the attack aside - brought her sword in between the 
creature's claws - shoved powerfully to the left. A sharp snap crackled 
through the air. The demon roared, this time in pain, stumbling backwards 
blindly. Reiya charged forward immediately and snapped her foot into a high 
kick, the impact sending the creature hurtling over the edge.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath, stepping away from the fallen 
Kalciane towards the edge of the platform. From her vantage point, there 
was no trace of the demon at all, even though she had very clearly seen it 
fall down. Something was wrong. Her eyes narrowed, and there was a cry from 
her Guardian. She leapt back just in time as claws raked the air where she 
had been, using one hand to flip backwards to safety besides Minaki, who 
was helping her Guardian angel to her feet. As they watched mutely, the 
demon hefted itself onto the platform with its good arm, growling low in 
its throat.

It lifted its injured paw up for the two to look. Blood ran down its arm in 
dark rivulets, trickling and spattering through the grille of the platform 
floor. Abruptly, the air around it seemed to turn a deep red, the hue so 
dark that it blended into the night sky -

"Minaki, get down!" Reiya screamed as the monster unleashed another attack, 
swinging its good arm in a wide, powerful arc. Trails of crimson light tore 
through the air, missing them by bare inches. Seconds later, the girders 
began to creak and moan ominously as the top floors of the unfinished 
building began to fall apart, sliced clean through by the demon's blow. 
Reiya grabbed Minaki and shoved her to the side, away from the multitude of 
beams and debris as it all started to come down on top of them.

She quickly leapt upwards to meet the incoming rush, darting deftly back 
and forth between the collapsing girders, lifting Setsuna upwards to cut 
apart the ones she couldn't avoid. Her blade sang along the surface of the 
metal, flashing through the air with deadly precision. Both Minaki and the 
demon were lost in the crush. Reiya was confident that Minaki would be able 
to find her way out of it - an attack of that caliber was something that 
had taken them both by surprise - but as for the demon, she could only hope 
that its own rage had finally been its undoing.

Reiya sank to her knees as the last of the girders jangled their way down 
against the interior of the structure, no doubt waking up the entire 
surrounding neighborhood and probably alerting half of the Hoshimi police 
force. They had to get out of here fast; she would find Minaki and run 
home, if needed. Hopefully their bikes hadn't been crushed beneath the 
assault - but at least it hadn't been them. She slid up onto her feet, 
sinking the tip of her sword into the girder for support...

... and the demon boiled upwards from within the collapsing mass of metal, 
gibbering in pure unbridled anger and pain. Wings burst out from its back 
as it flew higher and higher, its misshapened shape silhouetting against 
the emerging moon. Reiya let out a soft, resigned gasp; she had not 
anticipated or sensed it at all, and by the time she realized what was 
happening the demon was already on its way downwards, the claws on its feet 
extended to cut her to ribbons with a single pass. She desperately raised 
Setsuna to ward off the blow, knowing that it was already too late.

A blinding ray of azure light pierced the air right next to her ear, the 
rush of energy tingling against her skin as it passed above her shoulder 
and towards the demon. It struck true, an arrow of pure willpower and 
energy throbbing with its own life inside the creature's heart - where it 
would be if it had one. For a moment, the demon hung in midair, not 
comprehending its fate, before it clutched at the shaft of power that was 
eating at it from within. It roared once more, its pained voice splitting 
the night air.

*Let me silence you,* Reiya murmured to herself mentally, bracing Setsuna 
in both hands as she leapt upwards, focusing her will and her strength into 
the shining blade. She brought it out and around as she approached the 
demon, the sword glowing a deep red for the brief moment that it was in 
contact with its flesh. Then she was past, landing on the remnants of the 
elevator platform. The demon twitched in midair before sliding apart in two 
halves, melting into nothingness without touching the ground.

She managed to remain standing for almost two seconds before her legs 
finally gave out, sending her sprawling onto the platform. Setsuna was gone 
as quickly as it had appeared, a faint flicker of light being the only sign 
of its passing. Kalciane and Minaki touched down moments later, the metal 
angel looking a bit battered but otherwise none the worse for the wear.

"We have to go," Minaki said urgently, tugging at Reiya's torn jacket 
sleeve, doing so again when it failed to elicit a response. "Reiya... 
please..."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Reiya mumbled, hauling herself up to her feet 
with a bit of help. She peered down at the ground, where a cloud of dust 
was swirling around the base of the building. "Hopefully our bikes are all 
right. I can't afford a new one right now."

_____


As it turned out, their bikes were perfectly fine and dusty. The two of 
them wasted no time in speeding back the way they came, a little bit faster 
than usual. It wasn't the first time that they had caused property damage 
during a mission, but this time things had gone a bit too far; Reiya was 
not sure if Hosts and Guardians were common knowledge or not, but the 
general consensus seemed to indicate that the public had no knowledge of 
what either were. For the time being, she intended to let things remain 
that way, and to stay clear of the law.

By the time they pulled up to the darkened driveway of Minaki's house, both 
of them were breathless and generally uncomfortable, still coated in dust 
and debris from the battle. Minaki hopped off her bike to open the garage 
door for them, barely managing to heave it upwards by herself. *It's a 
strange contrast,* Reiya thought as she watched the girl push her bike 
inside, dumping it unceremoniously to the side next to a pile of towels 
that had been assembled for cleaning duty. *On one hand, she looks so 
frail, and yet... Kalciane...*

"Reiya? Do you want some apple juice?"

She glanced down at Minaki, who was using one of the towels to brush as 
much grime off of her uniform as possible. "Apple j... oh." She was being 
asked if she wanted to come in. "I suppose."

Minaki smiled and tossed the towel back into the pile, kicking her shoes 
against the ground a few times. Dust rose in tiny clouds, twisting into 
nothingness in the air. She pushed the door open and held it in place as 
Reiya removed her torn blue jacket and her sneakers, walking in first into 
the darkened hallway. Her parents had already gone to bed; there was not a 
single light on in the house. The parents had apparently entrusted Minaki 
to her in more ways than one.

They moved silently down the hallways, eventually ending up in the kitchen. 
Minaki opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice, nudging the door 
closed with her foot as she reached across the countertop for glasses. 
Reiya took a seat at the dinner table, feeling thoughtful and somewhat 
awkward. This was definitely a first for them both, having been nearly 
defeated like this. She was going to have to spend the next week or so 
figuring it out. There was a good chance that another one or two attacks 
would come in that time, but...

"We have to be quiet," Minaki said as she tilted the bottle to fill the 
glass with apple juice. "Mama and Papa are sleeping."

Reiya nodded and placed her index finger over her lips in a shushing 
motion, indicating that she would be quiet. She grabbed the glass as Minaki 
offered it to her, gulping the contents down immediately and sliding the 
glass back for more. "I've never seen Kalciane be matched like that," she 
said carefully. Minaki was quite defensive about her Guardian, and she 
didn't want to hurt the girl. "I believe they've finally decided to up the 
ante."

Minaki nodded solemnly, refilling the glass and pushing it back towards 
her. "You look tired. Can you get home okay?"

"I'll be fine." She sipped a bit more juice until the burning in her throat 
finally ceased somewhat. "We've been through worse, remember?"

"Kind of sort of. This was the first time I had to use the Angel Pianissimo 
in a long time."

Reiya blinked. "'Angel Pianissimo?'"

"It's the name of that attack I used!" Minaki suddenly said brightly, 
forgetting about remaining quiet for just a brief moment. "It's an arrow 
attack. It's really cool! I taught it to Kalciane myself, and it saved you 
just in the nick of time."

"Ah. I... see." She finished the second glass of juice and fell silent, the 
conversation pausing for a moment. "I should go home now, Minaki. And you 
should go to bed."

Minaki suddenly moved forward, her arms spread outwards to embrace her. 
Reiya gasped softly in surprise, parsing the motion as an attack for a 
split second before she hesitantly pulled Minaki close towards her. The 
younger girl pressed her face against Reiya's chest, closing her eyes and 
wrapping her arms around her back.

"Thank you, Reiya," she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. "I didn't do 
good today. I'm sorry."

Reiya exhaled slowly, trying to steady her quickening heartbeat. What was 
Minaki doing? Was she really this frightened from the mission? She placed 
her hand gently on top of the girl's head, stroking as comfortingly as she 
could, her awkwardness lingering in the silence. Comfort and reassurance 
had never been Reiya's strong points; having lived much of her life by 
herself, she found strength in herself instead of others.

"What are you talking about?" she said gently after a long moment. "You did 
great. Much better than I did - "

"If I hadn't tried to push so hard I wouldn't have gotten Kalciane hurt," 
Minaki said, stumbling over her words slightly. She was visibly trembling, 
making Reiya more uncomfortable by the second. Gingerly, she lowered one 
hand to stroke Minaki's back, which only caused her to tighten her grip.

"Um..." Reiya mumbled, trying to extricate herself. "Minaki... what are you 
doing?"

Minaki pulled away slowly, revealing a slightly tear-stained and dusty 
face. "I'm sorry. I should go to bed, shouldn't I?" she said softly, wiping 
at her face with her forearm.

Reiya slid her hands up onto the girl's shoulders, noting with faint 
disappointment that her shirt was moist from the tears. "That would be a 
good idea," she agreed a bit too hastily. She flicked one of Minaki's 
braids about playfully. "Crying too much makes your face look old."

"Ah! Reiya, that's mean..."

"I'm kidding." She took the girl's hand and rubbed it between her own, 
tugging her away from the kitchen and towards the hallway. Minaki's room 
was the second door on the right; she had memorized its location by heart. 
"Shhh... you'll wake your parents."

Minaki nodded slowly and nudged the door to her room open. "Good night, 
Reiya," she whispered before slipping inside, disappearing from sight as 
she closed the door behind her.

Reiya blinked in confusion at the door in front of her, unaccustomed to the 
abruptness with which Minaki had shut her out. Something was not quite 
right here. The one person she trusted enough to be open with, from the 
time she had lost her family and gained her Guardian up until tonight, had 
simply closed herself off. Reiya shook her head slowly, unsure of what to 
make of it. Maybe Minaki was just scared... or maybe it was something 
deeper. Maybe she didn't trust her anymore, after how Kalciane had gotten hurt.

- maybe Minaki was just tired.

That must have been it. Content with that notion, Reiya decided to put the 
matter to rest; she would undoubtedly see the girl again before the week 
was over, and by then she would undoubtedly be back to her usual cheerful 
self. Reiya returned to the kitchen, straightening out the countertops and 
placing the glasses in the sink. Yes, Minaki definitely must have been 
tired. Normally she would've cleaned everything before going to bed.

She stepped out into the cool night air, closing the garage door behind her 
as quietly as she could. She took a long look at the starry night sky, the 
faint wailing of police sirens off in the distance. It was a dissonant, 
unpleasant sound, one she had not heard for a long time. She lifted her 
bike up - brushed some errant hair away from her face - and with a strong 
push, she was off once more to return home.

Her thoughts were adrift as she pedaled, touching upon her work and her 
duty. They were disorganized and unfocused, mostly because she was tired: 
the stress and tension of the battle had left her drained. Once more, she 
tried to reflect upon how she could have done better, on the critical 
points of the battle where she could have done something more effective. 
Her mind clouded at the attempt and refused to focus; she tried once more 
before resigning herself to glide down the streets in morose silence, the 
wind whistling against her hair and in her ears. Perhaps she was thinking 
too much these days.

The journey home was uneventful. She lived beneath one of the staircases in 
an apartment complex located at the end of a cul-de-sac. It was not an 
apartment, and technically speaking it was barely even a room. Reiya wasn't 
often at home, and as such she didn't see a need for anything particularly 
fancy or large. She had struck a deal with the people living in the 
apartment above. Both the landlord and the tenants had been really nice 
about it when she first approached them, her meager earnings in hand, a 
hopeful look on her face, a worn backpack on her shoulders. They had heard 
about what had happened to the Eice family - a terrible, terrible tragedy, 
that car accident - and took pity on the girl. True, she was supposed to be 
turned over to the government, as she was still not an adult by legal 
definition. But the look on her face at that time had told them one 
thing... that she was no longer a child.

It was about that time when she had first discovered her powers. More than 
anything else, they frightened and terrified her to no end. She didn't want 
anyone finding out about them - Minaki knowing was already too much. She 
thought she could run away and hide from everything, herself most of all. 
If she denied the existence of that warm light coming from her hand, 
perhaps it would disappear and leave her alone. But it was not to be. Reiya 
was alone, all alone in the world with no one to care for her anymore. She 
had been close to her parents, despite there being a calendar in her old 
room with the days marked off until she was to go to college.

And they were no more... in an instant, her life was empty. The sight of it 
was burned in her memories, still smouldering with a dull heat beneath the 
events that time's passing had placed over it. She knew that she had to run 
away. No rhyme or reason presented itself; the singular notion in her head 
was to flee the madness and perhaps find some way to start anew... and so 
she did, shouldering the burden of living and her Guardian at once.

Reiya reached out to unlock the door, having chained her bike on the 
stairway railing (the nice elderly couple who lived in the room above her 
didn't mind at all). The interior was just a bit smaller than Minaki's 
room, not much more than a glorified storage shed. The floor was covered 
with thick rugs of all kinds, with smooth cement peeking out in between the 
patchwork carpet. An ancient wooden desk sat against the far wall, propped 
in one corner with a block of wood. Piles of paperwork from the store and a 
few pages filled with elegant cursive sat on top, rustling in the breeze 
coming from a square-shaped fan poised atop a stool. Her bed rested 
directly to her right as she stepped in, comprised of two old mattresses 
piled atop each other. A halogen lamp - one of the sections had been 
removed to accomodate the low ceiling - flooded the interior with 
piercingly bright light.

She collapsed on the bed, which was littered with clothes and a few towels 
(she used the bathroom upstairs in the daytime). Instead of the thinking 
she had decided to do, she found herself rapidly falling asleep. The 
mission *had* left her far more exhausted than she thought; at least 
tomorrow would be a day off from her normal job. Reiya blinked wearily, 
reaching over to switch the lamp to a lower degree of brightness, swinging 
her legs over the edge of her makeshift bed. She pulled her sneakers off 
without untying them, stripping the socks off her feet and pushing the 
crumpled white balls of fabric into a pseudo-hamper next to the desk.

*Wonder what Toji will think of all this?* she thought, stretching out on 
the bed, feeling her hands and feet touch cold, clammy cement. She closed 
her eyes and was asleep almost immediately, the crickets being the only 
accompaniment to the soft sounds of her breathing.

_____


She found Toji after school the next day waiting for her outside the doors 
leading to the main building of the campus grounds. There were three 
buildings in all, the other two situated on either side, each dimunitive in 
comparison. He was leaning against the wall, going over a small pile of 
what she presumed was homework - such things had failed to interest her for 
some time now - apparently wholly absorbed in his work. Reiya paused as she 
moved close, observing his profile silently. He finally noticed almost a 
full minute later, looking both startled and somewhat embarrassed.

"Hey," he muttered, shoving the papers into his backpack and moving away 
from the wall. "I heard about what happened last night. You all right?"

Reiya laughed softly, patting him on the shoulder. "Yes. I'm fine, Toji. I 
had help this time, remember?"

Toji frowned and turned the corner, heading towards the parking lot. He 
shifted his backpack over onto his other shoulder, using his free hand to 
gesture as he spoke. "I know. It's just that Minaki seemed... not quite 
herself today." He and Minaki often conferred with each other during lunch 
over the demon attacks. "She was out of it. From the way she described it, 
it almost got both of you."

Reiya shook her head. "Not quite - "

"Did you walk here?" Toji said abruptly.

"I, uh, rode my bike. Like always." She blinked in confusion, not sure why 
he had asked that, considering that he should've known the answer.

He nodded in return and quickly shifted around so that he was just slightly 
behind her. "Let's go get your bike first."

"Huh? Why?" Reiya asked, not exactly sure what exactly was going on here.

Toji didn't answer at first, skirting around the rows of cars as he 
half-nudged, half-tugged her towards the bike rack. Although he remained 
behind her, Reiya felt as if she was being forced the entire way. She asked 
him again as they drew close to the chain-link fence that surrounded the 
bike area. Toji said nothing. Moments later, he strode inside, all but 
pulling Reiya by her hand with him. He leaned against the wall and closed 
his eyes in thought, cupping his chin with one hand.

"Tell me what happened last night," he said quietly.

Reiya smoothed out her jacket sleeve a few times with her hand. "What's 
with the sudden cool act?" Reiya demanded, managing an indignant look.

Toji abruptly looked puzzled. "Eh?"

"I mean," Reiya said patiently, "what is going on with you taking me out 
here and then asking me what happened? I don't need to get my bike. It's 
not even here."

"... oh," he said, somewhat dejectedly. His face reddened by shades. "Um, 
sorry - "

"As for what happened, it's just as Minaki said." She shook her head slowly 
in disbelief, exhaling in frustration. For a moment she had almost thought 
him to be possessed; he'd been acting increasingly paranoid and strange 
around her recently. "What did she tell you?"

"I don't trust Minaki. No - that's not what I mean." He scratched his head 
briefly. "Er... I mean, I don't think the way she described what happened 
was one hundred percent accurate. She might have been too scared from the 
events to really... think properly. If you know what I mean."

"I know." Reiya hesitated, wondering if she should ask... "Um, what did she 
say?"

"She said that it nearly killed you."

"... what? Was that all?" Reiya murmured, somewhat mortified. Had Minaki 
really said that? She found that somewhat unbelievable, but then again, 
after how she'd acted last night...

"More or less. The details weren't very clear... she kept pointing out that 
Kalciane wasn't an even match for the demon. She sounded like she was 
obsessing."

Reiya shrugged. "I think she's just young. She's good and her Guardian's 
well developed, but in the end she's just a kid. I wouldn't think too much 
of it."

Toji reached over and punched Reiya lightly on the shoulder, eliciting a 
mild squeal of protest. "She's not much younger than you are. You're 
technically a kid yourself."

She decided not to reply to that, instead moving the topic towards another 
direction. "Are you good for tonight?"

"Tonight. I guess so. It's not like I have anything important, like 
studying or homework to get in the way..."

It was Reiya's turn to punch him on the shoulder. "Oh, quit complaining. 
You know you like going out on the missions... even with all the whining 
you do. I can see it in your face and in your eyes."

Toji looked almost panicky. "I... I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you do. The rush of being able to utilize your Guardian's 
powers, feeling their abilities move your body in ways beyond anything you 
could have ever imagined..."

"Eh, I suppose I do," he said reluctantly, scratching at his head again 
nervously. "If you want to put it that way. I'd just rather not think about 
it most of the time."

"Why not?"

Toji looked earnestly at her, their eyes meeting. "Because it makes me 
uncomfortable."

Reiya smiled cautiously in return, hesitating for a moment. "All right... 
we won't talk about it then. Um... did you want to go to dinner or 
something? Before we go on the mission, that is."

"Dinner? I can get dinner at home," Toji said casually, blinking in confusion.

"Oh. Well, all right, then." She stopped smiling, tracing a few dusty links 
on the fence with her finger. "Where should we meet? Does the library sound 
good?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, looking around the bike rack abruptly. "I think I 
should go now."

Without another word, he hastily stepped outside and was gone, leaving her 
alone within. Reiya sighed softly to herself, frowning at first - how could 
he just turn her offer down so easily? - before smiling wistfully at the 
spot he had just been seconds ago. Toji was still a kid as well, whether he 
wanted to admit it or not. She knew he had a point, but their pasts were 
different. She *was* older, in mind if not in body. His casual dismissal of 
that was infuriating; she would have been angry with him, but he was 
already gone.

Reiya moved towards the gate, which had swung closed in the wake of Toji's 
departure. She pushed it back open and stepped around the fence towards the 
far wall, where her bike was locked to one of the fence's metal posts.

_____


It was almost dark when they met again, the world painted in deep hues of 
purple and black that marked the time before nightfall. The library was 
located a few blocks away from the school, convenient for both students and 
their parents. It closed at seven, so by the time Toji showed up the 
parkling lot was almost completely empty. Reiya was already there, nibbling 
on half of a roast beef sandwich and sitting on the edge of one of the 
planters. She was reading a book as well, propping it up in her other hand 
and looking quite captivated for all he could tell. As he drew close, she 
stuck a folded sheet of scrap paper between the pages - a makeshift 
bookmark - and closed the novel, smiling up at him.

"You're late," she said cheerfully, working on the last bits of her sandwich.

"I had to eat," he said a bit sourly, trying to peer at the cover of the 
book. Reiya moved it out of the way coyly, blocking it from his view. 
"Unlike you I have other things to do during the day - "

Her sudden sharp look made him cut off in mid-sentence. Toji quickly raised 
his hands defensively and skittered back away from her just in case she 
decided to try something. "I didn't mean it that way! Look - "

Reiya snorted and finished off the last of her sandwich, deliberately 
taking as long as possible, exaggerating every aspect of the act. She 
tucked the book into the inside pocket of her blue jacket and hopped off 
the planter, strolling casually towards the steps that led down to the 
sidewalk below. "It's all right," she finally said. "I know you didn't."

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said in exasperation, half-stumbling along behind 
her. "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply anything. It's just been a 
long day, I don't think I did well on my test, and I still don't know what 
to make of all this."

She paused on the stairs and turned towards him with a curious look on her 
face. "Make of what?"

"You know." Toji gestured a bit frantically. "The demons. Us. Minaki..."

"You worry too much," she said coolly, continuing on her way down.

"You don't worry enough."

Reiya shook her head. "Of course I do," she said, turning at the base of 
the steps and starting on her way towards the parking lot. It was all but 
night now, the purples having deepened to blues. Her steps crunched against 
the paved concrete underfoot. "I just don't express it like you do."

"Thanks," Toji mumbled, trailing behind her and wondering where she was 
going. "I think."

She rounded the parking lot and doubled back in her steps, leading the two 
of them back the way they had came. The last of the cars in the lot backed 
out of its space and drove off, leaving the entire library more or less 
deserted. Toji frowned and glanced over at Reiya, who seemed content to 
walk around in circles. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder to try and 
get her attention. She didn't notice, or at least didn't seem to. He tried 
again, and this time she gently clasped his wrist with her hand, pulling 
his arm close against herself in a smooth motion.

*Um...* was all he could think at the moment.

But whatever she was thinking of was apparently not what he had thought it 
to be. Her eyes narrowed and she lifted her free right hand - the one with 
the bracelet on it - in a distinctive gesture. Toji knew immediately what 
she was doing, and in an instant he felt it as well. He cursed under his 
breath for not realizing sooner: the air around the library was tense with 
the energy patterns of a demon, and being as absorbed in other matters as 
he was, he had not sensed it.

"It's here," she whispered, so quietly that he could barely hear her 
despite their closeness. He nodded in response and gently pulled himself 
away, bringing his hands forth and spreading his fingers wide. This was 
always the part he hated the most; his Guardian lay deep within, not as 
readily accessible as Minaki's or Reiya's. They had told him repeatedly 
that his mistrust was the reason it could not take physical form - but that 
was just fine with him. Unfortunately, that particular trait also led to 
several drawbacks...

He looked around briefly for water, any form of it - and came up with a 
little more than nothing. There was a shallow puddle formed by a leaking 
pipe against the far wall, but that was more or less it. Such a trifling 
thing wasn't going to do him any good if the demon was like the one from 
yesterday, and of all the times for him to be useless, this was not it. Had 
it been a normal mission things would have been different, but if Reiya 
alone wasn't enough -

"I can't fight here," he said, a bit too loud.

Bare moments after he uttered the words, the leaves on the trees suddenly 
began fluttering as if caught in a violent breeze. Reiya shifted her gaze 
towards the large oak behind the flagpole, her hand snapping outwards and 
imbuing with warm light. Toji growled quietly and quickly closed his eyes, 
letting the essence of his Guardian slowly overtake him in a wash of power 
that flooded his entire being. Reiya closed her eyes as well, the light 
increasing in intensity until it finally coagulated and shaped itself 
within her hand, taking the form of a sleek sword. Her fingers wrapped 
around the hilt and she brought the blade upwards, trailing wisps of 
residual energy as she placed it against her forearm. Toji quickly assumed 
a defensive stance behind his partner, turning his head to look up at what 
was causing the disturbance.

"Heh. Nice!" came a voice from somewhere in the tree.

Reiya froze. *A human voice? What the hell?*

Something rocketed out from within the branches with a burst of purple 
energy, moving above them to stand tall upon the edge of one of the 
planters. The two spun around almost simultaneously, Reiya bringing Setsuna 
to bear and Toji raising his fists defiantly to come face to face with a 
young girl, her form pulsing with malevolent power.

In an instant, the girl's appearance seared itself into her mind, simply 
from how utterly *human* she appeared compared to everything else that she 
had dealt with in the past year. Green eyes and blond hair, braided in a 
nappy rope behind her. A faded red baseball cap with a thunderbolt across 
the front, and clothes that looked equally as worn. A tired grey longsleeve 
pullover and blue jeans (the knees were patched). Dirty white sneakers. 
Worn black fingerless gloves on her hands, which were clenched into fists.

There was something nolstagic about her to Reiya's eye, and for a moment 
she could not believe that she was seeing what she was. Despite her age, 
which couldn't have been a day over thirteen, she was radiating power not 
unlike that of a demon's. Her aura pulsed with a life of its own, a dark 
purple that seemed to ooze from the surrounding night.

But...

"Who are you?" Toji demanded, taking a step forward. "What are you doing 
here?!"

"The name... is *Kaname!*" the girl pronounced boldly, reaching up to 
adjust her cap so that the brim pointed backwards. "And you two should feel 
lucky, 'cause you're about to be defeated by a legend!"

_____


-- bellreisa
    key idol // metal angel // seraphic deus // alter capabilist // magical girl


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