.05. - Keiya



"I am going to destroy you."

Toji could feel the rain seeping through his clothes as Keiya calmly strode 
towards him, the air gathering around his upraised hand. Confusion settled 
in, shaking his already-shattered confidence. No way Liquis was exhausted, 
not this early in the fight. He took a step back warily, gauging the 
distance to the edge of the roof. There wasn't much time; he had to act 
now... he had to do *something*. It was his fault Reiya was hurt again, and 
his resentment grew with each passing minute. Why had she wanted to come 
here anyways? It was a complete waste of time.

Liquis' cut through the jumbled thoughts in his head, cool and comforting 
amidst the chaos. *Why are you fighting against me?*

*I never wanted this!* he responded mentally, balling his fists tighter as 
Keiya closed in. *I can't beat him! He's too strong!*

*You cannot beat him...* Liquis seemed to chuckle softly, its laughter 
rippling through his consciousness. *... of course not... you are only a 
human...*

He could feel the rain pounding against his skin now, the coldness 
intruding upon every part of his body. His Guardian was abandoning him. 
Sick fear welled up within his heart... and in that moment, he realized 
that he was going to die. Keiya was not playing games; he was truly going 
to kill him in cold blood, as Toji himself had done to so many other 
demons. Liquis' cool presence wasn't even there anymore. It was as if the 
Guardian had submerged itself beyond reach within his soul.

Toji screamed with every fiber of his being, a cry that echoed through his 
mind and the hollowed confines of the wood shed. "HELP ME!"

There was no answer at first... but he felt the soft curls of Liquis' 
presence stirring within him, its voice barely audible. *Then... let me...*

Let me?

What was that supposed to have meant? He had been doing nothing but letting 
Liquis fight for him, dictating his every move. He had given his Guardian 
complete control of his body, loathing the strange presence that allowed 
him such fantastic power and knowing that in time it would consume him 
whole. He had watched in horror as Reiya and Minaki employed their 
Guardians over and over, not caring for their own well-being... all in the 
name of protecting the city from the demons that had simply appeared out of 
nowhere.

He had no choice but to give himself up again - but he already knew that 
Liquis would be no match, as Keiya was just too powerful. His defense was 
utterly impenetratable; all of his previous blows had been deflected with 
careless ease. There was no way he was going to make headway with a direct 
assault, and trying to outlast him had already proven futile. He couldn't 
understand Liquis' optimism, which was radiating through him even as doubt 
permeated his core.

*Let me... help you... fight with me...*

Once again, Toji found himself at a loss. *With me?* he murmured.

*Move with me, Toji... with me... not against me...*

He blinked, suddenly realizing that he was no longer cold. The water had 
lifted from his flesh, droplets hovering just above his skin in a fine 
mist. A faint spark of understanding flicked through his thoughts... and 
comprehension flooded him in a powerful wave that overtook every part of 
his brain. He had been doing everything wrong. He had been trying to brave 
the currents alone; it was only natural that he would find himself failing.

An implosion of air diverted his attention sharply away from his 
ruminations. Keiya was dashing forward, intending to finish him off in a 
single blow. Toji found himself unable to move, his limbs rooted in place 
from the entrancement of his epiphany...

... and then his body shifted smoothly downwards, avoiding Keiya entirely 
as he attacked. Liquis' presence was not merely in his heart now: it was 
filling his body, imbuing every nerve with tranquil ease.

Keiya seemed just a bit surprised but pressed his advantage, trying to 
drive Toji over the edge of the ceiling. The air crackled around his palms 
as he swung again and again, thrusting his arms forward with incredible 
speed - but something was different now. No matter what he did, he found 
himself unable to actually *hit* his opponent, as his body pitched and 
circled about his strikes. It was almost as if Toji could read everything 
he was about to do, rendering him utterly ineffective.

He had only a moment to wonder what had happened before Toji brought his 
shoulder upwards into his chest, sending him flying back across the roof. 
Keiya managed to right himself in midair, ignoring Kazeki's groan of pain 
as he landed softly on his feet. One hand moved to comb his hair back 
nearly as Toji shifted his stance outwards, into something he had never seen.

"It's not over yet," the water Host said quietly, uncurling his fists so 
that his palms faced outwards, letting his feet plant firmly against the 
metal ceiling. Something else was surging through him now, a strange 
feeling he couldn't quite identify. Something borne out of his need to 
protect the one person who had changed his life, the one person who he 
tried to help and only ended up hurting. Something that was going to see 
him through this fight as the victor.

It took him a while to realize that, for the first time since he had 
discovered Liquis, he was feeling the one thing he'd never experienced 
while fighting... something he should have understood sooner - and could 
have, if he had not spent the time trying to deny himself.

Harmony.

__________

Angelblade

by Jeffrey Yang

09.07.03 to 09.23.03

__________


"What have you done..." Keiya muttered darkly as he regarded the man in 
front of him. It was unbelievable. He had actually been *hit*. He couldn't 
remember the last time such a thing had happened, and the very idea of it 
was enough to annoy him. No - he was beyond annoyed. He was *furious* at 
Toji's sheer audacity, and as he channeled that emotion through 
Kazeki,  the winds began whipping about him fiercely, scattering the rain 
from his form as tight vortices of pressure gathered in his hands.

Toji simply shifted his arms around in a smooth motion so that they were 
raised behind him, his hands remaining loose and open. He felt himself 
relaxing gradually, which was odd at first; after becoming so accustomed to 
the tension of the fight, the total absence of nervousness was unsettling. 
But that sensation was gone in a flash when his Guardian began to emanate 
cool reassurance... and with that he closed his eyes, letting his fingers 
curl slightly as Liquis' presence guided his thoughts.

The gesture was a sign of challenge to Keiya, and in response twists of 
wind sheared towards the water Host, the air roaring in their wake. But 
Toji barely flinched as he turned to the side, throwing himself in a tight 
arc through the air. One arm thrust outwards at Keiya as he easily spun 
between the invisible blades at a sharp angle. There was no visible attack 
at first... then the rain itself around the wind Host began contracting 
inwards, each droplet aiming for a different part of his body.

Keiya smirked as he deflected each of the droplets with ease, scattering 
them to the winds; it was the same move as before, and Toji was a fool for 
thinking he'd fall for it again. But Toji launched himself towards the wind 
Host in a blur of motion, the rain converging about his body as intricate 
loops of pulsating liquid in the space between them. With a fierce cry, he 
began hammering blows at Keiya, the curved ribbons flicking through the air 
in time with his movements and striking with sinuous speed.

He felt himself being pushed backwards rather quickly, and a faint grimace 
crossed Keiya's features; even with his defense, there were just too many 
blows coming at him. He let himself be pushed to the edge so that he felt 
the emptiness under his feet, then pivoted himself outwards in a fierce 
attempt to distance himself. Air imploded beneath his shoes, bearing him 
upwards as he glided higher.

"You're not running away!" Toji shouted, snapping his arms out at his sides 
to let the ribbons curled in upon themselves, reshaping about his limbs in 
tight coils. Then he sprang over the edge of the roof in pursuit, 
propelling himself off of the falling droplets at skewed angles to narrow 
the space between them at a dizzying pace. Once within reach, the flurry of 
blows began once more - but now, he was suspending himself within the 
falling rain, his hands and feet trailing twists of water as they undulated 
through the air in mesmerizing rhythm.

Keiya grunted with effort as he brought his arms outwards to defend 
himself, the deliberate thrusts of his arms a marked contrast to Toji's 
smooth motions. His enemy was getting in too close, and too many of his 
strikes were hitting home; his attempts to turn the storm of punches and 
kicks aside balked as the streams of rain around him gathered like a pit of 
snakes whipping around him. He could feel Kazeki jerking with pain within 
his soul upon each hit... and Keiya felt anger rising within him once more, 
realizing that he had to get himself back in his own element as quickly as 
possible.

With a harsh mental command, the wind around him exploded outwards in a 
barrier that surrounded him completely for the fraction of a second. 
However, that was enough to push Toji away, and in another burst of air 
Keiya was soaring through the air once more, his trajectory taking him back 
around towards the fallen Reiya. Toji glanced up, cursing to himself; he 
knew that he would never be able to reach her in time. But oddly, he felt 
no fear at all. There was only that permeating harmony which coursed 
through him like frosted blood, and Liquis' steely determination.

Toji slid his arm out, flipping his palm upwards. The water puddled about 
Reiya's form exploded upwards in a perfect sphere, its surface rippling 
with discontent as Keiya drew close, bursting outwards into liquid coils 
when he reached for it. For a brief instant, he found himself at a loss; 
somehow, in his state of mind, he had completely underestimated his enemy's 
abilities and had overlooked the attack. It was only after it was already 
too late that Kazeki's voice cut through his thoughts, screaming for him to 
move.

No. This couldn't be. He could not be losing. It was utterly inconceivable -

Pain shot through his body as the ribbons of water slammed into him, the 
impact sending him tumbling across the ceiling with a hollow metallic 
rattle. It was then that Toji came through the air in a cascade of water 
that sheeted around him like a transparent corona, twisting his body 
gracefully and catching Keiya dead-on in the back with another shoulder 
check. This time, he could not bring his Guardian up in time. Pain 
reverberated through his limbs as he felt himself tumbling towards the 
ground below, landing hard upon the sodden mud.

Before he could lift himself up or even think, Toji was already looming 
over him with ribbons of raindrops slipping silently about his neck to jerk 
him upwards onto his feet. But he said nothing at all, glaring coolly at 
the water Host with feigned indifference, the slightest trace of a smirk on 
his lips.

"What's so funny? Huh?!" Toji demanded, punctuating his angered words with 
a violent tug upon the ribbons that lifted Keiya helplessly into the air.

But that only caused his smirk to widen so that his scorn and contempt was 
clear upon his face. "You fool. Don't you realize that even if you defeat 
me, you'll never leave my town alive?" he said, coughing slightly from the 
tightening hold about his throat.

A faint itch that had been nagging at the back of Toji's mind suddenly 
snapped to full attention as anxiety began leaking into his thoughts again.

Reiya. He had forgotten about her, still out in the cold rain by herself...

... but he was afraid to stop now. He knew that it had been through a sheer 
epiphany that he'd even managed to best Keiya. If they met again, he wasn't 
so sure that he would be able to fight him on even terms again. Doubt 
settled back in the recesses of his mind like a lead weight, and Toji found 
himself glancing at the ceiling where Reiya had collapsed.

If he let her down now, he would never forgive himself. His own vendetta 
would have to wait; he was not about to fail her a third time.

With a final angry glare, Toji flung Keiya away and let the coiled water 
around him dissolve, the droplets splashing harmlessly into the muddy 
puddles beneath. Then he flung himself upwards, bounding through the 
subsiding rain towards the roof once more.

Keiya snorted lightly with contempt. Toji had actually done a magnificent 
job, and had it been under different circumstances he would have 
congratulated him. As it was, he had to see to his men so that they would 
leave him and the girl alone as they tried to leave his town. He *had* been 
beaten fairly, after all. There was no point in being a sore loser about 
it; he would just have to re-evaluate his own skills and strategy and 
challenge the two again.

He got up, focusing upon his Guardian to blast the mud off of his clothes 
before letting it finally sink within his soul for now. With a light hop, 
he cleared the puddles that had pooled in the dirt and landed on the street 
- where Kaname was waiting for him expectantly, her baseball cap noticeably 
turned backwards. She was scowling angrily at him, but somehow her 
expression didn't rouse irritation within him like it usually did... 
because this time, he saw disappointment clearly etched on her face as well.

"What the hell were you doing up there?!" she demanded, pointing 
emphatically at the top of the shed. "He totally kicked your ass! What's 
wrong with you?"

"I slipped." He brushed past her in vain hope that she wouldn't press the 
issue; she idolized him, and seeing her faith crushed wasn't something he 
wanted to deal with now.

But Kaname kept pace with him as he strode down the street towards the 
entrance of the Family Motel, latching onto his arm and refusing to let go. 
"We can still beat them!" she insisted, tugging as hard as she could again 
and again, knowing that it would elicit a response from him. "You can't let 
them do this to you! Hey *dumbass!* Listen to me!"

She knew that she was going too far, but that was exactly what she wanted. 
He was trying to withdraw into himself like he always did when things 
didn't go his way, and usually if she nagged at him long enough he would 
lash out at her for just a moment so that his anger and hostility faded 
away normally afterwards. It hurt her every time he did so, but Kaname 
didn't care about that right now. Letting him remain silent and resentful 
would have only worsened matters.

Keiya stopped walking.

Kaname blinked in surprise. His arm was trembling at his side with barely 
contained emotion, as if he wanted nothing more than to strike something. 
In a heartbeat, she released her grip and took a few steps back, that 
damnable sensation of fear crept up within her again. He was going to hit 
her, she was sure of it. She had deserved it, but that didn't stop the 
dreaded anticipation from creeping through her.

But instead, he moved to grab her by the shoulder and began guiding her 
along with him as he resumed striding towards the hotel. "Get inside," he 
said emotionlessly, his voice devoid of even its usual bitterness.

"Keiya - "

"Leave the two of them alone," he continued, not listening to her. "It was 
a fair fight."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" Kaname said, disbelief replacing 
her terror as she clutched her hands into fists. "You're just giving up?"

"No." Keiya angled his gaze upwards as he stepped within the lights of the 
Family Motel, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the rain. His men 
were still perched upon the buildings, waiting for his sign. A simple 
gesture and they would have set upon the two trespassers - and Keiya knew 
that as powerful as his enemy's newfound confidence was, it stood no chance 
against the entirety of his forces, especially with the rain dying down.

Revenge was within his grasp, if he so desired. But that would've been far 
too easy.

He had never liked others doing his dirty work. His men were assigned to 
keep track of what was going on in the south-side, but when it came to 
making the decisions and handling important matters that kept the sector's 
peace, he had always taken it upon himself to be present. Even if all he 
did was speak a few words, it was the only way he would allow it. He had 
built himself a world in the south-side where no one would make him 
unhappy, where he could live apart from what was considered a normal 
existence... without fear of being reprimanded.

Just because he had lost this time - and for the first time in recent 
memory - didn't mean he was about to change the way he lived his life. He 
simply had to make himself stronger and rethink his abilities... and 
perhaps reconsider his stance on how Reiya Eice factored into the demon 
attacks. She had clearly been too hampered to be effective this time, but 
something about the way her Guardian resonated hadn't felt right to him. It 
didn't feel like the demons he had encountered the few times he had gone 
searching in the downtown sector. If anything, it felt like his own, and if 
that was the case, then she couldn't be the one responsible.

He had a lot of thinking to do, and it was best done alone so that his 
Guardian had time to rest. Giving Kaname a warning look, he turned to enter 
the hotel lobby... only to find Toji suddenly standing in front of him, 
cradling an unconscious Reiya in his arms. His expression was still set 
with anger, though there was a note of desperation that caught him unexpected.

"What do you want?" Keiya muttered quietly, lifting his arm to hold Kaname 
back as she strode forward angrily.

"Please," Toji pleaded, indicating the girl in his arms with a tilt of his 
chin. Her jacket was streaked dark with rain, the moisture having seeped to 
drench every inch of her shirt and a good swatch of her skirt. Some of her 
raven-black hair was matted against his clothes, the rest of it hanging 
from her shoulders in a curled, sodden mess. "I can't let her go home like 
this."

Keiya lifted an eyebrow upwards, not quite believing that the very person 
who had come close to killing him was now begging him for help. "And what 
do you want me to do?"

"You can use my room."

The two men glanced at Kaname in surprise; she had spoken before either of 
them could answer and was already behind Toji, all but shoving him through 
the revolving doors. "Tenth floor!"

"Um - thanks..." There was no time to argue, and without another word he 
stepped through the doors to disappear into the lobby, holding Reiya 
carefully in his arms.

Keiya was dead silent as he turned his gaze upon Kaname, the thickening 
tension in the air causing her to shrink away from him again. She wasn't 
worried what he would do to her; it was more the sheer impulsiveness with 
which she had defied him. She wasn't even sure why she had done it, save 
perhaps that Minaki's kindness had affected her more ways than she thought. 
Or perhaps she just didn't want to see Keiya fighting again, and the 
easiest way to prevent that was to stop him from pissing off the person who 
beat him.

A few more seconds of uncomfortable silence later, he turned away to follow 
Toji into the hotel. The revolving doors circled around once, leaving the 
entrance empty in his wake.

Kaname breathed a sigh of relief as he vanished, feeling the Hosts around 
her powering down as well. Then she scurried in along inside, knowing that 
if she couldn't at least be there for him, she could be there to stop him 
from doing anything stupid.

_____


Although the view of the railed gardens was an interesting contrast the 
cheap and run-down exterior of the hotel, Toji found himself wishing the 
elevator would go faster as it hummed its way towards the top floor. He was 
jogging down the hallway as soon as the doors slid open, reflecting 
momentarily on the situation he was getting himself into until he slipped 
into one of the unlocked rooms and kicked the door shut behind him. Once 
inside, he set Reiya down gently on the bed and then realized that he had 
no idea what he should do next. She didn't look like she would be coming to 
anytime soon, and there was no way he could bring himself to remove her 
clothes so she wouldn't catch cold.

For now, he busied himself by sliding the curtains shut, clearing off the 
floor so she would have plenty of room. Then he sat down on the bed, 
dumping a bunch of towels down and tugging the covers over her. A minute 
later, he decided against that and promptly pulled the blankets back off, 
his hands gripping her shoulders to try and remove her jacket. That was 
when Reiya's eyelids fluttered lightly, causing Toji to nearly fall 
backwards on the floor in an attempt to move away.

"Ugh... Toji, what's going on?" she murmured softly, rubbing at her head 
and looking dazedly around the room as she slid herself upwards into a 
sitting position.

"It's over," he said slowly, quickly going over to sit in a chair. "For 
now, anyways - but we're in Keiya's hotel. You took a pretty bad hit."

A twinge of guilt crossed her face and she averted her gaze, focusing upon 
a vase that was sitting on one of the desks. "I'm sorry."

"I - " His immediate instinct was to berate her for being so stubborn, to 
point out all the things she could have done right. But he managed to catch 
himself in time, knowing that it didn't matter anymore, and it wouldn't 
have made things any better. "I just wish I had done more."

Reiya wriggled herself out of her jacket, setting it aside on one of the 
chairs next to the bed. "You don't give yourself enough credit for what you 
already did," she said, examining the sleeves of her shirt with faint 
disappointment. They were soaked through, clammy and uncomfortable against 
her skin, and she had no other clothes on hand. Finding a dryer would have 
to do for now. In the meantime, she began undoing the tiny buttons around 
the cuffs, then the ones at her collar.

Toji blushed faintly and turned studiously around to avoid looking at her. 
"I guess not," he muttered. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry, too."

"Hm? For what?" Reiya's voice carried just a touch of puzzlement.

"Um... for hitting you."

She frowned at that, undoing the buttons down the front of her shirt one at 
a time and noting Toji's avoidance with quiet amusement. "It was my fault, 
actually. We don't go on missions together that much anymore, so we didn't 
work together as well as we should have. And it wasn't a good night for me 
to be out - but of course, you knew that..."

And he did. The urge to chastise her welled up once again, and Toji 
repressed it before he could say anything. Unfortunately, he found himself 
at a sudden loss for words... so he remained silent, listening to the soft 
rustle of fabric as Reiya undressed behind him.

"How did you beat him?" she continued, setting the shirt aside and slipping 
herself under the sheets as she worked on her shoes and socks.

"I... I'm almost not sure," he confessed. "I don't remember much of it 
now... but I can still feel myself moving. Like - like after a 
rollercoaster, when you can still feel the ground falling out from under 
you as you walk - what's so funny?"

Reiya was giggling lightly from behind the blanket. "Like a rollercoaster?" 
she said, stifling another round of mirth with her hand. "Toji, that's 
really strange."

"That's what it felt like, okay?" he muttered defensively. "Look, I can't 
really describe it at all. But I felt Liquis moving and it wasn't like 
anything I'd ever done. It was... it was like..."

"Like you had discovered something for the first time?"

He nearly turned around to look at her in surprise before remembering that 
she probably wouldn't have liked that. "Kind of, I guess."

"Like the world suddenly became a lot smaller after you realized what you 
were capable of?"

This time, he didn't answer. She waited expectantly for a few seconds until 
she realized that he probably didn't want to think about it right now - and 
indeed, there was a more pressing issue that had to be rectified. "Toji? 
Would you take my clothes to the dryer?" she said sweetly. The prospect of 
staying in the hotel didn't sit well with her, and she was hoping to get 
out as quickly as possible before Keiya and Kaname showed up.

"I suppose I should," he said quietly, edging himself backwards along the 
bed so he remained turned away from her. "Can you hand me your clothes?"

There was no response. He nearly turned around to see what she was doing, 
but managed to stop himself once more. After almost a minute of silence, he 
grew somewhat uncomfortable. "... Reiya?"

Her voice was solemn and hushed. "Look at me, Toji."

"I *can't* do that."

"I won't hurt you."

Those words, so familiar, echoed within his thoughts. They had been what 
she had promised Kaname, but that time had been different. He couldn't 
bring himself to do it. He wanted to, but he was afraid...

"Are you afraid?" she asked softly, placing her hand upon his shoulder. 
"Why are you afraid of me, Toji?"

"I'm not afraid!" he snapped, his tone far too harsh for her to believe his 
words. "... not of you, anyways. It's finally happening to me. Everything I 
was hoping I wouldn't have to do, I've done. Everything that I thought 
would go wrong, finally did."

Reiya's voice became just a bit tired. "If you believe that Liquis is going 
to devour you alive, then you couldn't be more wrong," she said. "It was 
because of Liquis that you protected me."

"If you hadn't wanted to go, I wouldn't have needed to protect you!" he 
pointed out bitterly, not bothering to stop himself this time. It wasn't 
getting him anywhere, and Reiya needed to understand how he felt so that 
her optimism didn't drive him insane.

But she responded without missing a beat, her tone calm and rational. "If 
you hadn't, do you think you would have come to terms with your Guardian in 
time to stop Keiya from killing you?"

Toji stopped. He hadn't considered that, and now that he thought about it 
she was probably correct. The recollection of how his bravado had melted 
away in a matter of minutes as soon as he'd started fighting Keiya was 
fresh in his mind, leaving him lonely and terrified. There had been 
something greater than his own pride at stake tonight, and had he relied 
upon his own confidence to overcome the wind Host, he surely would have lost.

Reiya noted his silence and reached to her side to pick up her clothing, 
which was folded into a single neat pile. "Here," she said, offering it to 
him. "I hope you have some spare change for the machines."

He grabbed the bundle and stood up, pointedly staying turned away from her 
as he made his way towards the door. "I'll be back in a bit."

"It's best if we leave quickly."

"I know." He fumbled with the door for a moment before to unlocking it, 
tugging it just wide enough to squeeze himself through. "I'll try to come 
back as soon as I can."

And then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

_____


Keiya was already halfway down the hall when Kaname barged through the 
rotating doors, her footsteps thumping rapidly in his direction. The 
commotion made him stop in his tracks and turn around - and Kaname stopped 
short as she saw his face. She had expected something like anger or even 
indignation, but instead, there was only a dull blankness crossed by a 
faint sadness. It was something she had never seen from him; as such, she 
wasn't exactly sure what to do. So they both stood silently in the hallway, 
each waiting for the other to speak.

"Look, you wouldn't have left me alone in the rain, right?!" she finally 
growled out, expecting him to be angry with her. She would be angry right 
back, or else he wouldn't have taken her seriously at all.

"I'm not angry at you."

That came out of nowhere. Kaname sputtered incoherently, caught totally 
off-guard by his words, before articulating her confusion as best as she 
could: "Huh?"

He was already walking down the hallway again, though his pace was slower 
than usual. She caught him with him and looped her arm in his as they 
entered one of the stairwells, where Keiya began heading up towards the 
ceiling a step at a time.

"You did the right thing." Keiya's voice echoed hollowly off of the walls, 
his words accented by their footsteps. "We don't want them as enemies right 
now."

Kaname gave him a sullen glare. "You're just saying that 'cause they kicked 
your ass."

"They may be withholding their true power for now," he continued, dutifully 
ignoring her accusation. "But that is doubtful. The boy obviously had no 
grasp of his Guardian's true ability up until tonight, and Reiya Eice 
proved to be of no consequence. Interesting, considering the pattern..."

"That's what you gathered everyone for? Because you thought they were gonna 
throw demons at you?" She sounded just a bit incredulous. Keiya had told 
her nothing of that plan at all.

"I didn't gather them. They were spotted coming in across the border, and I 
prepared for the worst."

Kaname looked rather unhappy with that and wrinkled her nose up 
thoughtfully, trying to piece together what he was thinking. He'd mentioned 
something about looking for Reiya, she remembered; pure blind luck had it 
so that she and Toji had come looking for them. She remembered the map that 
had been displayed during the meeting indicating the pattern to the demon 
attacks, and yet something didn't seem right to her...

"Keiya!" she yelled as they rounded the corner up to the third floor. "What 
makes you so sure Reiya was the one behind the attacks?"

He shook his head slowly, as if in disappointment. "I'm not."

"But you said she was!"

"I said that I believed she was attracting the demons." He paused halfway 
up the flight leading to the fourth floor, glancing down at the dimunitive 
form of the girl. "And that much is irrefutable truth. I was here before 
they were. I remember what happened when they first showed up."

He continued on his way again, leaving Kaname to patter up the staircase 
after him. She didn't remember what she had been doing when the demons 
first showed up; it had been something she'd accepted as part of her new 
life when Keiya had taken her in. "What do you mean?" she called out, 
taking the steps three or four at a time. "What happened?"

The question went unanswered as he proceeded past the fifth and sixth 
floors, his silence contemplative. "They terrorized the public," he finally 
said bluntly, his tone laced with a trace of bitterness. "And the public 
blamed the south-side for the damage that they wreaked. They thought the 
gangs were responsible."

"Then don't you think that Reiya fighting the demons is a *good* thing?"

"Not if she's the reason they appeared." He nudged the door to the eighth 
floor closed with his boot, frowning at Kaname for having left it ajar. 
"She's what we need to buy time until we find out who is truly behind this."

"You know, it can just be a coincidence," she pointed out blandly, an 
impish grin abruptly spreading across her face. "I think you just got the 
hots for her."

He didn't dignify that with a response as he moved up the stairs once more. 
Kaname scrambled up the steps once more, waiting in silence as he stood at 
the door that led to the rooftop of the Family Motel.

"... well?!" she demanded with a stamp of her foot, after a sufficiently 
long pause. "You don't really know anything, do you? Now that Reiya's here 
and the demons aren't."

"I suppose I do not," Keiya replied coolly, opening the door and stepping 
past onto the rooftop. The rain had ceased entirely, the clouds overhead 
giving way to reveal twinkling stars. He paced towards the ledge pensively, 
boots crunching over the scattered gravel. "What should we do with them 
now, I wonder?"

Kaname glanced upwards briefly and hopped onto an air conditioner unit, her 
heels tapping rhythmically against the worn metal casing. "Why the hell are 
you asking me?" she mumbled. "You're the one who decides these things."

He smirked lightly at her response, though it was more out of affection 
than actual scorn. "I'm asking because I want to keep them here," he 
explained. "If Reiya really is tied into these attacks, it would help us 
all to take the battle away from downtown... and it would prove, beyond a 
doubt, that she is the one responsible."

The girl seemed horrified at the prospect, slamming her feet backwards 
angrily with a loud rattle. "You can't do that!" she snapped. Indeed, he 
had never done such a thing; Keiya had always been one to leave people 
alone, and here he was asking her if she was okay with imprisoning her.

But Keiya was more amused at her reaction than anything else. "Oh? Why 
can't I? This is *my* town, Kaname, and I can do whatever I please. If I 
wanted my men to keep her here, they will do so without question."

"If you do that," she snarled, hopping off of the unit to stand right in 
front of him, "I'm gonna team up with Toji and Minaki and we'll kick your 
ass so hard!"

"Will you, now." He reached out to pat her on the head condescendingly; she 
recoiled and slapped his hand away with a scowl. "And what exactly leads 
you to being so protective of her, my dear Kaname?"

She sulked and punched him on the arm half-heartedly in response.

"It couldn't be Minaki, could it?" he continued, casually brushing his 
sleeve off where she had struck him. "You don't think she'll be fine all by 
herself, without Reiya to lead her. Is that it?"

"Shut up!" she stammered, lashing out at him again as tears of shame stung 
her eyes. He was right, of course. She *didn't* want him to keep Reiya here 
because it would make Minaki unhappy. Even in the short time they had been 
together, that much was obvious. What she didn't understand was why 
Minaki's feelings meant so much to her, enough so that she had defied Keiya 
not once, but *twice*. She didn't understand why there was a sharp pain was 
tearing at her from inside, and her inability to do so only made her all 
the more frustrated.

Keiya merely stood in place as she punched him in the gut again and again, 
each subsequent blow growing weaker. When the fury finally abated, he 
reached out to place his hand upon her head once more, this time in a 
comforting fashion. The gesture met no resistance; she was too busy trying 
to stop the sobs wracking her shoulders.

"K-Keiya... you a... asshole!" she blurted out, punching him once more for 
good measure.

"I had figured you would care," he said smoothly, lifting the baseball cap 
off her head by the brim and stroking her hair gently. "This is why I 
asked. I won't keep her here if you don't wish me to."

Kaname looked up at him with surprise, smearing the tears away from her 
eyes with her fists. "You... you r-really mean it?" she whimpered, 
sniffling a little bit.

He sighed quietly and placed the cap back on her head, sliding it around so 
the brim pointed backwards. "Yes. I mean it. Now make a decision before I 
think better of it."

She slid forward and abruptly threw her arms around him, her hands barely 
managing to clasp around his waist. Keiya mumbled something under his 
breath and half-heartedly returned the gesture with one arm, giving her 
another few seconds within the embrace before he raised his voice. "... let 
go."

"No."

"I *said*... let go."

Her response was to tighten her grip to a painful degree. Keiya, refusing 
to be outdone, snaked one hand snaked out from under Kaname's arms and 
rapped his knuckles forcefully on the top of her head.

"Ow!"

The girl glared up at him momentarily - just as he began grinding his fist 
downwards. "Owwwww! Stop it stop it! Stoooop!" She finally released her 
grip, stumbling back away from him and backing into the air conditioner 
unit with another loud rattle. "... I hate you."

There was not a trace of seriousness in her voice, and even Keiya couldn't 
help himself from grinning slightly. "I take it you would like me to keep 
her here, then?" he murmured contemplatively.

"No!"

"Then do me a favor." He turned back to his calm observation of the 
clearing night sky, slipping both hands into his slacks. A faint wind 
stirred past the rooftop, ruffling locks of golden hair across his narrowed 
eyes. "Bring Reiya to me."

"What about Toji?" Kaname murmured, vaguely worried that if the two men got 
within ten feet of each other they would attempt to kill each other again. 
It wasn't a possibility she particularly wanted to risk.

Keiya's tone regained its hard edge without any warning whatsoever, and 
there was no small amount of bitterness there. "What about him?" he snapped.

She backed away from him one step at a time, suddenly very unsure of 
herself. The moment of revelry had disappeared as quickly as it had come... 
he was back to his former self, the mask firmly in place again. Kaname 
could feel the frustration threatening to boil over inside of her. So close 
- she had been *so close* to finally reaching him, and for a moment it 
looked as if he had wanted her to do so. But she just didn't know anymore. 
She wanted to hit him, hard. It probably wasn't a good idea, though; he 
didn't need to be hit any more tonight.

Without another word, Kaname scurried into the stairwell and disappeared 
from sight. The door slammed resoundingly shut behind her.

Keiya only allowed himself a small sigh, his crimson-flecked eyes focusing 
upon the moon emerging from the dark clouds. "Stupid girl."

_____


Kaname managed to find Reiya rather quickly, mostly thanks to the presence 
of her Guardian in the building. She was apparently maintaining some kind 
of a vigil, probably in case Keiya decided to jump her - which *was* pretty 
clever, but ultimately self-defeating. She had no intention of ambushing 
the swordfighter; however, she *was* a bit surprised when she swung the 
door of her room aside to find Reiya swathed in blankets, looking briefly 
up at her before her face creased in mild displeasure.

"Uh..." Kaname managed slowly, pointing at her. "What... are you - "

"My clothes are wet," Reiya replied evenly, clearly not happy with the way 
she had simply barged through the door. "I'm having Toji dry them for me. 
We'll leave as soon as we can, I promise."

The younger girl stared for a bit longer, then stifled a giggle with her 
hands, circling around the bed. "Why the hell are you naked?" she blurted out.

Her bluntness managed to leave Reiya speechless as she tried to come up 
with a halfway-dignified response. "... I don't have any other clothes," 
she finally said lamely.

"You're stupid. Anyways, Keiya wants to see you," she said briskly. "He 
doesn't wanna see Toji either, so you might wanna go now."

Reiya gave her a withering look, hardly believing what she was hearing. She 
could not be serious. "You can't expect me to go right now, like this."

Kaname scowled at her. "Why not?" Apparently she was serious after all.

Reiya had no idea how she was supposed to respond in the face of such a 
question, so she remained silent... until Kaname strode further in and 
kicked at the edge of the bed with her sneakered foot, causing it to slide 
a few inches.

"You have to come now!" she insisted, grabbing for her arm. "So c'mon!"

"I have to do no such thing," Reiya said firmly, not budging from her spot. 
Between the lingering guilt from the fight, the uneasiness of having so 
many other Hosts around, and now this, she was beginning to grow a bit 
annoyed. "Please leave me alone."

Kaname's response was to kick the bed again with her other foot, this time 
putting the power of her Guardian behind it. The resulting impact was 
enough to push the mattress right out from under Reiya and clear off the 
springbox. It came as a complete surprise to Reiya, and as half of the bed 
struck the wall she found herself pitching forward to land unceremoniously 
on her face. The sheet managed to remain wrapped around her body in a minor 
miracle.

"Get up!" the girl demanded, placing her hands on her hips and doing her 
best to look angry.

"That... wasn't very nice," Reiya murmured, picking herself up with a 
groan. Her patience was wearing thin, but what could she do? Here in the 
enemy's territory, a single wrong move would be the end. For the time 
being, she had to humor whatever tantrum Kaname was going to throw at her 
and hope that it wouldn't be too bad.

But Kaname seemed different this time than when they had last met. Sullen 
resentment still burned in the girl's eyes like a dying fire, though it was 
muted by an inexplicable sadness. Her words were harsh and forceful, but 
the voice that bore them carried no real threat to it; any edge it held was 
now gone, leaving behind a hollowed imitation of the vicious spirit that 
had taunted Reiya previously.

For the first time, Reiya wondered if Kaname's relationship with Keiya was 
not darker than she had originally imagined.

"I'm not very nice," Kaname said, a nasty grin played across her lips. 
"Neither is Keiya, if you piss him off."

Reiya frowned slightly as she saw the wicked delight Kaname was taking in 
her words. "You don't have to threaten me. If he wants to speak with me, 
I'll be perfectly willing to oblige once I can at least make myself look 
presentable."

"You're so stupid."

"Would you please stop saying that?"

"Why should I?" Kaname snarled, finally seeming to lose what patience she 
had. "You are! You come into south-side without any idea what the hell 
you're doing and then find out that you can't fight worth a damn in the 
rain! Then your friend has to go make things hard and beat Keiya up!"

She was seething by the time she finished, glaring at Reiya with something 
akin to raw hatred. Her side was the only side that mattered, of course. 
Reiya loitering in *her* hotel just made things worse; it was as if her 
presence alone was the sole reason things were falling apart around her 
again. "Why do you people have to be so damn annoying?!"

"Annoying?" Reiya's voice quivered slightly in anger as she struggled to 
keep herself calm. She could almost see the mental block that the girl had 
erected around herself to prevent anyone from influencing her perspective, 
and she knew that it was one thing her Guardian would not be able to help 
her with. "How *dare* you call us that."

"I'll call you any damn thing I want - "

But Reiya's anger was steel, and her words easily cut through Kaname's 
mounting accusation. "How dare you come into downtown and hurt *my* 
friends! Did you ever think about that, Kaname? Or does your world not 
exist outside of this hotel?"

The girl let out a groan of irritation. She wasn't about to agree with her, 
as it meant admitting she was wrong. But Keiya was obviously more important 
to her than Toji and Minaki - well, maybe not Minaki - and she didn't 
expect Reiya to understand that. So what if he beat her friends senseless 
the first few times they'd met? They had deserved it.

Kaname was about to point that out when the look on Reiya's face stopped 
her short.

She remembered the fight with Minaki, and how Keiya had been utterly 
relentless in his strokes. The conflict played itself in her mind again: 
the repeated attempts to break through his defense, and how he had nearly 
killed the girl - much like how he came close to killing Toji tonight. But 
he wouldn't have gone that far, because it just wasn't like him to end it 
like that.

Was it?

And that still wouldn't have mattered if Toji had decided to kill Keiya - 
which he had certainly been ready to do, judging by the look that had been 
on his face. The thought of Keiya dying managed to sober her considerably, 
much of her anger and indignity draining away. What would she do, if Keiya 
was gone? Where would she go? It had never been something she'd given 
thought to, as she had grown so accustomed to living in the south-side...

"That's not the point!" she groused, not sure of what to do at that point 
except to deflect the topic away from herself. "I didn't - "

"Then what *is* the point?" Reiya shot back quickly. She slid into a 
crouching position to let the sheet drape around herself protectively, 
eyeing Kaname warily. "It wasn't right for Keiya to do what he did... and 
maybe it wasn't right for us to come looking for revenge. But it's over 
now, Kaname. We shouldn't be fighting each other. We're all Hosts - the 
true enemy are the demons."

Her words struck an impulse within her that had been growing ever since the 
fight at the library, where she had been so ignobly defeated. At first 
Kaname thought it to be the aching need for payback - and so she had gone 
into downtown to find them, only to be beaten by Minaki. But after the 
second time, she found herself strangely bereft of the will to fight, as if 
her losses had channeled themselves into Keiya. Maybe *that's* what he was 
doing now; maybe he was trying to even the score for her... but that 
would've meant that he'd actually cared for her all along.

It was all very confusing for Kaname, and she decided to take a seat in the 
armchair with an exasperated grumble. That was when Toji walked back in the 
room carrying a small bundle in his arms and glancing around the room 
quizzically. His gaze shifted between Reiya - who was still wrapped up and 
looking like some kind of strange ghost - and Kaname, who was staring 
sullenly up at the ceiling in defeat.

"Er, did I interrupt something?" he said carefully, taking a step back 
towards the door.

"No." Reiya stood up and brushed her hair aside, speaking calmly as she 
reached for her clothes. "Thanks, Toji. Will you wait outside for me while 
I get dressed? We're going to have to speak with Keiya before we go."

Toji seemed to blanch at the notion. "Do we have to?"

"*Yes*, you have to!" Kaname spat. She flew up from her chair in a blur of 
motion and grabbed Toji by the arm, already hauling him out of the room 
before Reiya could stop her. "Now wait outside like she asked!"

"Hey, wait a sec - "

The door slammed resoundingly shut a second later, leaving a lampshade 
quaking in the wake of their departure.

Reiya made sure the door was locked and moved back towards the bed, easing 
the mattress onto the springbox with a flick of her wrist. As she slipped 
the warmed clothes back on, she couldn't help but wonder what Kaname and 
Keiya's stake in all this was. From the way Keiya had spoken, he had 
thought her to be the one behind the attacks - which meant that he also had 
no idea who was truly behind it all. Perhaps they could form some kind of 
an alliance...

... but she found herself hesitant to work with someone like him. He and 
Kaname weren't bad people, granted, even though Kaname had a fair bit of 
growing up left to do. The prospect of placing her faith in someone who 
maintained such a distance from everything around him was just far too 
daunting, and his dimunitive partner was just too irresponsible with her 
power for her to be comfortable around.

She buttoned the last clasp on her shirt and exited the room quietly, 
following Kaname's lead up the flight of stairs to the roof of the hotel. 
Though it was painfully obvious to her that Toji didn't want to go, she 
said nothing as they made their way past the floors. This was going to 
probably be the only chance they would have at getting all of their cards 
on the table, so to speak; she was going to have to do everything in her 
power to make sure she got what she wanted from this meeting.

Keiya was still observing the night sky in silence when the three Hosts 
emerged from the stairwell. He felt Liquis' presence as soon as Toji 
stepped forth, and for an instant he wondered if Kaname had simply chosen 
not to listen to his orders anymore. She *was* already growing up quicker 
than he could handle, so it wouldn't have come as a surprise. It wouldn't 
be of any concern, though; between the calming weather and the look on 
Reiya's face, it was apparent that she had no intention of causing trouble.

He said nothing about the water Host's presence as he turned towards her. 
"Good evening, Reiya Eice," he greeted, impeccably polite. "I hope you 
found your stay to be a pleasant one, as short as it was."

Reiya stepped forward protectively in front of Toji, her voice matching his 
in tone. "Keiya Dulce... we meet again," she murmured, deciding to get this 
over with as quickly as possible. "What do you wish to speak about?"

"Many things. First off... my apologies to the young man over there." Keiya 
tilted his chin to indicate Toji, grinning faintly at the angered look he 
got. "It was a good fight, and I congratulate you wholeheartedly."

"You arrogant little bitch - " Toji snapped, taking a step forward.

But Reiya quickly raised her hand up to stop him, casting a warning glance 
in his direction. Keiya had meant what he said, despite the look of amused 
scorn upon his face. Perhaps he really *had* enjoyed the fight, though the 
idea of their fight as a game made her more than slightly uneasy. "And?"

"Second... my apologies to you." He turned his gaze upon her once more, and 
for the first time Reiya could see his pale grey eyes, the pupils flecked 
with bits of red. Setsuna's voice was a faint thrumming in her soul, 
informing her that the red was from the influence of his Guardian. "It 
appears that we are both after the same things, Reiya Eice."

"The demons?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes. Perhaps Keiya knew more 
than he was letting on; the trace of demonic energy that she'd felt when 
she had fought Kaname continued bothering her, wanting to be explained.

The wind Host turned around as he spoke, his voice carrying easily across 
the rooftop. "Indeed. Why do they converge around your presence? Do not try 
to deny it, for you know it to be the truth."

"I... never really thought of that," she admitted, frowning thoughtfully. 
"I only do what I feel is right, and that is to make sure the demons do not 
hurt innocent people."

"Are you like your friend Minaki, then?" The wind Host's tone gained an 
amused edge, and she felt his smirk even though he was facing away from 
her. "Abusing your power to follow a self-imposed sense of duty..."

Toji snarled, nearly pushing past Reiya before she restrained him once 
more. "You're hardly one to talk!" he shouted angrily.

"You shut the hell up!" Kaname screamed, striding forward right into Toji's 
face - or as close as she could get, given their differences in height. 
"You don't know anything!"

Keiya glanced around, his face a mask of barely concealed wrath. "Kaname."

The girl gave Toji a scathing glare but backed away grudgingly, looking 
sullen and forlorn once more. That seemed to satisfy Keiya, and he turned 
to gaze at the night sky again as he continued speaking. "Kazeki and I came 
here to flee from people like you. Self-righteous, arrogant people with 
power and authority thinking they own the world... not realizing the 
implications of what they did. Have you ever thought about what your 
actions would lead to, Reiya Eice?"

"Yes. My actions protect the city of Hoshimi from these predators." There 
was no doubt in her voice; the conviction behind it was unwavering. "Are 
you implying I fight for another reason?"

"Whether you see it or not, your actions only manage to compensate for what 
you unwittingly set into motion," Keiya replied smoothly. "Do not think 
that you fight for peace, because you do not."

Anger betrayed itself on Reiya's face in a quick ripple, but she managed to 
keep herself in check. "Then what do you believe I fight for?" she murmured 
inquisitively.

Keiya turned to face her as he spoke, his expression utterly cold and 
unrelenting. "Atonement."

It was only one word, barely sensical in the torrent of thought and emotion 
coursing through her mind - but somehow, the look on his face and the 
insinuation behind his glib reply made it all the more frustrating. "... 
what is that supposed to mean?" she muttered darkly.

He was enjoying himself, that much was apparent - but deep down, Keiya 
found it difficult to continue. He had received the same lecture once from 
someone he had similarly hated, and it was only through that man's biting 
words that he had eventually come to understand himself. The conflict was 
clear judging by the look on Reiya's face, and as much as he wanted to 
twist the knife, he knew that doing so would mean having to hear Kaname 
gripe about it for weeks, to say nothing of his own sense of remorse.

"You can think what you want," he finally said coolly, "but in the end, you 
*are* the one responsible for the demon attacks. How you choose to deal 
with it is your decision, and will attest to the kind of person you are 
more than anything you have to say."

Reiya found herself at a loss for words.

"I have done nothing more than protect my town from you. If you condemn me 
for doing so, then perhaps you think too nobly of yourself." Keiya began 
stepping towards the ledge without another word, leaving Reiya shaking in 
silent fury. Another step and he was soaring through the air, his Guardian 
carrying him into the night with ease.

Toji shook his head as he watched the man disappear off in the distance. 
"Reiya..." he began.

"You better think about what he said," Kaname growled as she stepped past 
them, giving Reiya an accusatory look before she leapt off the rooftop. 
Bursts of violet energy marked her progress across the buildings as she 
followed Keiya, trying to catch up.

Toji relaxed just a tiny bit as he felt the Hosts' presences fade away from 
his thoughts. He shifted forward, one hand resting comfortingly upon 
Reiya's shoulder. Keiya's words had been only a few degrees removed from 
what he had said at the Bluebird; had it been coming from either himself or 
Minaki, they probably would have had a far greater impact. As it was, 
though, she looked deeply unhappy, enough so that she didn't respond to his 
touch at all.

"Let's go," he urged quietly, tugging insistently at her. The last thing he 
wanted her to do now was to shut herself off in that incredibly frustrating 
way she had; it only made it harder for him to try and understand what she 
was thinking. But as she pulled herself away, he knew that it was already 
too late. Keiya's words had cut to her core, and he could only hope that 
Reiya wouldn't take it to heart and lose faith in what she had been 
fighting for since the beginning - especially now, when they were so close 
towards discovering the truth.

"I need to be alone for a while, Toji," she murmured quietly as she moved 
closer towards the edge of the building. "Please tell Minaki I'll be all 
right."

He let out a sigh of exasperation at that, arms slumping futilely at his 
sides. "Don't leave now," he said pleadingly. "Please."

"I won't leave you," she reassured him, smiling softly. "I'll come back. I 
promise."

Her words were strong and sure, leaving no doubt in his mind. He knew that 
nothing he could say now was going to sway her.

"Be careful," he murmured at long last. "Take care of yourself."

"I will."

And then she too was gone, her hair trailing behind her in soft, black 
wisps as she descended from the ceiling.

_____


Reiya wasn't sure where she wanted to go even as she bound across the 
cityscape in expansive jumps, clearing smaller buildings with ease and 
dashing quietly along rooftops until she was well within the heart of the 
downtown sector. It didn't seem to matter to her for the time being; she 
simply had to get to someplace where she could mull over what Keiya had 
said in solitude. As the bright lights of the Hoshimi Mall's massive 
marquee board pulled into view, she swung herself onto the edge, taking a 
seat carefully to let her legs dangle over the face of the building.

She had never considered the reason for the attacks in any great amount of 
depth, and the idea that she was responsible for them was just faintly 
ridiculous to her. She wasn't anyone special, and Keiya's presence only 
corroborated that there were other Hosts besides her. Why he would believe 
that her awakening was the key to the demon attacks remained opaque to her. 
Undoubtedly, there was something he was refusing to tell her, and his 
distant attitude more or less meant she was going to be hard-pressed to 
discover what it was.

Fighting the demons was what Reiya had always thought Setsuna's purpose to 
be; she couldn't believe that the demons had actually appeared to fight 
her. But there was no way to prove that Keiya was wrong, and she knew that 
if what he said was accurate, she would not be able return to her home or 
her friends as long as the demons existed. She would just have to wait 
until the day, when all of them were defeated, so that she would not bring 
her friends into danger.

But she wasn't sure where she had to go anymore. Already drifting through 
high school without any real chance at graduation, she was only a few steps 
away from living on the street. The only purpose she'd had for the past 
year was to fight; the prospect of victory had always seemed so far off 
that it was something she had forgotten to think about. Now that things 
were coming to a head, she realized that she finally had to find her own 
direction before it was too late.

A faint scraping sound came from the ground below, and Reiya glanced down 
to spot someone striding across the parking lot towards the back entrance. 
She quickly stood up and began quietly circling around to follow. Upon 
closer inspection, the figure seemed to be a man garbed all in black, 
wearing a jacket over a loose t-shirt along with a pair of leather pants 
and high-tops. His hair was black like the rest of him, spiked haphazardly 
and sticking out behind his neck in a tiny rat-tail. He was clearly not a 
security guard; probably some petty thief looking for trouble.

Reiya decided to stay quiet for the time being, waiting to see what he 
would do as the man continued on his trek around the building. He finally 
stopped in front of a delivery dock in the deserted back lot, his sneakers 
scraping along the ground as he shifted himself into some kind of fighting 
stance. She blinked in confusion - what exactly was he intending to do?

Dust kicked up around the man in a tiny storm as he lifted both of his 
arms, fists clenching tightly. Reiya's eyes widened; Setsuna was abruptly 
alive, warning thoughts racing through her mind.

The man was summoning his Guardian.

He reared back and cast his arms out at his sides, flames bursting in a 
wide cone from his right hand as his scream tore through the night sky. 
"INFURIEL!!"

Blazing energy engulfed his arm in a tornado of fire and sound, dissipating 
to leave his Guardian behind: a mace-like weapon that resembled an 
oversized hammer, each of its two faces glimmered with a golden sheen that 
pulsed with life. Pulsing light shifted over the crimson handle, a faint 
glow emanating from the rubies inlaid within the weapon's haft; flickering 
flames hissed and spat over the metal surface, sparks dancing along its length.

He wasted no time swinging the hammer behind him, grinning maniacally. "All 
right! Let's GET IT ON!"

Reiya gritted her teeth as he slung the hammer forward in a shower of 
sparks, the weapon slamming into the dock's corrugated door and crushing it 
in a piercing shriek of metal. Bits of smoldering debris drifted lazily 
through the air in the wake of the attack, the sheer force having left a 
substantial hole in the door. The man lifted his hand out to catch the 
hammer as it returned, casually striding through the makeshift entrance and 
ignoring the alarms that were already cutting through the air.

In a flash of blue, Reiya's sword was in hand. She wasn't about to simply 
let this man do as he wished just because he was a Host. Perhaps she had no 
right to judge others, as Keiya had said... but that didn't matter to her 
now. One jump and she landed in front of the smoking wreck of the door; 
another and she was inside, dashing through the storage room amidst 
hundreds of boxes stacked haphazardly in maze-like configuration.

There was no sign of the man, although a trail of singed containers and 
ashes made following him rather easy. Reiya flipped her sword around 
against her forearm and scurried further in, noticing with faint amusement 
how the path of destruction led her in a straight towards an exit. Once she 
pushed past the doors, she found herself in the back of a bookstore not 
unlike the one she worked at. The lights, strangely enough, were already 
all on; someone had been waiting for her. Another gaping hole, this time in 
the chain-link gate at the front of the store, marked the passing of the 
errant Host.

She had barely made her way out onto the floor when a shout cut through the 
air, a flaming arc sweeping towards her. Reiya instinctively flicked her 
sword around to bat the weapon away, managing it with some difficulty; the 
impact was far greater than she initially had expected. Without waiting to 
see where it had come from, she vaulted onto an escalator handrail, pushing 
off from it to perch upon a chair on the upper floor.

"Not bad, not bad at all!" came a brash voice from the darkness.

Reiya turned around just enough to get a good look of the man standing down 
the walkway from her. His expression was bemused, but there was more than a 
small amount of delight to his grin, as if he was enjoying every moment. 
"Wow, you're pretty cute up close."

"Who are you?" she asked calmly, ignoring her faint twinge of surprise at 
the comment. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? Heh, I'm just a Host like you." The way he spoke made it sound as if 
she should've already known that much. "The name's Seki Tsukichiro. This 
here's my Guardian - "

"Infuriel," Reiya interrupted, lifting her sword upwards and twirling it 
outwards, the Guardian's pealing briefly drowning out the alarms in the 
background.

Seki seemed impressed and grinned brightly. "Wow - hey, yeah! Yours is... 
Setsuna, right?"

"How did you know that?!" Reiya hissed, bringing the blade of her sword in 
front of her defensively.

"Simple. We've been watching you." His grin widened, exposing a hint of 
malice behind it. "He was right... you showed up like clockwork."

Reiya's eyes widened as he spoke. Someone else was behind all of this, and 
she had no doubt that this was the person both she and Keiya were looking 
for. She steeled herself and rocketed forward from the chair with her sword 
poised at her side, a flare of emerald light trailing behind her. This was 
going to have to be a quick fight; she only had perhaps another five 
minutes to take him down before the police arrived.

The two met in a clash of weapons, Reiya's sword dancing through the air in 
trails of green and blue against Infuriel's flames. Seki's grin only grew 
wider as he shifted his hammer in response, twisting the two faces of the 
weapon and jerking his leading arm back and forth to stop her rapid-fire 
swings short. She frowned - she had never actually fought anything similar 
to Seki's Guardian - and pressed the attack across the promenade, trying to 
force him towards the edge even as she felt herself continually denied 
strike after strike.

"What's the matter?" Seki asked, sounding more earnest than she would've 
expected. "You're not your usual self!"

Reiya tightened her grip and braced herself, the blade flaring with crimson 
power. "You have no right to say that. You don't know me at all!" she said, 
launching herself towards Seki. Both of her arms swung around in a powerful 
arc as she soared past him, skidding to a stop twenty feet away in a low 
crouch.

"Geh... not bad."

Reiya blinked and lifted herself up, turning to face Seki.

He was clasping Infuriel close to his chest, looking somewhat strained but 
nothing more. A small gash upon the hammer marked the place where she had 
struck... and as he relaxed, a tongue of flame licked out from the golden 
metal to reform it seamlessly. Fire gathered around the heads as he hefted 
the weapon high, his grin turned into a nasty leer. "But not good enough! 
CRUSH ON CRUSH!!"

"How could you - " Reiya began, not believing that he had withstood her 
attack so easily. But she had no time to finish as the hammer exploded with 
flame, slamming into the walkway and instantly obliterating the concrete 
and tiling in a furnace of unbearable heat. The walkway shattered with a 
loud splintering noise, a spiderweb of cracks heading directly for her - 
but she leapt away into the air, twisting herself into a somersault to land 
upon a massive glass fountain in the food court. Smoke had obscured the 
ruined walkway from sight, and she narrowed her eyes in concentration as 
she scrambled higher, trying to sense the presence of the other Host...

There.

Reiya's arm shot outwards, sending her Guardian twirling through the air in 
streams of azure energy. She knew that she had to avoid the flames coming 
from Infuriel, as the heat was nothing short of a hellish inferno; even a 
single hit from the weapon would be dangerous. But Seki seemed to have no 
problems batting the whirling blade aside as he emerged from the smoke in a 
tremendous leap, his arm poised in preparation for another crushing blow.

She jumped back and away, neatly retrieving her sword as it boomeranged 
back to her, to land on a lower layer of the structure. That was when Seki 
let out another scream that echoed throughout the deserted mall, one that 
was quickly drowned out as he brought his Guardian down into the fountain. 
The first two tiers instantly evaporated beneath the assault; the rest 
imploded in a mass of white fragments which knifed outwards in an 
uncontrolled blizzard.

There was barely time for her to move, and she had to jump up again to 
avoid the storm. Once airborne, she began hopping rapidly off from shard to 
shard to gradually work her way up in the air, her sword gaining a lavender 
glow as she did so. Seki was still suspended in the air by his Guardian, 
the heat from the weapon easily slagging the fountain down to cinders - and 
with one last push, she brought her sword forward and launched herself up 
through the air in a tight, angled spin aimed directly at him.

He hadn't anticipated that. In his preoccupation with destroying the perch 
his enemy had been on, he had gotten caught in moment, the sheer adrenaline 
blocking everything else out in his mind save for the rush of exhilaration. 
That lapse in attention cost him dearly as Reiya pirouetted past in a coil 
of orchid energy, the blade singing against his skin. White-hot pain 
exploded in his chest, bringing him onto his knees before the decimated 
fountain. Infuriel slammed into the ground at his side, its heat sizzling 
against the tiles beneath.

"Damn..." he muttered under his breath, one hand clutching the spot she'd 
struck him. "That hurt. What the hell... that's not supposed to happen - "

Reiya said nothing. Her sneakers whispered subtly over the remnants of an 
escalator as she edged closer, the violet aura fading from her blade to be 
replaced by a wicked crimson miasma. The sound of police sirens off in the 
distance was growing closer; it was time to end this as quickly as she 
could. Pushing herself through the air once more, she tightened the grip 
upon the hilt as she closed in, arms tensing to deliver the decisive stroke.

Seki struggled to get back onto his feet, his body protesting every move he 
made. But he already knew that there was no way he would be able to bring 
Infuriel up in time to block; her last attack had taken too much out of 
him, and she was just moving too fast...

The sound of something fragile and cold split the air just before Reiya 
struck, and her sword was suddenly embedded within what looked like a 
pinwheel of ice crystals. They exploded outwards at her with dizzying 
speed, pushing her back so that she could no longer reach Seki. Reiya 
staggered back until she struck the wall, glancing up and around in 
bewilderment.

"Have you had your fill yet, Tsukichiro?" a voice resonated from the distance.

Her gaze focused upon a man standing atop an untouched section of the 
walkway, clad all in white from his neatly-pressed suit to his spotless 
shoes. His hand was outstretched, glowing with pale blue light that matched 
his short-cut hair. He was looking down at Seki, but as she regarded him he 
turned his gaze towards her with a wicked smile, as if daring her to make a 
move.

Seki, in the meantime, had managed to stagger onto his feet as the ice 
shards in the air flattened themselves against the ground to form a 
makeshift platform. "Damn it, Hikaru!" he grumbled as the ice-lift began 
carrying him up towards the other Host. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"Enough is enough," Hikaru replied flatly. "Let us depart before you make a 
bigger fool of yourself."

"Peh." Seki wiped his face as Hikaru boarded the platform next to him, 
turning his gaze back down towards Reiya. "Let's fight again sometime, 
babe!" he shouted. "Anytime! I'll come find you!"

Reiya didn't respond as the two men hovered higher towards the ceiling, 
another violent shattering of glass marking their exit out of the mall. She 
felt utterly spent, as if all of her determination had been spent during 
the fight; there was just no will left to give chase.

The faint footsteps of officers swarming into the mall came into earshot, 
and she knew that there was no more time left. With a single jump, Reiya 
was soaring towards the balcony overhead. Another and she flew through the 
jagged gap in the skylight, disappearing into the night seconds later.

_____



-- bellreisa

Writings        http://bellreisa.tnim.org
Wiki            http://ciel.ath.cx:8080/cielwiki


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