Rest can be found at http://kalciane.tnim.org/ab.

.07. - Hikaru



His enemy was a fool.

Hikaru already knew it before he offered him a chance to surrender, and his 
subsequent decision to fight only corroborated that notion. Not only was 
Toji utterly out of his element, he also had no conception who he was 
dealing with. Given his fairly lackluster track record with hunting demons 
down, Hikaru was surprised that the water Host had even managed to progress 
as far as he did; of the three, he was the one who had always been 
worthless, and Kail's insistence upon monitoring him was puzzling, to say 
the least.

But the time he had spent doing so was about to pay off now. He was going 
to destroy this fool's arrogance, spawned in that moment when he was facing 
death. A sudden revelation with his Guardian was all it taken for him to 
believe himself worthy of respect. Such was not the case, and the 
presumptuousness was an affront to Hikaru's sensibilities. He almost 
considered offering his enemy a second chance to surrender... then decided 
that he would rather take the pleasure of tearing him apart, even if it was 
going to cost him a precious few minutes of his time.

Crystallean chimed in his mind as Toji charged forward suicidally, the 
ribbons of water around him whistling through the air like so many whips. 
Hikaru sighed at the juvenile strategy and quickly hopped backwards along 
the grass, poising himself carefully upon his one leg and concentrating 
upon his Guardian. As the coils of liquid arced towards him, the air around 
him grew exponentially colder, leaving the attack to fall short as his 
Guardian assimilated Toji's offense.

That seemed to confuse him, and he quickly backed away as more water 
filtered around him protectively. Hikaru smirked lightly and straightened 
himself, a cool wind filtering past his hair while his Guardian gradually 
solidified in the air. Perhaps the fool was not aware of what exactly he 
had done yet; he certainly looked ignorant enough. Perhaps he should 
enlighten him. There was something undeniably elegant about educating the 
ignorant, letting them know exactly how superior he was as he delivered the 
coup de grace.

"Do you not see now?" he whispered sibilantly, letting a satisfied smirk 
spread across his lips. "You have no hope to stand against me. But it is 
too late for you now... I am going to teach you a lesson in humility that 
you will do well to remember."

Hikaru moved forward in a flicker of motion, shifting himself backwards and 
snapping his leg at Toji like a striking viper. The water Host shrank back 
away from the blow and brought himself forward in a tight spin, intending 
to move within striking range... but Hikaru batted him aside with one arm 
and lashed his foot out again, aiming for his knees this time. The impact 
resounded with a flare of light, and another disdainful front kick sent 
Toji flying through the air to land painfully upon the ground.

The sight of his enemy's writhing form displeased him to the core, and 
Hikaru frowned deeply. "Get up," he hissed. "Stand up, you pathetic excuse 
of a Host. I am not through with you."

"Shut up," Toji growled as he staggered onto his feet, coughing. Had he 
been fighting the way he used to, the kicks probably would have done worse 
than simply knock the wind out from his lungs; as it was, they had broken 
through Liquis' defense with relative ease. Why? How was Hikaru able to 
circumvent his Guardian so easily?

The ice Host seemed to decipher what he was thinking, that confident smirk 
appearing once more. "Do not take me to be the same as that other Host you 
defeated," he said smoothly. "Had he truly been fighting to his utmost, you 
would have stood no chance the way you are now."

Toji gritted his teeth angrily, more so at the insinuation of his own skill 
than anything else. The notion of Keiya fighting below what he was capable 
of was more than just a bit ridiculous to him. As much as he disliked the 
man, Toji could tell that he had still been fighting for what he believed 
in - and that, if nothing else, was what made the difference between a 
strong Host and a weak one. It hadn't been until everything in his life had 
been threatened that he'd finally begun to tap the potential of his 
Guardian... his own belief enough to topple what little faith there was in 
Keiya's existence.

But that was neither here nor now. Hikaru's conviction was unwavering, 
every action he made laced with the same cold ruthlessness as his Guardian. 
His belief was clear in every step he took, every flicker of Crystallean's 
blades emanating a harmony between Host and Guardian that only made Toji 
realize how shallow his own epiphany was in comparison. There was no more 
time to linger on what he could have done better. He had to fight for what 
he believed in... and he was finally coming to understand that it was not 
just a normal life anymore.

There was something more.

The rest of the water from the pond sluiced through the air in tight coils, 
shifting outwards to form a perfectly transparent sphere around him. Every 
muscle in his body tensed until he found that state of tranquility once 
more where Liquis' hands clasped his own. Then he remained perfectly still, 
gazing evenly at Hikaru through the veil of liquid between them as his 
hands slowly lifted up from his sides, curving around to rest in front of him.

"It doesn't matter what happened back then," he said quietly, the water 
slowly sinking inwards so that it pressed against his body like a second 
skin. "But if you think that I won't fight with my all right now, then 
maybe there's a few things *I* need to show *you.*"

Hikaru's expression shifted from faint bemusement to one of raw 
viciousness, and a brittle crackling sound filling the area as 
Crystallean's eight blades pivoted about him in an expansive ring. "Then 
show me."

__________

Angelblade

by Jeffrey Yang

10.07.03 to 10.23.03

__________


The two men leaped upwards at almost the exact same instant, a fragile 
whistling slicing through the air as Crystallean's blades darted out around 
Hikaru in formation. Droplets of water formed around Toji similarly just 
before they met each other in mid-flight, Hikaru pivoting himself through 
the air defensively as the water Host's arms swung towards him. The ice 
blades quickly flicked about with perfect timing to his steps, carrying him 
back through the air towards the top of the swing set; Toji pursued him 
relentlessly, his own Guardian's power manipulating the droplets beneath 
his feet like a makeshift staircase.

Their movements carried them across the playground, kicking up tiny 
rivulets in sand with each step and jump. Hikaru was content to play 
keep-away for now, his arms blurring with unearthly speed against the 
veritable barrage his enemy was launching against him. He hadn't expected 
Toji to be as skilled as he was, but his moves were amateurish at best, the 
hollow blows of a fighter who lacked real ability. Another few exchanges 
and he grew tired of toying with him; it was time to end things. A mere 
thought and the air around him grew even colder, and the water in the air 
crystallized around Toji with alarming speed.

He noticed just in time and pushed himself away in a powerful leap, soaring 
over the merry-go-round to land carefully upon one side of a see-saw. A 
soft thump floated through the air as the end pitched down into the sand - 
then Toji realized that everything was abruptly silent around him. Even the 
wind had ceased, the leaves overhead rustling ever so slightly as Hikaru 
touched down upon the top railing of the swing set.

"Why do you persist in this foolishness?" he murmured rhetorically. "Do you 
find it enjoyable? Do you even know what you are fighting for?"

Toji gracefully lowered his arms at his sides and took a step forward, his 
balance steady upon the rickety wood surface. The water about his body 
snapped back out into a sphere as he spoke. "Don't be stupid," he said. "An 
experiment? From someone I don't even know? You can't expect me to just 
come along because you asked."

"That is where you are incorrect, Kizuda." Hikaru grinned faintly, brushing 
his softly-combed hair back with his hand. "I would not expect you to know 
of me... however, I would think that even you can respect the breadth of my 
abilities and have the common sense to step down. Unless, of course, your 
Guardian is so poorly-developed it cannot discern such a thing."

"You're certainly arrogant, that much I know," Toji shot back with a small 
smile of his own. "And what I'm fighting for is really none of your damn 
business."

Hikaru shook his head disapprovingly. "Another incorrect response, pathetic 
whelp..." Then he pitched forward in a blur of white and blue as the sand 
roiled up in violent waves around him, the blades of ice slashing towards 
Toji with deadly precision.

He saw them coming in time and launched himself up to meet the assault, 
both arms lifting up at his sides. The air thickened for a moment and his 
Guardian fell silent with exertion... then shards of ice began dissolving 
as they reached the rippling aura about his body, leaving the melted blades 
wavering uncertainly in the air. Pivoting off from the closest one, Toji 
swung himself up at Hikaru and circled himself around in a powerful kick 
aimed for the ice Host's chest.

The blow land solidly, and Toji rebounded off of it back onto his feet to 
land softly in the sand. But something was wrong; the surrounding air 
shimmered, then snapped back down to subzero temperatures. The melted ice 
hanging in the air assumed definite shapes once more, and all eight of 
Crystallean's blades suddenly swarmed at him like so many pieces of 
shrapnel. Toji lifted his arms just in time, the blades ripping through 
Liquis' defense and the sleeves of his uniform. Hot pain seared his skin as 
the cuts drew blood, the flurry abating as the blades withdrew as quickly 
as they had struck.

He heard dry chuckling and the sound of faint clapping, and gradually 
lowered his arms. Hikaru was standing upon the swingset as if he'd never 
moved at all, though his suit was now noticeably creased. His Guardian's 
blades rotated serenely around his waist, the ice glimmering faintly in the 
sunlight.

"Well met, Kizuda," he murmured, lowering his hands to brush the dirt off 
of his clothes. "You have surpassed my expectations yet again."

Toji smirked. "Glad to know I passed the test."

"Perhaps," Hikaru continued, "I should attack now."

He was soaring through the air in a flash, his Guardian flanking out as he 
descended upon Toji with a vicious kick. Sand flew up and around from the 
point of impact; Hikaru knew that he'd missed, but didn't bother waiting. 
Charging through the scattered grit, he swung his left leg outwards in a 
devastating series of kicks aimed for where he knew the water Host to be. 
Sure enough, he felt something deflecting his strikes and the faint 
thrumming of water hovering through the air... and with a harsh mental 
command, Hikaru brought the force of his own Guardian forward to intercept 
a multitude of liquid ribbons that suddenly lashed towards him.

Crystallean's blades whistled past his arms, spreading around him in 
seemingly haphazard formation. Unpredictability was what his enemy was 
going for, and Hikaru knew as much as the ice blades spun and twirled to 
block the ribbons of water snaking for his body. With his own Guardian 
nullifying the brunt of the attack, he pivoted forward and flicked his leg 
forward disdainfully in a forceful kick at Toji's head. The ribbons shrank 
back and coagulated into a single orb of water to block the strike; Hikaru 
shifted his balance and brought his other leg around upon him in a second, 
crushing blow.

Toji's grunt of pain was clearly audible as the kicks sent him stumbling 
back across the sand into the side of the jungle gym, stirring up a fine 
cloud of grit in his wake. The water about his body seemed to sag for a 
second... Hikaru, however, didn't even give him time to recover before 
dashing towards him again, pressing the advantage with a wide, arcing kick. 
Toji moved aside just in time, grimacing as the wooden beam shattered 
around his face, and brought himself spinning outwards at Hikaru with his 
elbow extended.

But he had overlooked the ice blades, and just as he was about to hit, they 
assembled themselves in front of the ice Host in tight formation to 
intercept the attack. Tendrils of cold seeped upwards with terrifying speed 
along his arm, and he quickly drew back - but it was already too late. The 
water around his arm was already crystallizing into thin shards, and it was 
all he could do to cast it away before it continued spreading.

And then Hikaru was upon him again, having taken the brief lull to move 
himself just close enough to press the offensive. The tails of his white 
jacket whipped around from the sheer force of his movements as he pressed 
Toji further across the sandbox, leading with a fierce array of kicks aimed 
for his knees and head. Toji blocked at first, curling his arms around to 
push the powerful kicks aside... and then more of that insidious cold crept 
along his fingers, threatening to numb his hands in seconds. His eyes 
widened as he backstepped from a high roundhouse, noticing that Hikaru had 
placed his Guardian alongside his legs when he wasn't looking.

He had no choice but to shake his arms out again, dispelling the precious 
remaining water that had already turned into bits of ice on his bloodied 
sleeves. There was no way he could fight Crystallean with it eating away at 
his Guardian, and Toji was painfully aware of what the inevitable end would 
be. But he had no time to think of a way around his own eroding defenses; 
Hikaru knew exactly what was happening and simply gave no quarter, his 
kicks now strategically aimed at the dwindling patches of water upon Toji's 
form.

Another snap kick and he was left with nothing more than a small globe of 
water in one hand. As Hikaru closed in for the final blow, Toji swung his 
foot upwards desperately and threw himself back in the same motion. Sand 
flew out raggedly towards Hikaru's face, and he instinctively turned aside 
to let Crystallean's blades huddle around him protectively. Snarling with 
irritation, he shifted his Guardian away with another mental command and 
dusted the grime off of his coat, looking around for where his enemy had 
retreated to.

Toji had moved towards the edge of the sandbox in the meantime and was 
gripping the fencing for support, panting with exertion. Even as he shifted 
to move towards him, Hikaru felt the piddling, miserable attempts upon 
Crystallean, trying to dissolve it again back into something he could use. 
But he was ready for it this time, and easily shunted Liquis' grasp aside. 
There was no recourse and no room for him to escape. With a thin smile, 
Hikaru shot forward once more, the sand flying behind him in a wide plume.

Toji grunted and jumped onto the fence, balancing himself carefully upon 
the twisted wire in a series of light flips and hops. Hikaru didn't deign 
to give chase, instead lashing his arm out to send half of his Guardian's 
blades after the fleeing Host. A high-pitched screech of metal being torn 
filled the air as the ice sliced the iron links out from under Toji's feet, 
forcing him back onto the grass. That was when the other half of 
Crystallean darted outwards, shifting and readjusting themselves beneath 
ice Host's feet as he blurred through the air.

Once again, Toji found himself at the mercy of Hikaru's assault, and it 
took everything he had now to fend off the jackhammer attacks coming at 
him. With no more water to spare, he was forced to use only his limbs, and 
stinging pain shot through his nerves each time one of his enemy's 
ice-laced kicks landed upon his arms. He couldn't even block effectively 
anymore; Hikaru was coming at him from every angle imaginable, his 
white-clad form flashing through the air quicker than he had time to react, 
his Guardian crackling with every advance forward.

A lapse in concentration was all he needed to capitalize with a punishing 
knee to Toji's midsection, sending him stumbling back and gasping for 
breath. But he had no time to do so as Crystallean sheared along his back, 
the ice blades tearing through his uniform and skin. Blood seeped out in 
hot trickles, the pain doubling him over; something struck him dead in the 
face and his world burst into white light, his arms going limp as he struck 
the ground, unable to move or even think.

Hikaru watched his enemy crumple to the ground with a dispassionate gaze, 
his Guardian returning to its neutral position at his sides. He stepped 
forward across the uprooted grass and lifted one arm outwards, letting the 
blades of ice assemble themselves into a sinuous arc curving out from his 
hand. Another few steps and he was above Toji, a light smirk curling his 
lips at the sight of the pathetic man laying at his feet.

"Do you see now, Kizuda?" he said, the ice-whip chiming with a fragile 
melody as he lifted it high. "The difference between you and me. Your 
simple beliefs and ideals are pale nothings compared to my conviction. Do 
not fear, for it is not you that I am interested in. You will come to no 
further harm after this... if you choose to remain obedient."

Toji could barely open his eyes to glance up at him. His mouth opened to 
respond, but everything he said was drowned out as Hikaru brought the 
ice-whip down upon him with enough force to render his entire world into 
blackness.

_____


The first thing Minaki became aware of was a dull, throbbing pain in her 
chest and a clammy coldness seeping through her skin. She suddenly sat up 
and opened her eyes, trying to see where she was before a wave of dizziness 
forced her to remain on the ground. The surrounding room gradually faded in 
as her eyes adjusted to the darkness: she appeared to be in the middle of a 
large amphitheater of some sort, the domed ceiling overhead spotted with 
what had to have been artificial lights constructed to resemble the 
pinpoints of stars. The lack of any windows in the room and a cool breeze 
coming from an unseen vent lended to the outdoors feel of the room.

Another few minutes and she managed to clamber up on her feet unsteadily, 
her feet scraping along the smooth cement to echo forlornly from the walls 
around her. It looked a lot like the astrology lab at school, and she found 
herself wondering how she got there. Then the recollection of what had 
happened came back to her in a painful flash.

Kalciane.

She had nearly sacrificed herself to save her Host, and only after that 
realization did Minaki notice the that the pulsing heat in her heart was 
not her own pain, but her Guardian's, struggling to recover herself in time 
for -

In time for what?

Minaki stumbled around for a few more seconds before fishing around in her 
pockets for her keychain light. Her clothes, though, were no longer torn 
and dirtied; her fingers glossed over unfamiliar silk and satin. Where had 
it come from? What had happened to her Hoshimi Academy uniform? Needless to 
say, her keys were nowhere to be found, and she wasn't about to bring her 
injured Kalciane out to provide light.

The girl sat back down on the cement after a few moments, coming to the 
conclusion that wherever Seki had taken her, it was a very strange place 
indeed. But he seemed like an amicable enough person who had a job to do, 
so undoubtedly the one behind all this would reveal himself soon. She only 
hoped that it would be relatively quick; her limbs were sore from the 
fight, and her throat was growing unpleasantly dry.

An indeterminate amount of time later, a sliver of light slanted across the 
floor from the far end of the room. Footsteps resounded regularly upon the 
concrete as someone walked inside, and Minaki quickly shifted herself 
around and onto her feet to see who it was. It was impossible to tell, 
though, in the almost total lack of light... though she discerned the creak 
of leather and the fluttering of what must have been a voluminous robe.

"Who's there?" she called out softly as she gently held her Guardian back, 
which was struggling to emerge even in its injured state. "Where are you?"

"Such trivial questions... I am Kail Tnim, the lord of this castle. Are you 
unable to see me?"

She strained her eyes, but the light remained dim; with the door closed, 
she couldn't even make out his silhouette, although Kalciane's presence 
told her that the man was right behind her. That was strange, as his voice 
had come from her front... but it may have been the acoustics of the room. 
Either way, he must have been content to observe her as she stood, not 
moving from where he was.

"My Guardian can see you." Minaki figured that Seki had probably already 
told Kail everything he knew; there was little point in keeping secrets. 
"You're standing behind me."

There was a faint whisper of rustling cloth from her left, and the air 
filtered around her coolly in his wake as he paced. "As I expected of you, 
Lady Minaki Harado. You are every bit the talented young Host that I had 
heard so much about."

Minaki felt her fists clenching instinctively as a jumble of thoughts all 
crossed her mind at the same time. This wasn't like when they had met 
Keiya, thinking him to be the one behind the demon attacks. Something about 
Kail's Guardian nagged uncomfortably at her, and yet she was afraid to 
bring Kalciane further to the surface to find out what it was. While she 
was positive that he already knew, she wanted to try and hide anyways.

"What did Seki tell you about me?" she said cautiously.

"It was not through Seki alone that I came to know of you," Kail replied, 
his voice now coming from the false heavens above. "I suppose introductions 
are in order, Lady Harado, although this is hardly the appropriate 
atmosphere for such formalities..."

A soft click resounded through the air and the area was suddenly brightly 
lit, a row of antique lamps circling the room providing muted illumination. 
Crystal chandeliers glistened overhead, and the ceiling of the room sloped 
lazily downwards at the edges. The ground was not cement but a polished 
ivory, and the presence of a stage hinted at the room being a dance floor 
at some point in the past. However, the entire area was bare and the only 
thing standing before her was a dark man swathed in a regal purple overcoat.

Minaki squinted with the abrupt brightness, taking in the sight of the man 
as her eyes adjusted once more. He was much older than she was, although 
his face still held a youthful look about it. His silvered hair looked 
unnaturally glossy, probably owing to the effects of his Guardian. The 
leather shoulderpads of his overcoat creaked softly with each step forward, 
his boots tapping rhythmically upon the smooth tiles.

"I apologize if my associate was overly harsh on you," he said, his tone 
seemingly earnest. "Seki still has much to learn, and I have already 
reprimanded him for being as callous as he was."

She took a few steps back warily to maintain the distance between them. 
"What did you do with Kaname?" she said slowly. "Where is she?"

Kail waved his arm dismissively. "The girl is fine. Seki did not do more 
than bring you here, although it may have been more than what was necessary."

Minaki remained silent, feeling a gnawing pang of guilt. She had tried 
everything she could, yet in the end it hadn't mattered. Somewhere along 
the line, she had managed to gain Kaname's trust, even though Kalciane had 
defeated her badly in their first fight. Through all of the girl's 
recalcitrance was the heart of someone who only wanted to be heard... and 
their last conversation together only affirmed that belief. That trust had 
been torn away from them both in the face of another person's desires, and 
Minaki found herself growing frustrated at her own sense of helplessness.

But it was just like all the other times, and she quickly realized that 
Kail was not the target of her anger. If only she had been stronger, she 
would've been able to stop Seki from taking her away from Kaname. If only 
Kalciane had been able to do more, she could have prevented it all. 
Instead, she found herself unconsciously tightening her hands into 
trembling fists, staring sullenly at her own warped reflection down on the 
floor.

"Is something the matter?" Kail said worriedly. Had Minaki been looking, 
she would've seen a smile of unmasked triumph upon his face. "Lady Harado, 
you do not have to fear for your life, if such if your concern. You are 
amongst friends, though it may not seem apparent now."

"Why?" she whispered tremulously, looking up at him. "Why did you have to 
do such a thing?"

Kail affected a wounded air, as if her accusation had cut him deeply. 
"Again... I apologize if our actions were too forthright. But you must 
understand, Lady Harado. I only brought you here because I wanted the best 
for you. We have been watching you for a very long time, you see..."

"You're the one behind the attacks, aren't you?!" she shouted suddenly, her 
voice echoing from the walls and ceiling. It didn't even occur to her that 
she had raised her voice until the last traces of her words were no longer 
audible. "... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

But he merely shook his head and smiled benevolently, slipping forward to 
kneel upon one knee before the girl so they were eye-to-eye. "There is no 
need for sorrow, Lady Harado. If anyone should regret what has happened, it 
should be I." He reached for her chin when she lowered her gaze, his steely 
grey eyes locking upon her soft brown ones. "We will return to ensure that 
your friend is all right at a later point in time. But for now, there are 
things that we must do, things that concern the well-being of Lady Eice."

The mention of Reiya's name was enough to dispel any thought of 
untrustworthiness on his part; Minaki knew that Reiya would've done 
anything to find out what was behind the attacks, and here was her chance 
to help her friend. If he was going to tell her, she would have done 
anything for him, anything at all. Her own well-being never even occurred 
to her, for it was not something she had any fear of. There was something 
calming about his gaze, and Kalciane's protests seemed to fade farther away 
into a corner of her mind as she continued to return his look.

"Reiya... you know Reiya?" Minaki murmured softly.

"Of course I do. After all, Reiya is your good friend; how could I not?" 
Kail's eyes remained focused upon her, his gaze gentle and yet as 
unflinching as steel. "Do you know where she is now?"

Something clicked in her mind, and she struggled to turn away with little 
success; Kail was holding her chin in a vise-like grip, and she found 
herself unable to break away from it under her own power. "I don't know," 
she confessed, her shoes squealing across the tiles. "I wouldn't tell you, 
anyways! You're a bad person, and I can't help you."

He released her after a few moments of silent contemplation, allowing the 
girl to widen the distance between them once more. Although he had been 
hoping for an easy conquest, it was apparently not to be... but in the end, 
it did not matter either way. He had wanted to spare her from the more 
unsavory aspects of his dream, in a last attempt to preserve what innocence 
may have remained in her - although that, too, may have been a lost cause 
at this point. The girl already knew too much, and there was no turning 
back now.

"I do not wish to find Lady Eice, to be honest," he said. "I only wish to 
help her by assisting you."

Minaki shook her head slowly. "How can I trust you?" she murmured 
incredulously, not so much at his offer but at the sound of her own voice. 
She had never willingly been distrustful of anyone, even Keiya - for deep 
down, she always believed that people had their own dreams that guided them 
in what they said and did. To deny them the opportunity to be trusted was 
worse than anything, she knew; yet Kail was here now, asking so simply for 
that one thing she had never hesitated in giving.

"By showing you the truth," he replied calmly. "As I have said... though it 
may not seem apparent now, you are amongst friends. Not ordinary friends, 
mind you, but ones like Lady Eice and Lord Kizuda. We, of this castle, are 
Hosts as well."

Of that she had never had any doubt, and Minaki shook her head slowly. "The 
truth is that you are sending demons to invade the city... and that I must 
stop you."

She knew that it was futile even as Kalciane's presence flared to life in a 
rush of golden light, the angel's form both muted and oddly translucent as 
it struggled to remain upright before Kail. But he only shook his head and 
turned away, giving no indication that he was concerned about the Guardian 
whatsoever.

"You do not seriously think you will stop me with your Guardian the way it 
is now, do you?" he said softly. "There is no need for you to try, Lady 
Harado. We both know you will fail, and it would only mean more pain for her."

Minaki choked back a sob as she swung her arm outwards in frustration, 
dismissing her Guardian as quickly as it had come; the prospect of more 
suffering for her angel was too much for her to bear. "Why are you doing 
this?" she stammered, finding her tears impossible to hold back. "You're 
not helping me... you're making everything worse for everyone..."

He was kneeling again in an instant, his expression stern but softening 
upon seeing her distress. "It will pass, I promise you. But unless you 
believe sincerely that I will not let you come to harm, I will not be able 
to help you. This is not a simple matter of who is right and who is wrong, 
Lady Harado. Life is never that simple, though we all undoubtedly wish all 
it could be at times."

She knew that he was speaking the truth, for she had thought the exact same 
thing herself many times. There was just going to be no other way to help 
Reiya but to involve herself. "How do you intend to help me?" Minaki murmured.

Kail reached for her hand and took it between his own, looking sincerely 
pleased with her defeated acceptance. "Lady Harado, I believe you 
understand your own plight far better than I can, so I do not wish to 
impose. But how many times have you wished to do more than you did? That 
some small misunderstanding could have been averted had you possessed 
greater resolution of the heart?"

"Lots of times." He was gazing into her eyes again, and this time Minaki 
found herself not only unable to pull away, but unwilling to do so. His 
words were soothing and completely true; he knew how she felt, and a faint 
understanding began to dawn upon her. This man was truly going to be able 
to make things right.

"It has happened to us all, myself included," he went on, stroking her palm 
gently with his fingertips. "And it took me many years and much suffering 
to finally understand how one can overcome these obstacles in life. I have 
seen you suffer, my Lady, and I do not wish to see you continue to do so."

"Why only me?" she said uncertainly. "Why not bring Reiya here, if you 
wanted to show her the same thing?"

"Lady Eice is a distant person by choice, and I am afraid that we cannot 
approach in such a casual fashion," Kail confessed. "But you are her dear 
friend, and I believe you will be able to make her understand; in fact, it 
should only be through her trusted friends that she comes to believe. You 
have a gift, you must realize, both with your Guardian, and your strength 
of character. This gift will allow us to show everyone the one truth, for 
the others may not be as accepting."

Minaki felt a brief flare of irritation well up in her at the idea of 
people who wouldn't be willing to learn happiness. What was wrong with 
them? People like Keiya, Kaname, Toji, and possibly even Reiya - they were 
all wrapped up in their own insecurities to the degree that they may have 
not even been able to understand tranquility if Kail had offered it to 
them. Before she met him, she probably would have faltered as well; she 
only wanted to make people happy, but lacked the knowledge as to how to do 
so. This man was giving her that chance, and she found the prospect 
tempting beyond belief.

And as she looked into his eyes, she felt the last vestiges of her 
resistance fading away with the faint, echoed cries of Kalciane's voice. 
She was going to trust him to show her the way, so that she could finally 
teach her friends what it meant to be truly happy. Her own discontent was 
forgotten, lost amidst the rapidly deteriorating barriers to her innermost 
thoughts - the barriers that Kail was rapidly breaching without doing more 
than stroking her hand comfortingly.

"I understand," she said, her voice gaining an edge of conviction. "I want 
you to show me. What do I have to do?"

Kail smiled congenially and released her hand, tracing his fingers along 
the smooth curve of her cheek. The air around him seemed to darken as if 
the very light itself had been absorbed, a miasma of pure darkness 
encroaching outwards from the shoulders of his overcoat as if it was a 
living thing. Fingers of that inky black caressed the space between their 
faces to settle upon her chest, sinking easily through her diaphanous gown.

"Nothing at all, my Lady." Kail waited for the rest of the creeping aura to 
sink inside of the girl's body before closing his fist at his side. Golden 
light sparked between his fingers and Minaki slumped forward, suddenly 
unconscious. "You only need to rest for now... and prepare to show your 
friends what you have learned."

_____


Hikaru Ijisawa turned away as he felt Kail's Guardian sinking back into the 
recesses of his soul, having seen more than he wanted. He held no feelings 
towards the Evoluder save for a minute curiosity, mostly as to whether or 
not the girl would have been a match for him had she fully understood her 
abilities. But that was trivial now, so he wasted no more time ruminating 
upon it as he walked down the hall away from the ballroom, his steps taking 
him further into the depths of the castle.

What would become of Toji didn't even cross his mind; he knew that Kail 
would see to him soon enough. Rather, his thoughts turned towards the way 
he had spoken to the Evoluder: it had been convincing, almost too much so. 
Kail's eyes had glimmered with promise, his motions delicate... and Hikaru 
found it difficult to believe that this same man claimed that he was in 
love with the princess. How could he love another, and yet show such depth 
of emotion to a stranger? It was beyond his understanding, and his only 
rationalization was that Kail did not truly have any feelings for the 
princess, that it had been a mask all along.

He clenched his hand with impotent anger, thinking back to when they had 
first agreed to all this. Had he known that things would have turned out 
this way, he never would've agreed to work with him. The plan that Kail was 
executing was not his own; Hikaru's dreams of change had been taken 
wholesale from his hands, leaving him to play a second-string role to the 
self-proclaimed lord of the castle. He had wanted only to make the princess 
happy, even if it was through Kail... but at times he was convinced that 
his friend was doing everything to thwart that intention.

Things had been different a long time ago, before the princess had 
submerged herself to the desires of the man she loved. He remembered it 
well, as if it had only been yesterday when she'd still been laughing 
happily, her voice like raindrops upon tender bluebells. Her deep emerald 
eyes, now closed in slumber, had sparkled with a youthful innocence; her 
hair had trailed behind her in the softest of breezes like a feather-light 
shawl of the purest gold.

She was beauty personified to him, and the first time he had set eyes upon 
her was also the only time he'd ever felt the faint stirrings of true 
emotion in his heart. Hikaru had shut himself away at an early age when he 
decided that the only person in the world who counted was himself, and had 
been content to live his life in quiet solitude until she came into his 
life. That was back in his college years, where his field of study had been 
the culture of humanity; he figured that if he was going to harbor contempt 
against his own species, he should at least know more about it first.

The conversation they had was brief but vivid. He was utterly entranced at 
the time - not with what she had said, for it was hardly the first 
intellectual conversation he'd enjoyed - but at the way she spoke. Her 
inflection bore a strange, exotic accent to it, lending an exquisiteness to 
her words, from the simplest acquiescence to the driest of anthropological 
terminology.

And while there had been nothing truly exceptional about her work in the 
field, he found a refreshing difference in her. There was a certain 
brightness to her that was either absent from other people he'd associated 
with, or present in the most offensive fashion possible: blithe ignorance. 
People who reveled in the glory of their existence while remaining in 
complete ignorance of the deeper reasons behind it were nothing short of 
loathsome to him. A pity that such people littered the earth... he had idly 
contemplated thoughts of genocide, but knew that such a goal was beyond his 
abilities at the time.

But after he had conversed with her, he almost forgot his deep-seated 
hatred of humans, for she was the perfect specimen that he'd spent the 
better part of his life searching for. Here was the one who possessed not 
only the flicker of personal bliss that most people left behind in their 
teenage years, but a capacity for caring and understanding which far 
exceeded those of anyone he had ever met.

He knew that this woman would mean something to him. Exactly what her role 
was, he would not find out until much later, after he had met Kail.

Hikaru found himself walking towards one of the lavish congregational rooms 
at the end of a corridor, slipping his way in silently and closing the door 
behind him. The lights came on of their own accord, illuminating the florid 
silks and plush carpeting around the room. He ruminated over the princess' 
eccentric taste in decoration while making his way towards the bar against 
the far wall, taking a clean wine glass from the rack and setting it on the 
counter top. A cooler lay to the side, and he pulled a bottle out from it 
to pour himself a drink.

As he sat down upon one of the recliners around the coffee table with glass 
in hand, he found himself thinking back to his second meeting with the 
princess. It had been hastily arranged after the first under the pretense 
of academic pursuit; Hikaru had no actual need of help from others in that 
regard. They had agreed to meet in the shaded commons ground near the 
cafeteria, a place he liked to frequent for its atmosphere: rustling leaves 
wreathed within a series of wooden beams overhead provided shade from the 
sun year-round, a maze of shadows undulating upon the ground with each soft 
breath of wind.

She had not come alone, like he had been expecting. There was a man with 
her, someone who walked at her side with a familiar ease. Hikaru knew in 
that moment that his plan would have to be revised, for he had not 
anticipated his perfect specimen to already be involved with another. He 
was going to have to find out who he was, and systematically reduce him 
down to so many pieces.

But then he began listening to her speak again in that wonderful way she 
had, and realized that he could not bring himself to do such a thing. As 
much of a hindrance as the man was going to be, Hikaru knew that he was 
going to have to work with him in some fashion. Anything else would have 
upset the precious balance of elements in the princess' frail heart, 
risking the state of tranquility which had captivated his interest so much. 
That, above anything else, was the one thing he was not willing to give up.

He had to move behind veils of deceit and masked intent with both of them: 
she was too fragile for him to deal with directly, forcing him to speak 
with Kail in order to learn more. And Kail himself was an enigma, his true 
dreams and desires only vaguely alluded to in snatches of conversation he'd 
had with the princess. Though he continued to speak with them on a 
semi-regular basis throughout his years of study at the university, it was 
only near graduation that things finally came to a head.

The memory of the day was still clear in his mind. The clouds overhead were 
a dull and forlorn grey, and a cold wind swept the last bits of dead, 
browned leaves across the smooth cement of the commons. Classes were long 
over, and the only people who were still on campus during the break were 
the three of them. The princess had asked them to come, though she didn't 
specify why - but Hikaru had listened without hesitation, knowing that as 
much as he wanted to speak alone with her, Kail would be with there to play 
the role of her chaperone.

It was beyond frustrating, even with the elation that had come with the 
chance to converse with her... but he was somewhat surprised to see her 
alone, a stray leaf caught in her winsome loops of golden hair. The wind 
was picking up, ruffling her pleated white skirt around her smooth legs in 
expansive ripples as she walked towards him. His first reaction was that it 
was a trap; she had deciphered his ideas somehow and was trying to make him 
capitalize upon them, so that Kail would be justified to remove him from 
the picture once and for all. Not that he was going to allow him to do so, 
but the thought of it was sobering enough to make him draw back a few steps 
as she approached.

Then he saw the look on her face and realized that he was being paranoid. 
Her smile was bereft of suspicion, her demeanor so bright as to part the 
clouds above; it was foolishness for him to assume that she would have been 
capable of such deception. Perhaps Kail had put her up to it, but the man 
seemed lost in his own muddled aspirations of becoming an actor to the 
point that Hikaru had a difficult time believing he would've been able to 
craft such a scheme.

He was simply going to have to play it out as she revealed her intentions 
to him. Spontaneity did not appeal to him, but he had little choice.

The princess looked eager and strangely sad as she gazed hopefully at him. 
"Hikaru, I'm glad you're here... there's something I've been wanting to 
show you for a long time now."

"Show me?" he murmured, lifting one brow curiously. What else did she 
possibly have to show him? She already defied description and logic, in his 
eyes.

"I wasn't sure if it was a good idea at first, so I've been avoiding you a 
bit as of late... for that, I'm sorry." The princess brushed the leaf out 
of her hair with a smooth gesture. "But now I know that I was right to 
believe in you."

Her words were puzzling, even more so than they usually were. "I am afraid 
I do not quite understand what you mean," he confessed. "Though your trust 
in me is graciously appreciated."

She smiled and indicated for him to come closer, which he did so with an 
uncharacteristic reluctance. Her hands had been clasped tightly in front of 
her, and as he watched, she brought them outwards and let her fingers 
unfurl to reveal a spark of rich, verdant light from her palms. Hikaru's 
eyes narrowed - for an instant he thought it to be some kind of cheap 
magic, and was vaguely irritated that he'd been called to witness a parlor 
trick. But something was not quite right about it... the light that came 
forth fluttered barely-formed wings, its antenna wavering delicately upon 
its head.

The princess was holding a butterfly of pure light in her hands.

"... what is it?" Hikaru said after a lengthy pause, uncertain as to if 
whether or not he should try to inspect the thing.

"A special gift," she replied easily, finding his reaction rather amusing. 
"I've let Kail see it, too, but I thought you may be interested. What do 
you think?"

That was the first time in which Hikaru knew his estimation of the 
princess' abilities to be right all along; there *was* something special 
about her, an element that edged past the realm of the logical and into the 
supernatural. Admittedly, it was not an area in which he was well-versed, 
but he knew that her power would somehow be the key to realizing his 
ideals. Someday, *every* human would be worthy of existence. There would no 
longer be the downtrodden, the weak, and the forgotten. All of humanity 
would be unified under a single cause; all hatred and strife would be left 
behind as a relic of the past, and he would no longer have to be ashamed of 
his species as a whole.

However, there was still one more thing left in the way, and Hikaru scowled 
lightly as he began pondering how he was going to work around it. "Kail."

The princess blinked. "What?"

"What does Kail think of it?" he said smoothly. "Your... power, that is."

"He finds it intriguing, though he doesn't understand it fully. I was 
hoping that your knowledge combined would be able to help."

Hikaru nodded. "Once again... your trust in me is appreciated, and mostly 
unwarranted," he said as humbly as possible. "What must I do to assist you?"

It had been simultaneously the most foolish and the noblest thing he had 
ever done... and now he was here in the castle with both lord and princess, 
slaving under them as if he had been doing so from birth. His time spent 
had been a dual-edged sword, blissful when moving towards his eventual 
dreams, and torturous when Kail's pompous aspirations managed to foil them. 
But the wheel of events was already in motion, and Hikaru knew that the end 
was inevitable. He was just going to have to persevere until Reiya was 
within his grasp, and then all would be right again.

His thoughts lighted upon the swordfighter as he leaned back in his chair, 
sipping his wine contemplatively. She was going to be here very soon now. 
He was going to have to ensure that she would be properly received.

_____


The first thing that Kaname was aware of as she regained consciousness was 
that she was in a lot of pain - and as she struggled to get up, she found 
that the pain only got worse, forcing her to slump back down on the bed. 
Bed? The girl patted her hands downwards and discovered that she had been 
moved onto a fluffy bed at some point when she was knocked out. A quick 
glance around the room and she realized that she was back at the Family 
Motel, her room bathed in the unmistakable glow of the cheap neon sign outside.

If she was here... someone had to have brought her here. With a frustrated 
groan, she swung herself over the edge of the bed onto her feet, thinking 
back to what had happened during the fight. Most of it had sucked, and she 
was content to leave it at that. Minaki was nowhere to be found, and that 
was all the impetus she needed to kick the door wide open, storming down 
the hallway in a futile attempt to see if she was in another room.

She didn't get past the third door before a large hand clamped down upon 
her head, rubbing her cap roughly against her hair. Kaname yelled and spun 
around, ready to swing a punch at the offender - then noticed that it was 
Keiya, standing with his other hand tucked neatly into his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?" he said.

Kaname squirmed out from under his grasp, resisting the impulse to give him 
a tight hug; he probably wouldn't have liked it. "I'm looking for Minaki," 
she said sourly, glaring daggers at him. "Why the hell weren't you there at 
the fight?"

"Fight?" Keiya looked like he had no idea what she was talking about, and 
Kaname found herself wondering if that was really the case. "You were in 
another fight?"

"Yes, you idiot! Why didn't you save me?! It's your fault M... Minaki..." 
She tripped over the girl's name, feeling a sharp sting of tears at her eyes.

Keiya frowned and lowered his hand to his side, waiting for her to look at 
him again before answering. "I didn't think you wanted me around."

"Of course I wanted you around, I was getting my ass kicked!" she retorted 
with a stomp of her foot.

"Is that all I'm good for? Saving you when you're in trouble?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but then noticed the look on his face: as 
neutral as he tended to be, there was a note of disappointment there. Was 
he disappointed with her for being so weak? Or maybe he was disappointed in 
his own inadequacy; he had taught her everything she knew, and she'd fared 
miserably against Minaki . Regardless, that was still no excuse for him to 
have been absent when she needed it the most... the one time when it 
counted the most.

"... you always did before," she said sullenly. "And this time it was 
someone who could've told us something, too."

He lifted a brow slightly at that, although his interest was not as 
pronounced as it would have been a few weeks ago. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Kaname sank against the wall, tapping her heel against it 
rhythmically. "Some guy named Seki. He had this Guardian who controlled 
fire... and he beat the crap out of us. Even Minaki..."

Keiya heard the disappointment in her words and shifted forward to lean 
against the wall besides her. "If I told you that I didn't want to 
interrupt your date, you probably would not believe me," he said casually.

"Nope. Prying dirtbag."

"So I will just say that I did not care to follow you this time," he 
continued, making sure to focus his gaze upon the wall so that he didn't 
see her face. "I figured you would be going there, and I didn't want to 
stop you."

Kaname snorted. "I don't believe you."

"I didn't expect you to. But more than that... you need to learn that I'm 
not always going to be there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said, turning around to look at him 
curiously. "You're not leaving south-side or something, are you?"

"No." Keiya continued to look away as he spoke. "I can't teach you any 
more, Kaname. You need to learn things on your own now."

"That was a really *stupid* way of going about it," she fumed. "And you 
have the worst timing in the world, you know that?"

"Perhaps. But I've been thinking, Kaname. About all of this... about what 
happened that night."

She blinked a few times in surprise; of all the people to confess this to 
her, she'd expected Keiya to be the last. "Thinking?" she muttered. "Are 
you still bitter you lost?"

"In a way, yes. Though you're hardly one to accuse me of bitterness... 
'Fighting Legend Kaname.'"

" - hey!"

Keiya chuckled and finally looked down at her, knowing that the 
disappointment he had feared to see on her face would be replaced by 
indignant anger. "You've come a long way since I first found you," he said. 
"But you've only gone as far as I have. It was a mistake, to let you remain 
under my discipline for this long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaname groused. She didn't like the way he 
was talking, because it really sounded like he was leaving. Which he wasn't 
going to do, of course; if he tried, he was going to have to drag her 
along, kicking and screaming every inch of the way.

"The loss made me think: why did I lose to him?" he muttered softly with a 
moment's hesitation. There was some part of him that didn't want to make 
this confession, but he knew that he had to try to make her understand. 
"What exactly did he do that I wasn't able to stop? It made no sense to 
me... Kazeki's power comes from all around me, and even in the rain, I 
should have still had the upper hand."

Kaname nodded slowly. "Yeah..." she drawled, not exactly sure where he was 
going with his observation.

"Perhaps I've been taking too much of a straightforward approach to 
things," he murmured. "In that respect, Kaname, we are alike... although a 
lot of that is my fault - "

"You idiot." She punched him lightly on the leg to get his attention, so he 
would stop talking. "Don't say it's your fault."

Keiya sighed slightly, brushing some of his hair away from his eyes. "I was 
wrong," he said simply. "I wasn't as strong as I thought. Even if I'd been 
there, I don't think I could have stopped what happened."

"You could've *tried.*"

"I didn't feel like failing."

She nearly kicked him when he said that. What the hell kind of attitude was 
that to have? It wasn't the first time he'd said something like this, or 
even acted in such a fashion - but it *was* the first time she felt herself 
getting seriously annoyed by it. "Didn't feel like failing! So I really am 
just a nuisance to you then!" she seethed, not really caring how crappy he 
felt at that moment. "What about all the times I tried to fight for *you* 
and ended up losing, huh? Against Reiya and Toji, and then against Minaki?!"

He remained completely silent.

"I didn't feel like failing either!" Kaname shouted. "But I *did*! And even 
though I still kinda suck right now next to Minaki, that doesn't mean I'll 
be afraid to keep fighting so I can be like her one day!"

She let that last sentence remain hanging in the air, panting slightly with 
the forcefulness of her words. Her eyes remained fixated upon Keiya, noting 
his reaction and knowing that behind the mask, she would be able to see 
some hint of emotion there, be it anger or resentment. Maybe he would get 
mad with her, but this time, she found herself feeling more angry than 
afraid. After all, *she* hadn't been the one running away this time; she 
had every right to bitch him out like he'd done to her in the past.

He seemed to understand that much, as the seconds passed in tense silence. 
His arm didn't curl in that familiar way she knew, just as he was about to 
hit something. Instead, there was a certain note of resignation about his 
movements as he began walking wordlessly away from her and back down the 
hallway.

"Hey... wait!" Kaname called out after him. "Where are you going?"

His reply was terse. "Out."

"I'm not done talking to you!" she insisted, jogging after him to catch up. 
"Keiya, I - "

"You've learned well." He pushed the door to the stairwell open, but 
decided against it and pushed the button for the elevator instead. "I think 
it's time you started following Minaki."

She found herself unable to respond until the door slid open with a 
pleasant chiming. "... what?"

Keiya moved into the elevator, nearly leaving Kaname behind as the door 
closed all-too-quickly. She darted her arm forward and jammed it into the 
narrowing crevice, forcing it to slide back open deferentially. "What do 
you mean, 'follow Minaki?'" she muttered, feeling her face growing warm.

"Exactly what I said." The mask was in place again, perhaps a bit too late; 
she had already seen what lay behind it. "Are you going to get in or not?"

Kaname mumbled something under her breath, but did as she was told. The 
door slid shut once more, and the car began its serene journey down from 
the top floor of the Family Motel. She turned around and pressed her face 
upon the glass, straining to catch every detail of the miniature gardens 
outside. They seemed faded all of a sudden, though they were the same bits 
of decoration she'd grown accustomed to in her few years with Keiya. Maybe 
she had never noticed how tired and dusty they were.

She didn't say anything as the door slid aside upon reaching the ground 
floor. Keiya was already halfway across the lobby before she dashed after 
him, a cold dread boiling uneasily in the pit of her stomach. "Where are 
you going?"

"Didn't you already ask me that?"

"You didn't give me an answer!"

Keiya turned around, the look of irritation clear upon his face; whatever 
remorse that remained was quickly vanishing. "I'm getting away from you."

Somehow, she had expected him to say that, and his words didn't hurt as 
deeply as she thought they originally would have. But some part of her 
refused to accept it. After all this time, he was just going to walk away? 
Forget that they had ever met, and that nothing he'd done really mattered? 
She wasn't going to accept that and just let him walk away -

- but before she could stop him, one of Keiya's men came barging through 
the door, quite out of breath.

"Boss! Boss!" he panted, coming to a winded stop in front of him. "There's 
someone here lookin' for you..."

Keiya frowned just slightly; he hadn't been expecting anyone at all. "Who?" 
he murmured.

"The swordfighter... she's here looking for her friends - "

He didn't wait to hear more. Another second and Keiya was already through 
the rotating doors, Kaname following closely behind. Once out in the 
street, he turned around to see Reiya calmly standing there, her sword 
already out in open view. A number of men were already behind her, making 
no attempt to hide themselves; a single wrong move, or a gesture from Keiya 
would be all they needed.

"Why are you here again?" he muttered, eyeing her warily. The very way she 
was standing suggested that she wanted to fight, and this time honestly had 
no idea why. He'd left them alone, expecting them to do the same, as 
Reiya's demeanor hadn't struck him as being immensely vindictive when 
they'd last spoken.

"I'm here to ask where my friends are." Her voice was quiet but strong, her 
gaze focused unflinchingly upon Keiya's. "They are missing. Where are they?"

"They are not here."

Reiya took a step forward and the mob immediately began flanking around to 
cut her off - but Keiya lifted his hand up, indicating for them to stay back.

"I have no reason to deal with them anymore," he said tersely. "They were 
never the ones involved in the attacks. If anyone, I would have gone for 
*you*, Miss Eice, and you would have known about it."

"Then why is it that they haven't told me anything?" she said tightly, 
lifting her sword higher. She didn't want to believe what he was saying. 
The first warning sign had been when she'd stopped by Toji's house, only to 
find his parents mystified as to his whereabouts. While it wasn't the first 
time he had balked right before one of her visits, it did seem strange to 
her given what had happened in the past few days... and when Minaki's 
mother had informed her that she had no idea where her daughter was, Reiya 
knew that something wasn't right. Minaki had never missed one of their 
weekends, ever since they'd started looking for demons.

If Keiya noticed her growing dismay, he gave no indication of it. "Your 
personal problems are your own. Don't come to me looking for answers; I've 
got enough to deal with already."

Kaname felt a flicker of guilt at the veiled accusation, but said nothing 
for the time being. On one hand, seeing Keiya get a thrashing would've been 
satisfying... but then again, with all of his men around she wasn't sure if 
Reiya would be able to pull through - not to mention that while Kaname knew 
full well what had happened to Minaki, she still had no idea where Seki had 
taken her.

"I came here to get answers, because you know something." Reiya's words 
were trembling with uncertainty now, but her resolve shone through as 
brightly as the bluish tint of her blade. "I won't leave until I get what I 
came here for."

But Keiya simply turned around and waved dismissively at his followers. 
"Take care of this," he murmured, already walking across the street towards 
the abandoned theater.

Reiya's hands tightened upon Setsuna's grip as the men closed in, 
apparently quite eager to finally get a chance at the Host they had heard 
so much about - and as they converged upon her, she felt their Guardians 
flaring to life in the corner of her mind. Just as she was just about to 
launch herself away, another unfamiliar presence manifested atop the Family 
Motel, its signature both strange yet oddly powerful. She glanced upwards 
to see who it was...

... and her gaze came to a rest upon a man garbed in black, his mouth 
quirked in a half-grin down at her.

"Seki?" she whispered unbelievingly.

"Hey! How's it goin'?" he called out, leaping down from the sign and 
landing on the asphalt with a solid thump. Dust filtered out from under his 
boots in tiny clouds as he strode towards her, apparently unafraid of the 
hostile-looking crowd around him. "Took me forever to find you, lady. 
You're a tough one to pin down, y'know that?"

Kaname was already charging headlong at him before Reiya could answer. 
"You!" she shouted. "What're you doing here?!"

"Whoa, wait a second!" Seki said defensively, taking a quick few steps back 
and pushing the girl's blows aside as she threw a series of ineffectual 
punches at him. "Back off! I don't wanna kick your ass again!"

That stopped Kaname dead in her tracks, her arms drooping limply at her 
sides. Without Rave, her attacks were little more than the flailing of a 
temperamental child, and her Guardian was in no shape to be fighting - so 
instead, she resigned herself to giving him a look of molten hatred that 
made him cringe slightly.

Keiya had turned around in his trek towards the theater, having sensed 
Seki's presence as well; something about it unsettled him, and he found 
himself growing just the slightest bit worried at having this man in his 
town. As easygoing as his demeanor was now, there was a bestial edge to his 
good-natured air, as if he was prone to explode in a fit of violence at any 
time... and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen right now.

He gestured for everyone to stay back as he moved closer, trying to let 
Kazeki subtly work outwards to glean more information from the stranger's 
Guardian. "And you are?" he said, slipping a restraining arm about Kaname.

"Seki. Nice to meet you. Hope I didn't hurt your sister too badly there," 
he quickly added with a sheepish grin.

The girl growled ferally, struggling against Keiya's grip. "I'm NOT his 
sister!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Seki lifted his hands defensively, hoping that he hadn't 
pissed her off too much. After all, she probably had no idea what had 
actually happened after the fight: after recovering himself, Seki had felt 
rather guilty and ended up taking her back to the south-side before heading 
over to Kail's place. There was probably no way to convince her to believe 
any of that, though. "Look, I just came here for Reiya, okay? Nothing 
personal."

"You came here for me?" Reiya demanded, striding forward angrily. "Why?"

"He took Minaki!" Kaname screamed, knowing that Keiya wouldn't have 
bothered doing anything to get back at Seki; she was going to have to try 
and ask Reiya instead. "And he's probably here to take you too!"

The sharp, strange pealing of Setsuna cut through the air as Reiya lifted 
her sword upwards. Kaname's words had a ring of truth, and she had no 
reason to believe otherwise. "You..." she breathed. "What have you done 
with her? Where's Toji?!"

Seki groaned and took a step back, wishing all of a sudden that he hadn't 
bothered.  Kail had been insistent that they start as soon as possible, and 
even though he hadn't really asked him to go find Reiya, Seki figured it 
would've been a good idea. Out of all the things they had already done and 
were about to do to screw her life over, the least he could do to make up 
for it was to try and get it as over with as soon as he could - except now 
even that plan was getting complicated, and he found himself itching to 
break Infuriel out and slag everything in sight just so it could be over 
and done with.

And then he abruptly realized that it was the first time he'd ever heard 
Reiya sound frightened.

He glanced at her silently, seeing the pain clearly etched upon her face. 
The girl was probably terrified out of her mind with her only friends left 
in the world just vanishing into thin air; God knows he'd felt the same 
plenty of times, when he had been wandering around in his life wondering 
what to make of himself. Guilt stabbed at him again, and he briefly thought 
about walking away. But it was too late now. He'd decided to go through 
with it, and he had no choice but to do so.

"Toji and Minaki are fine," he said quietly, trying to calm himself down 
and hoping his tone would do the same for her. "I know where they are... 
and I came here to lead you to them."

Reiya shook her head defiantly. "You think I can trust you?" she said 
coldly. "After what you did last time we met? And now that you've taken my 
friends away from me?"

"Sorry. But there's things I gotta do, y'know?"

Reiya was silent for a very long while, enough for Seki to realize that any 
chance he might have had with getting to know her better was more or less 
gone. At least the possibility of a rematch wasn't out of the question. She 
finally flicked her sword away into non-existence with a curl of blue light 
and stepped forward, regarding him sternly.

"Fine. I'll come with you," she said. "But if anything happens to them... 
or if you're deceiving me... then I will not hesitate to have Setsuna deal 
with you."

He resisted grinning at that, for it was just the opportunity that he'd 
been looking for. But as things stood now, he had no real desire to fight 
her; she was angry with him, and that emotion would've clouded the match. 
It would have to wait for another time, when things were better, so that 
they could have a true meeting of fists, a pure combat untainted by outside 
influence.

But he had no time to explain that to her now. Instead, he only nodded and 
gave Keiya a respectful nod as he sauntered back down the street. "Well, 
I'm outta here. Sorry about the mess."

Keiya didn't deign to reply.

Seki crouched down and leapt upwards into the air with a powerful shout, 
landing on top of the Family Motel. He didn't have to turn around to hear 
Reiya following him just as quickly, and without another thought he was 
springing across the rooftops away from the south-side and in the direction 
of Kail's mansion.

"I'm going after him." Kaname clenched her fists and brought her arms back, 
glancing briefly over at Keiya. "You coming or not?"

"You do realize that Reiya is being led into a trap, do you not?" he said. 
"And that there is most likely no way for her to win?"

"Yeah, well..." She considered for a moment, watching the two Hosts' forms 
vanish into the distance. "I know that. But you're the one who wanted to 
find the cause of all the demon attacks so much, and now you're chickening 
out. What the hell's wrong with you?"

He had no reply for that either, and instead averted his eyes away from 
scathing gaze.

Kaname smirked and flicked her arms lightly, letting her Guardian's blades 
shift out a bit more. "Yeah. You keep doing that. Me, I'm gonna go help 
Reiya save Minaki."

And then she too was gone in a streak of purple light, quickly traversing 
across the buildings in pursuit of the others.

Keiya watched her vanish into the distance before turning back to his men. 
They looked at him silently, and he could feel their confusion radiating 
from them in palpable waves. Where was the ruthless, confident Host that 
had never been afraid to find new challenges? What had crushed his spirit 
so utterly to the point where Kaname was the one lecturing him about his 
lackluster abilities? Doubt and a twinge of bewilderment shone clearly in 
their eyes; they'd been relying upon him to be their fearless leader, only 
to watch as his own insufficiency had been laid out in the open for all to see.

"Boss..." one of them said, looking in the direction Kaname had went. 
"Ain't you gonna follow her?"

"You two always been around each other, man! You can't just forget her now!"

"And she's just a kid, Boss! You let her go alone, she's gonna get killed!"

"I *know* that," Keiya snapped, feeling indescribably frustrated with 
himself all over again. He had no intention of simply walking into the 
obvious trap that Seki had laid out for them - and yet, Kaname had left him 
with no other real choice. The hunt for the mastermind behind the demon 
attacks had gone on so long that he'd almost forgotten what he would do 
when it actually ended, and now that it had finally come, he found himself 
lost amidst his own concerns and half-formed motivations. At some point in 
time, he had become so enamored with Kaname's progress that he'd overlooked 
his own.

And now, he was going to have to either face up to the situation or run 
away from it... just like he had back when he'd been expelled from Hoshimi 
Academy.

Keiya's expression hardened as he considered the ramifications. He had no 
intention of running away again. He was the unparalleled leader of the 
south-side, after all. Backing down from a challenge wasn't his style.

"Make sure the borders are secured while I'm gone," he said finally. "The 
usual patrols should be doubled. I want no further intrusion in my town."

His men seemed stunned, but nodded firmly, a few of them grinning amongst 
themselves. Things had looked bad for a while, but there was no doubt about 
it: their boss was back.

"No problems!" a burly one shouted. "I'll make sure we hold the fort down 
for you while yer off kickin' ass, Boss!"

Keiya smirked lightly at his enthusiasm, although the endearment and pride 
in his face was obvious. "Good," he murmured. "I'll make sure they get what 
they deserve... so that our town won't be bothered any more."

The proclamation was met with a hearty roar of approval from the gathered 
crowd. He nodded once to them, a decisive gesture of entrustment - and then 
in a powerful implosion of air he was soaring through the sky, the flaps of 
his jacket fluttering behind him as he vanished off into the distance 
towards the heart of the downtown sector.

_____


-- bellreisa

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


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