Fragile Hearts (Book 1 - Complete)

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka sprang from the trees. "Caught ya."

The bandits turned and pulled out their weapons.

Rikka smiled. She had her arm blades on. She moved swiftly through the bandits, forcing their weapons to fly off.

Rikka was suddenly surrounded. She put her hands up.

"Who hired you?" The huge leader said as he walked up.

"Not much of your business." Rikka smiled.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Didn't think I came alone did you?"

"Hurry refo..." But it was too late. From the trees nets attacted to shuriken flew out and down. Trapping bandits in the process.

Rikka jumped back and over the nearest bandits and knocked them out.

With all his men knocked out or trapped, the Bandit leader backed off and turned his horse and began running.

A flash of brown and Kalne was standing in his path.

Rikka came up behind him.

"Dammit." The Bandit got off his horse, and unsheathed his Bastard sword. "Bring it." He ran forward swinging.


"Thank you so much." The old village chief said to the two girls.

"No problem. They weren't difficult to find or capture." Kalne replied.

"I'm just glad we don't have to worry about bandits for awhile. Are you sure you only want half payment?"

"We can fend for ourselves, you need it more then us." Rikka said smiling. The two turned to leave.

The old man and several other waved goodbye as they left the village.

Celica wrote:"It's here..."

The young half-demon stood gazing up at the gate of the enclosed camp. He could feel it. It was pulsing.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing there! This is a restricted area! No civilians!" a loud, booming voice exclaimed. A large man in heavy armor walked up behind the newcomer. Behind him were a couple other soldiers. They were the guards of the gate. They stared at the dark-haired stranger, who didn't seem to respond or move at all.

"HEY! Didn't you hear me!?" the soldier growled. Shin closed his eyes.

"I'm just passing through..." he answered simply. The head soldier narrowed his eyes.

"What...you're just a kid! Get out of here punk! Go home to your mommy!"

There was silence. In that next moment, the huge man who seemed impossible to take down was on the ground. The rest of the soldiers stared in awe.

Shin stood quietly, his eyes still closed. His long jacket softly wafting in the breeze.

"I have no mother..." he answered darkly. Then he opened his eyes. The last thing the soldiers saw was a glint of gold before they were dead.

It wasn't long before the encampment was completely destroyed. Everything was crumbled and in flames. Shin stepped toward a case. Reaching for his side, he pulled out a long sword. He pointed the sword toward the case, and his blade began to glow in blue flame. The case suddenly shattered, revealing its contents.

Shin reached down to pick up the object. It was an amulet. It pulsed, responding to Shin's demonic force. He gazed at it a moment before he put it away. Then he looked past the flames in the distance. He knew there was a village nearby.

He intended to destroy it.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Another dark haired youth watched the anilation. His black clothes gently against him. He did not make a move towards the half breed though.

The dark haired youth had been following the demon named Shin for three days now. As Shin left the encampment, the youth entered it. He found a few people on the edge of death. Having pity on them he killed the ones who couldn't be saved, the others he left to struggle for survival.

With a brief flash he was gone. Following the other youth.



Rikka yawned. She was sitting against a tree.

Kalne was sitting on a branch above, looking into the distance. When she caught the scent of blood, and smoke. She stood, and jumped to the highest branch. In the distance she saw smoke. "Hmm." She jumped down and landed beside Rikka.

Rikka opened an eye. "What's wrong?"

"Hard to tell from this distance. Something burns in the distance."

"I thought we rid this area of Bandits?" Rikka opened both her eyes.

Kalne took a small object from her sleeve and threw it into the air. "Fox Spy." The figure suddenly turned into a crow and flew off into the distance. "We'll get our answer soon enough."

Celica wrote:Shin took his time, walking through the quiet field of tall, golden grass surrounding the village. He felt the wind pushing against him, as if telling him not to come near. Nothing would stop him, though.

Then he felt something. Looking up, he saw a little crow flying above. He watched it carefully for a moment. He had a feeling that it was some kind of spy, and he knew that if he left alone or killed it, the owner would find out about his presence either way.

"Looks like I need to send a greeting..." Shin murmured to himself. Then he slowly unsheathed his katana. In a split second, he swung his sword at the crow, sending a ball of blue fire toward it, hoping it would catch on fire and return to its master. When that was done, he proceeded toward the village again, nearing even closer.

Suddenly, he felt a shock to his body. He froze, surprised at the pain. Then it happened again.

"Ugh.."

Slowly reaching into his coat, he pulled out the amulet he found earlier. His hand shook as he looked at it, and he saw that it was pulsing. The energy that it was emitting was growing stronger. Somehow it was draining him of his strength. It let out a flash of light, and Shin felt his powers being sucked out of him.

Not wanting to be stopped, Shin struggled to head closer to the village. However, the amulet would not allow him to go any closer. Drained of his strength, he fell to his knees and finally to the ground.

Then he went unconscious.

Tika_Keiga wrote:The youth saw he chance. He rushed forward and reached down to the knocked out Shin. "You not strong enough. I'll give this back when you are." He reached down and took the amulet. Then disappeared.


The crow had been destroyed, with the line disabled Kalne knew someone had destroyed it. "We should go back to the village to make sure."

"Alright" Rikka got up, and the two headed back to the village.


A group of kids were playing in the field when they came across the half demon. They left and returned with a few adults. Shin was taken back to the village.

The Old village leader got Shin put into his hut. Where the old man sensed the demon blood in his veins. But the old man didn't try to kill Shin or even threaten him in anyway. He just dipped a cloth into some cold water and put it on his forehead.

Celica wrote:Shin....

Father!

Shin opened his eyes. His vision drifted, slowly taking in his surroundings. Everything he did yesterday almost seemed like a blur, as if he lost his memories for a moment. He could hear the gentle chirping of birds outside, and the warm sunlight coming in. He could barely remember hearing a male voice telling him something.

Then his eyes set upon an old man sitting near him.

A human...

Shin jolted up into a sitting position, ready to attack and defend himself.

"Who are you? Where am I!" Shin exclaimed, his adrenaline pumping and his mind forcing him to stay on edge even though he still felt drained of strength.

"Tell me...or I will make sure that you will pay dearly..." he added.

Then it it him. The amulet. His hands desperately went to search his body, but he found nothing.

"The amulet! Where is it!"

Tika_Keiga wrote:"There was no Amulet on you when the kids found you, Half breed." The old man's words were spoken without any threatening tone. "As for where you are, in the village i believe you came to destroy. As for me, I'm simply an old man that can tell humans from demons." The old man's fading green eyes fell onto Shin. "I answered your questions, now what will you do?"



Rikka and Kalne ran with great speed.

"Are you sure the village is in danger?" Rikka complained.

"It's hard to tell, but would you rather hear of it's destruction two weeks from now?"

"Point taken." Rikka sighed as they ran.

Celica wrote:He knows I'm a half demon...? Shin thought in surprise. He was even more surprised that the old man seemed to know of his intentions. Then he figured there was more to this old man that he thought.

Shin calmed slightly. Somehow the old man didn't seem threatening, but his own hatred for humans was still there. However, he realized that in the state he was in, he couldn't do anything. He simply leaned back slightly.

"Touchè, old man. As for what I am going to do, well....as you can probably tell by how I am...nothing. Nothing at all..." Shin replied calmly. He breathed in and out a moment.

"I'd like to stay here a while, until I recover. I suppose I should thank you for tending to me. You are the only one who knows about my true nature...so I suggest you keep that a secret..." Shin added before he lay back down.

"Now if you don't mind...I'd like to sleep..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:The old man stepped out of the hut. He whispered to himself. "He has a lot to learn." He looked at his hand and at an old scar. "After all I'm a half breed too." The old man walked away to attend to some village business.


The youth watched as Rikka and Kalne neared.

Kalne looked to the treeline searching for the faith scent in the air.

The youth stayed hidden. 'I'll have to watched out for her.' He thought.

Kalne shrugged it off as they ran passed.

Celica wrote:After a few minutes, Shin opened his eyes again. Usually he wouldn't have to sleep at all, but because of what happened with the amulet he barely had much strength to walk around. However, he hated the thought of being as weak as a human. Moving out of bed, Shin struggled to stand on his feet. Then he headed slowly toward the door to head outside.

Pausing, he took a look around to see if anyone was there. When it didn't seem like there were, he proceeded outside of the hut. When he woke up earlier he realized his sword wasn't around, so he decided to find out where it was, thinking that the old man must have taken it and hid it somewhere. Suddenly his knees buckled, and he fell on his hands and knees to the ground.

"Damn weakness..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka was leaning over Shin, with her face right near his, so if he looked up she'd be right in his face. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Kalne replied.

Rikka shrugged and walked away. "Fine then." She walked away to go play with the children.

Kalne had one eye shut. "So what's your story?" Kalne asked half threateningly.


The old man sensed the fox's presence. "Hmm, I wonder if they'll get along." He smiled as he walked.

Celica wrote:Shin was surprised to see the girl looking right at him. He stared at her awkwardly for a moment before she walked away. That moment bothered him greatly. Usually he would able to sense another's presence near him but since he had nothing he felt like he could do nothing.

This is an annoying inconvenience... he thought bitterly. He looked up when he realized Kalne was talking to him. Like with Rikka, he stared at her a while, but noticed she was a fox. He hadn't seen one of her kind in quite a while. Then again, she still seemed human to him.

"None of your business..." Shin mumbled as he pushed himself up to his feet. He dusted himself off a while before he walked away from her.

Whether you're non-human or not...I have no allies...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne watched him walk away. "Hmm." She quietly followed him, not saying anything or looking directly at him.


The kids laughed as they tried to catch Rikka.

Rikka swiftly moving between them, remained untouched.

The old man walked up to them. "Ok that's enough. After all she just ran back here."

The kids said "Awe." They walked away, going to play in another area of the village.

Rikka looked at the old man and sat down on the grass, and laid on it. Looking at the sky.

"So why'd you two come back?"

"Kalne sensed danger. Smoke also rises from the east. We believe the encampment was destroyed. You might want to send some people to check it out."

"I will do that. After all, the encampment was one of our last defenses." The old man smiled and walked away to deliever some orders.

Celica wrote:Even though Shin's senses weren't as strong now, he could still tell when someone was following him. He stopped for a moment.

"You know it's dangerous to follow a stranger...I suggest you keep to your own business..." Shin murmured, though not really looking at the fox girl. Then he continued walking, weaving through the little huts. He was still looking for his belongings, but figuring that he still might be followed he tried not to look too suspicious.

Without his powers, Shin knew he had to think of some other way to deceive the humans until he could get his powers back.

Not really knowing where he was going, he just wandered around until he saw Rikka and the children that were playing with her. He observed them quietly, his thoughts suddenly going back to his memories as a child. Then he pushed them out of his mind. He kept his gaze on Rikka, thinking of the way she stared at him earlier, as if she could almost tell he wasn't really human.

Without caring if Kalne was still following him or not, he went up and approached Rikka. Then he smiled at her.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what was wrong with me...it was so rude...." Shin said.

"I'm Shin. It's nice to meet you..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka looked at him through lazy eyes. For all Rikka did, one who watched would assume she was lazy. While this held mostly true, when it came down to it, Rikka was a very capable fighter. "Whatever your business is not mine..." Suddenly her face became serious. "...But if you kill any of the children, I will see to you personally." Then her face changed to being friendly. "I'm Rikka, not that you actually care."


Kalne had followed Shin. Which had been extremely easy for her. But when she saw him go up to Rikka, she knew she could let him out of her sight. So instead she headed out of the village, and with great speed she went to check on the encampment.


The youth watched the three from the highest building in the village. He could see they were skilled. And saw that Kalne and Rikka couldn't very easily be snuck up on. But he also knew that for some reason he had not been sensed yet. He looked up and watched the sky as it become dark with cloud cover.

Celica wrote:For the very few that actually knew Shin, they would have been surprised to see the half demon laugh lightly in amusement. Since he rarely interacted with humans, some of their facial expressions and responses like the ones Rikka gave him where actually quite amusing to him.

"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Rikka..." Shin replied with a smile. Whatever the girl went to do from then on, Shin followed. He figured that since she was some kind of friend or ally with Kalne, he wondered if Rikka may have some important information. The only problem was to get it out of her.

"In any case, what made you think that I was going to harm the children? You don't even know who I am besides my name and I think it's very rude to make such assumptions..." Shin said as he walked beside Rikka. He eyed the girl, hoping to catch her gaze.

"I take it that you're not too familiar with this village. So where are you from? I have traveled quite a distance to end up here. I am usually capable of traveling alone but I was somehow ambushed and left unconscious. I was hoping you'd be able to help me find a certain item that was taken from me..." Shin added.

"If you do, I'll reward you greatly...."

Tika_Keiga wrote:"I don't want anything for you." Rikka didn't look at him. "Kalne doesn't trust you, so I won't either." Rikka stopped and looked at the high tower, she had a feeling she was being watched.

The youth had disappeared a moment before she had looked up.

"Hmm." She began walking again. "I'm from a different continent all together. Across the east ocean." She glanced at him only when he wasn't looking at her. "As for your stolen item. It's not for us to get back for you."


Kalne used her healing fox magic on the wounded. It only did alittle, but it increased their chances for living.

"It was some kind of demon with a sword." The man gave a desription of Shin, as the man explained to one of the villagers the chief had sent to check the encampment out.

"Hmm." Kalne had found two curious things while there. One was Shin's appearance had been here. And the second was of killing blows on people who had survived but couldn't be saved. "Think you guys can handle it from here?"

"Yes." One of the villagers replied.

Kalne nodded and headed back to the village.


Rikka reached into her supplies and pulled out a rather nice looking sword, (not Shin's), and threw it to Shin. "How bout a friendly bout?" Rikka's arm blades appeared from their hiding place. She took fighting stance.

Celica wrote:"Harsh." Shin muttered as he watched Rikka walk away. He wondered for about her origins for a moment, then he wondered why he even wondered at all.

She's a human...why should I even care... Shin thought. The only reason he wanted to talk to Rikka in the first place was because of her relationship with Kalne. He was deep in thought for a moment, and barely almost missed seeing Rikka toss the sword to him. It would have hit him in the face if he didn't catch it right away.

He blinked, staring at it a moment before he looked up at Rikka. The girl seemed serious, and it almost made him laugh to think that she wanted to fight.

"Sorry, I don't fight hu-...I mean...women." Shin mumbled as he dropped the sword on the ground. Then he turned to walk away. Even though he didn't think he was serious about fighting, his instinct was to defend himself, should he be attacked, even if he had no powers.

Knowing he had no powers made him feel especially on edge, and the moment he heard any movement he quickly spun around and shot forward, grabbing the sword off the ground, unsheathing it and flashing toward Rikka before he stopped in a stance, pointing the sword at her.

"Can't be too careful..." he said with a sly smirk.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka grinned. "You sure I'm cornered?" With unreal speed Rikka knocked his sword away with her arm blade. Then she moved forward and spun around behind him. "Even if you don't fight women, I'm sure you'll defend yourself." She laughed abit. She backed flipped away from him. "Now that we know we're both serious..." She landed on her feet, and took stance again, "You ready?"

Celica wrote:Shin was caught off guard, but he didn't seem too surprised. In fact, he did want to see what kind of fighting style Rikka had. One thing was certain, was that Shin couldn't back down from a challenge.

"Very well then...I suppose we're both on an equal playing field...let's give it a try" Shin answered. He stood simply, not even making a stance or going for the sword that Rikka knocked out of his hand earlier. He gazed at her, a slight smile on his somewhat gentle face, as if waiting for her to make the first move.

I can take her like this...she's just a human after all... Shin thought. While he usually would fight having his powers, he knew there would be situations where he had to fight without them. There were some times when he did have to go without powers at all, so he had trained himself not to depend on his powers too often, making him just as skilled a fighter as a mere human.

As soon as Rikka decided to make a move, Shin shot forward. However, before he could land any kind of blow, he felt something whiz past his head. He froze, and for a split second he didn't know what was going on and almost caused him to crash into Rikka.

Just as he stopped moving he looked up to see several armor clad mercenaries ride in on horses. They just suddenly appeared in the village, making a ruckus. One of them went demanded to talk to the village elder.

"This village will be under surveillance for the time being. There have been reports of a demon lurking about here. We got a distress signal from the encampment nearby and have also been told that a certain contained artifact is missing. We will be searching the area for this artifact and for the demon. Until then, no one is to leave or enter the village without our discretion..."

Shin eyed the mercenary leader carefully. He knew he would have to leave the village as soon as possible. Then he glanced behind him where he felt whatever that had flew past his head went. He looked toward a certain tree and saw the said thing he was looking for.

It was an arrow.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Hearing the commotion, the old man headed to where the horse riders were. "Yes I'm village chief. What is the meaning of this?"

Rikka sighed, and her blades became hidden again. "Whatever." She began walking away.

The youth looked curiously at the new people. Then he looked at the amulet. "What's so special about you anyway." He talked to himself.

Kalne stayed hidden in the trees. "Hmmm."

Celica wrote:The amulet glowed a faded blue a moment, but did nothing more.

The mercenary leader gazed down at the elder.

"As I have said, there is a demon lurking around here. We are also seeking an amulet that was in confidential possession. We will be camping here and keeping watch of each person that tries to leave this place..." he said.

"You say there's a demon here...how would you be able to tell if there is one or not? If that demon had come by here...it would have wiped this place out by now..." Shin announced confidently. The mercenary leader narrowed his eyes at the youth.

"How dare you question our authority! We have very reliable resources"

"Tch. Resources from where? Old coots or little girls?" Shin spat back. Without warning, Shin was suddenly whacked across the face by the blunt end of a sheathed sword. Completely off guard, Shin fell to the ground. He spat out a bit of blood, his own blood...something which he hadn't seen for a very long time. His eyes were wide in shock for a moment, as if he were remembering some horrid memory.

"Big talk from such a weak little brat as yourself. You'd best stay out of my way, boy...or you'll pay for it..." the mercenary leader said before he and the rest of his men left to set up camp. Shin glanced up as they did, staring darkly as he watched their leader ride away.

Once I get my powers back...you'll be the first one to die...


Back at the destroyed encampment, a lithe shadow was cast over the waste. Long, dark hair wafted on the breeze as a young girl stood upon the dusty hill. Deep, onyx eyes gazed past the ruins toward the village in the distance. Then she smiled.

I've found you, demon...

Tika_Keiga wrote:"Bloody Knights think they can do whatever they want." The elder was angry. "Gonna give them a piece of my mind." He walked after them.


Rikka was now snoozing on the roof of one of the houses.

Kalne appeared beside her. "It's gone, there are a couple survivors though."

"Do we have to deal with this or can we just go. It's not like they can stop us."

"True, but it might put us in a bad position with them."

"Why are they even this far from Kingdom land anyway?" Rikka looked up and Kalne.

"I believe it's for the amulet, their looking for."

Rikka sat up. "That half-demon said he lost something important. Do you think he took it after he destroyed the encampment?"

"Probably, but someone must have stole it off him. The elder said they found him unconsious. We also can't be sure if he actually destroyed it."

"I'm pretty sure he did."

"Well we still need to know for sure, before we can take him out."

Rikka sighed and laid back down. "I also think someone is starting to follow us. But he's better at hiding then even you."

Kalne looked suprised. This was the first time Rikka had ever told her someone else was better at something then Kalne. "Then we may have some problems later. I'll try to find the person, but if you say their good, then if I find them, It'll because they wanted me to."

"Alright. Good luck."

Kalne disappeared.


"Better watch out for that girl. Rikka was her name. She's more observant then I thought." He smiled. "Now to deal with Kalne." He too disappeared.

Celica wrote:"Hmm...what do you think, Kyuu?" the girl asked as she glanced at her companion. The ferret made a soft chirping noise and bobbed its head. Giggling, the girl patted Kyuu on the head and headed for the village gate. It was already dusk, so it was getting dark fast. She came across some guards.

"Halt! State your name and purpose" one of the guards asked.

"I am Mai Kitano, professional demon slayer. I am here to seek out the demon" Mai replied sweetly. The guards glanced at each other, then laughed.

"You? A little girl? A demon slayer??? Ahahahahahaha!"

Mai blinked in confusion as she watched the guards laugh.

"I didn't expect there to be so many guards around. I guess I should have expected it, even though it's a pretty weak attempt at trying to keep out a demon..." Mai replied. The guards stopped laughing.

"What?? Are you calling us weak?"

Mai was in thought, her hand to her chin. Then she turned her head to them and nodded innocently.

"Why you! We're not weak!"

"Oh? How so?"

"We'll show you how tough we are! Why don't you fight us, little girl!"

"Well I don't think it's really that fair..."

"Haha! Two of us too much for you, sweetie?"

"No. I just don't think it's fair for the two of you" Mai replied with a smile. The two guards were dumbfounded. Then they decided to attack. Mai giggled as she dodged their attacks, jumping and flipping with fluid motion.

"Damn you! Stay still!" the guard cried as he swung his spear at her.

"Too slow!" Mai called as she dodged again. They were at it for a while, and Mai seemed to be having fun until she caught a glimpse of Kalne. Then she figured she had to end her play time. With some swift moves, she struck both guards down with a single hit, not really having to use any weapons at all. Then she skipped through the gate, with Kyuu following behind her.

The first thing she did was follow Kalne.

--

"Damn...where is it..." Shin muttered to himself as he searched through the hut. He wanted to find his sword as soon as possible so he could leave. He pounded the wall in frustration. Then, he felt something. Pausing a moment, he looked around the room. He could feel a pulsing. After a little more searching, Shin was led to his sword.

"There..." he mumbled softly as he picked it up. Looking at it, he realized it was glowing a faded blue. Then it disappeared. Hearing someone coming, Shin quickly left the hut. He left so fast he didn't look where he was going and crashed into something hard. Looking up, he realized he had bumped into the mercenary leader.

"Where do you think you're going..." he growled.

"None of your business..." Shin replied. The mercenary leader grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

"Don't snob me you brat...I know about kids like you. You think you can do whatever you want. Well not while I'm here. Whatever you're doing...I'll make sure to straighten you out..." he said. Both he and Shin looked down when Shin's sword fell to the ground.

"Oh...so you're stealing now, eh?"

"No...that's my sword" Shin answered.

"Sure it is...well let me just hand it back to you..." the mercenary leader said as he let go of Shin. It seemed he was reaching down to pick it up, but then he pulled out a hammer and brought it down on the sword. Shin watched in horror as the hammer cracked the sheath, and the sword in half.

"Aw...my bad..." the mercenary leader said, grinning evilly before he started to walk off, leaving Shin alone. Shin stared at his broken blade for a moment, falling to his knees and picking up the two pieces. His hands clenched over them tightly and his body began to shake as his rage grew. Once again, his blade pulsed. Though Shin didn't realize it, his powers were slowly returning.

Shin had his eyes shut, but when he opened them again his true nature was showing. Suddenly having a bad, tingling feeling, the mercenary leader glanced back to see Shin, who seemed to be glowing a very faded blue. Then his eyes widened in shock when he suddenly realized what Shin was.

"D.....Demo--!"

He barely uttered the word before he was dead.

Tika_Keiga wrote:"So you are a demon, but I suppose your a half breed." Rikka said from beside him, as she leaned against a wall.


Kalne stopped, and turned around she knew she was being followed. "Whose there?" She saw a girl chasing her.

Suddenly the youth appeared between the two with his back towards Kalne.

"I guess your the one Rikka mentioned." Kalne crossed her arms, and didn't make any move.

He didn't say anything, just kept his eyes on the girl.


Rikka's arm and leg blades came out, as she took up stance. "Guess we won't hold back." She stood on guard.


The old man felt Shin's demon power. "It'll be a little bit before the humans notice. Better tend to this fast." The old man had been planning from the start to get Shin alone. Then give him back all his belongings, then ask him what he'd do. But it seems a peaceful solution just might be out of the question. And if all went bad, then He'd have to reveal his half-demon nature.

Celica wrote:Shin stood slowly, then turned to face Rikka.

"Oh...it's you...what a...pleasant...surprise.." Shin said, his words dragging out slowly. His hands were dripping blood, and some of it on his face. He licked his lips as he took a step toward Rikka.

"So you know what I am....what are you going to do?"


--

"Oh my"

Mai immediately stopped when someone came between her and Kalne. She glanced up at the youth a moment before looking past him at Kalne.

"Oh darn...you're not a demon after all" Mai said. For being a demon slayer, she wasn't as adept as her kin to be able to tell completely whether someone was a demon or not. It was usually her pet Kyuu that directed her toward a demon. The ferret popped up on her shoulder and seemed to shake its head.

"So she's not? What about him?" Mai asked, glancing at the youth in front of her. Kyuu let out a chirp.

"Sorry about that, I guess I mistook you for a demon. Anyways, cya later!" Mai said before she flipped backward before running off in the other direction.

---

Shin saw that Rikka was ready to fight. Then he chuckled lightly.

"You'd better run off now...I don't want to have to hurt you..." Shin said as he stepped a little closer.

"This is completely different from our bout earlier..." he added. When he saw that Rikka wasn't moving, he figured he had to do something to scare her and make her go away. He stood there quietly, staring at her. He closed his eyes a moment, and a soft, blue aura like a flame surrounded him. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing too.

Then he prepared to attack.

Tika_Keiga wrote:"What bout? From my memory we only had one blow. It doesn't count." Rikka didn't flinch but wished Kalne were here.


Kalne felt demon power, but she kept an eye on the youth.

"Go, I won't interfer."

Kalne nodded and headed back towards the village.

The youth watched the two of them leave. "This is starting to get interesting." After awhile he followed, just to watch.


Rikka grinned, "I'll take more then that to drive me off." She focused the Mana in the air and her Chi, and formed a blazing yellow aura. "It's not hard to do." Then she made it disappear. "Just a waste of energy." Like most of her one on one battles, Rikka waited for her opponent's first move.

Celica wrote:Shin watched Rikka's energy for a moment.

"Well...I suppose I underestimated you then. But let's see how far that will go..." Shin said. He knew that Rikka was awaited his move as well. Knowing that people would come looking for him soon, he knew he had to finish this quickly.

"You'll regret standing in way..." Shin murmured before his energy exploded into a greater blue flame around him. Then it seemed to be drawn into his hands so that they were ablaze with a blue aura.

"I don't need my sword to defeat you" he said before he shot forward. His speed had greatly increased since his previous fight with Rikka. With swift hands he swung at Rikka, trying to land a few blows. He knew the girl was fast but he figured he was faster.

--

As Mai ran, she noticed that Kalne was close behind her. However, she didn't really want to ask if she had anything to do with the demon she was after, because she thought Kalne was one of the villagers.

As she neared closer to the village, she began to feel something. Then she stopped when she heard Kyuu make a loud chirp.

"What is it, Kyuu?" she asked. The ferret pointed its nose toward the direction where Shin and Rikka supposedly were.

"Hm...two energies? But only one is demonic...maybe someone is trying to fight the demon...but not while I'm here. That demon is mine" Mai said as she started running again.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne shot passed Mai, "I have to help my friend. See you there." She said as she passed.


Rikka was caught off guard by his newfound speed, but Rikka's reflexes were better. As she dodged each punch by a hair.

The old man threw his walking stick away. "Rikka, this is my village please let me handle this."

Rikka sighed. "Fine." She backflipped back and sat against a wall.

"If you see me starting to lose, please save the children."

"Of course."

The old man released the seal on him, and his demon powers emerged. "Shin, why do you hate humans?" He said as he sped towards him and attacked.


The youth look out over the clearing, in the distance he saw trouble. "I say they have about an hour." He smiled.

Celica wrote:Shin stopped then jumped back when the elder began attacking him. He saw Rikka jump away out of the corner of his eye. He figured that it was better that the girl left so that he didn't have to fight her. After all, his intention was only to scare her off. He didn't think she'd be that strong to fight him anyway.

"Because they're lying, despicable scum!" Shin shot back as he dodged some of the elder's attacks and tried to counter with some of his own. He didn't think the old man had this much power, and it was a bit surprising, but he was confident that he could defeat him.

"Humans killed my father...and he died because of my mother. They can't be trusted...they will only betray you in the end" Shin replied. He missed a chance to block the elder's attack and he fell back, but he dug his feet into the ground, sliding back a bit before he stopped. He glared angrily at the elder. Then he started to form a ball of energy in his hands.

"And you...I will kill you for defending them!" Shin cried before he shot a ball of blue flame toward the elder.

--

Mai blinked in surprise when she saw Kalne pass her. She figured that the friend Kalne was talking about was the person that was supposedly fighting the demon.

"Oh no you don't!" Mai said as she sped up. She saw how some of the mercenaries that were camped there began to panic and head toward the show of energy. Then she realized something else.

"Two demons? But....how can that be?"

Tika_Keiga wrote:The old man didn't dodge, instead he let it hit him. "I fought in the great war 248 years ago, an attack like that is nothing, even at my age." There was only a small bleeding wound where it hit. "You think you had a tough life, I've betrayed by hundreds. Humans, Demons, Elves, and other races you probably haven't even heard of." The old man attacked again.

Rikka noticed that any villager who saw the old man didn't seem fazed that he was a half breed. They were watching Shin.

"I'm a half breed like yourself, cursed between two species that don't trust each other. I protect this village, because I have earned that right, by obtaining their trust, and you know what, they've known since I first came here."


Kalne appeared beside Rikka. "So I was right."

"About who?" Rikka replied

"Both."

Celica wrote:The dust slowly cleared, and the wind from the blast pushed past Shin. The half-demon youth stared intently at the form appearing before him. He saw that he had damaged the elder, but he figured that his blast wouldn't completely take him down. When the elder attacked him again, he jumped back, not really blocking or dodging.

He heard what the old man said, but those words didn't affect him at all.

Having enough, Shin threw another blast at the elder.

"So they knew...and they accepted you. Well that may be a touching story for you but it has nothing to do with me and what I'm after..." Shin muttered as he gazed at the old man. He looked around, seeing all the villagers watching in awe. Then he looked back at the elder, his energy growing again.

"Well then...if they care about you so much...I guess they won't mind dying with you once I kill you..." Shin said darkly as his eyes glowed a bright blue.

Mai arrived to see the huge burst of power. Her eyes widened in amazement. She saw the two figures standing there, though she couldn't really see their faces.

"What should I do, Kyuu?" Mai asked. The ferret chirped in response, moving down to the small sack tied around her waist.

"Oh, that's right..." Mai said as she reached down into the sack to pull out a scroll. It was a specially blessed scroll that she received from her elder.

"I just hope this works..." Mai said as she jumped up to the rooftops to get past the crowd of villagers watching the fight.

Shin picked up the pieces of his broken sword, which was by his feet. Since it was broken in half, he put the two together, and closed his one hand around it, as if repairing it with his energy. Eventually it was sealed up. Then he pulled out the completely formed katana. Then he pointed it at the elder, and directed his energy into it, having it go ablaze with blue flame.

"Die..." he whispered, before he shot toward the elder.

Tika_Keiga wrote:
The old man let the sword slid though his chest and through his heart. "That's right. I would die for humans. They have destroyed everything I ever had as a child and teenager. I hated them for a long time." The old man grabbed Shin's hands and pulled both Shin and his sword closer. Blood splashing onto Shin. He leaned down to Shin's ear. "I only realized after I got revenge on the ones that caused me so much pain. That the pain from the innocents I had slaughtered never went away. Their faces will forever be burned within your mind." Blood dripped from his mouth.

Rikka stood up and started forward when Kalne's hand landed on her shoulder.

Kalne shook her head at Rikka, silently saying she shouldn't interfere.

He looked at the sky. The old man knew he was going to die. Tears rolled down his face, but he never let his grip go. "Shin. Will you continue destroying everything, or try to find a better path?" With that the old man died, and fell onto Shin.

The villagers were shocked and crying.

Rikka, and Kalne took stance, incase Shin decided to continue fighting.


The horde of Orcs passed below the youth. "I wonder how they'll handle this." He said to himself.

Celica wrote:Shin was surprised when the elder didn't try to defend himself and let his sword pierce him. However, Shin truly intended to kill the old man with all his power so he didn't think he could avoid it in any case. But he was even more surprised when the elder pulled on his hands to draw the sword in deeper. He felt the blood splash onto his face and his eyes widened.

The old man's last words echoed through Shin's mind before he felt the body go limp. He also felt the life disappear from the elder, and he stood still for a moment, staring down at the old man's body before he slowly pulled away. He gazed around at the crying faces.

Something bothered him slightly, but he didn't understand why.

Mai gasped when she saw what happened.

"Oh no...I was too late..." she said softly. After the elder's body fell to the floor, she glanced to see Rikka and Kalne ready to fight in case Shin did anything more. She was behind Shin, so she couldn't see his face.

But she knew she had to do what she came here for.

"Now!" Mai cried as she jumped toward Shin. Feeling another presence behind him, Shin spun around to block the attack. Mai threw her chain whip at him to distract him.

Shin knocked away the chain, and tried to counter the attack. He hadn't been concentrating so he barely knew what hit him when Mai unleashed her scroll. It was a special scroll that could seal up a demon's power for a few days.

Shin cried out when the scroll hit his back. It sent a shockwave through him before it caused him to black out. Then he fell to the ground. Mai landed on the ground and gazed at Shin. She had a feeling he looked familiar, but she still couldn't be completely sure since it was night. Then she looked up at the people watching.

"Villagers! I am Mai Kitano, a demon slayer! I am here to take this demon into custody!" she announced. Although technically she was supposed to 'slay' the demon, Mai realized that Shin looked too human to be killed. She never really had to deal with half-demons, and her family would only go after full demons and ones that didn't look human at all.

Mai then knelt down to carry Shin on her back. She wasn't sure how she'd get him home.

"Uhh...you think I could borrow a horse?"

Tika_Keiga wrote:The villagers were silent, mourning the death of someone that had defended them since birth.

Rikka and Kalne were sad also. For the short time they had with the old man, they had enjoyed his company.

The older villagers came up and took the Elder's body, and prepared it for the death ritual.


A few minutes later Rikka and Kalne were on the tallest building watching the moon.

The youth appeared behind them.

Both didn't move.

"I thought you should know two things."

Rikka had her eyes closed. While Kalne looked over her shoulder at him.

He threw the amulet to Kalne. "This is Shin's 'lost' object, and what the knights and encampment were after." He turned around. "And a band of Orcs heads this way. they'll be here in about 15 min." WIth that he disappeared again.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Rikka asked.

Kalne examined the amulet. "For now we can. He doesn't seem to harm us or anybody. Just one who watches from the shadows, and helps things along a path. I don't know if it's one of good or evil."

Rikka jumped to her feet. "Let's go take care of that horde before more have to die."


One villager led a horse over to Mai. "Let the boy know, that we don't hold a grudge against him." He turned and left Mai.

Rikka and Kalne walked passed Mai.

Celica wrote:"Thank you..." Mai said, taking the horse's reigns. She watched the villagers go away before she loaded Shin onto the horse's back. She paused when she saw Rikka and Kalne.

"Um...I'm sorry about earlier..." she said, feeling slightly awkward. She barely knew the two girls but she felt like it would be safe talking to them. She glanced at Shin before she looked back at them.

"He is powerful...so I'm not sure what would have happened if he couldn't be stopped in time. I am terribly saddened about what happened to the elder. I hope he finds peace. Anyway...I will head back to my village now to see what we can do about this demon..." she added before she hopped onto the horse.

"I thank you...for standing on guard. It seems like you two are the only capable fighters in this village. I bid you good luck on your travels, and farwell..." she added before she tapped the side of the horse's side with her foot and left.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne sped forward and blocked her horse. "The road's not safe, we're going ahead to clear the way. Stay here and you won't be harmed."

Rikka just kept walking.

Kalne took one last took at Mai before walking again.

Celica wrote:Mai pulled back on the horse's reigns when Kalne stopped her. The sudden surprise almost gave her a heart attack, and she stared in confusion at the fox girl.

"Not safe?" Mai questioned, wondering what lay ahead that was so dangerous. She sat there thinking for a moment, wondering what to do. She glanced down at Shin, hoping he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, but at the same time if she were attacked, she wouldn't be able to keep him safe if he were still unconscious. When she looked up, she saw that Rikka and Kalne had already gone far ahead of her.

"Hey, wait!" she called, making the horse follow after. She let the horse go down to a slow trot beside the pair.

"What's going on? Is there something coming toward the village? If that's the case, maybe I could stay and help..." she said. Even though her only duty was to constrain the demon and bring him back to her village, she felt a need to help.

Tika_Keiga wrote:"A horde of Orcs are passing this way. We're going to destroy them before they can attack the village." Kalne had no doubt about Rikka, and her own power. A band of Orcs was easy if that's all it was.

"Your welcome to come along. Just don't get in our way." Rikka said as she walked.


The youth had watched for alittle bit. "Maybe i should of told them about THAT one." He shrugged. "Well they'll figure it out as soon as they fight the horde. Now to other business." He disappeared.


The green haired girl led the Orcs through the forest. Their destination was beyond the foothills and in the mountains. Usually they'd have avoided the human villages, but they were in a hurry. Terra was careful not to cause too much destruction, lest their progress becomes hindered. But Orcs craved blood and killing, and most of all, destroying stuff. SHe had to let them do some soon, or they'd turn on her.

Celica wrote:"Orcs? Oh my..." Mai said softly. She followed behind the two girls, watching them a moment. It had been a while since she had humans as traveling companions.

"Hey, so are you two from the village? It's a nice village, I think. I come from a beautiful village too. It's waaay up in the mountains, but I'm not really supposed to say exactly where. But anyway, where'd you learn how to fight? I wouldn't mind having a sparring match with both of you sometime. It would be fun!" Mai said cheerfully, starting to get a little talkative.

Kyuu chirped, then jumped from Mai's shoulder to Kalne's.

"Oh, have you met Kyuu? He's my best friend. He goes wherever I go" Mai announced with a smile. Kyuu chirped and sniffed Kalne lightly. He seemed to take a liking to Kalne, since he felt similar to her because she was a fox. Mai giggled.

"I think he likes you"

Tika_Keiga wrote:"I've met his kind before. Maybe he lived there back then. It's been over 37 years since then though." Kalne scratched/petted Kyuu's ear.

Rikka didn't say anything, she only usually talked to people who either adressed her, or kids she played with. Kalne was one exception, since her knew her well. While Shin had been another such exception. People who were a threat, Rikka liked to keep in sight and get to know. It made it easier to defeat them. Though she did glimpse back breifly at the knocked out Shin, she turned forward and readied her weapons.


Terra smelt the air, and noticed the horde became on edge. Intuition was kicking in. Terra knew there'd be a fight soon. She saw most of the orcs readying their huge blades.

Frankly Terra had been getting tired of this horde of Idiots. Mindlessly destroying everything, and so often fought with each other. Terra had wondered how they as a race survived so long. For they were a race as old as the elves. But their nature of their blood, made them mad and always wanting destruction off anything around them. She felt the urged sometimes, and in those times, she had become a mindless killing machine.

Afterall Terra was a rare type of Orc. Orcs couldn't use magic for some reason, and the ones that could were of half blood. Terra was such Orc.

They valued power and brute strength, building muscles to intimidate and crush opponents. While half breeds were incapable of growing so large. The only reason Terra was still leader was the fact she had magic, size and speed on her side. These things made her stronger then most of the Orcs.


Rikka and Kalne stopped walking. Both took relaxed stances. They had chosen this spot to fight. It was a part of the road that bottle-necked. they chose this place so they couldn't be overwhelmed by pure numbers.

"Ready?" Kalne asked both of them.

"Always." Rikka replied.

Now they waited.

Celica wrote:Kyuu made a soft, almost purring noise as Kalne scratched his ear. Mai smiled, glad that there was a chance she would be making friends with the two girls.

They went along quietly for a while, until Mai saw Rikka and Kalne take their stances. When Kalne asked if they were ready, Mai was a little confused. Then she saw how Kyuu had jumped back onto her shoulder and hiss lightly, his hair bristling, and his tiny claws slightly digging into her shoulder. It was then she knew something was coming.

"Oh...right" Mai said as she jumped off the horse and took a stance behind Rikka and Kalne. She glanced back at Shin a moment, who was still asleep.

Maybe it'll be better if he doesn't wake up...if he does it might cause more trouble Mai thought before she looked back at the road.

"Ready..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:The three of them saw green come into their line of sight. A horde of Orcs were rushing towards them.

"There they Arrrz. Killz Thems all." Said the front most Orc.

Terra was annoyed someone else said the commands, but either way, there was gonna be blood.

"Seems like their intent on killing us." Rikka observed.

"Guess we have no choice but to kill them." Kalne pulled out a Kunai. "Let's make this quick." Kalne rushed forward.

There was a flash of silver as Rikka's blades appeared. She also ran forward.

The two sliced smoothly through the first wave, dark blood splattered against the ground.

At least a dozen died in less then half a minute.

Rikka and Kalne stood shoulder to shoulder. "Either turnand run or wind put like these ones." Kalne pointed at the bodies.

"Bloodydies Humies. Think their all so great." An Orc with really bad speech said running forward.

"Fox Fire." Kalne sent him ablze in blue fire, killing him quickly.

Terra stepped forward. She addressed her horde. "Run if you like you cowards, I'll stand and fight alone if i have to." She turned towards the two, she noticed Mai behind them.

Half of Terra's horde turned and started running.

"Cowards." Terra's silver eyes became serious. "I'll kill you both." Her hands exploded in a blue light as she sprang forward. She was using water magic. Terra came straight at both and from her hands shot a few thousand small icicles.

Terra and Kalne jumped in different directions, both landing horizontally on trees, both pushed off and headed straight back at Terra.

Terra was suddenly a meter ahead of her last position.

Kalne's Kunai slid across Rikka's arm blade, as they passed each other they cut a small wound into the other's shoulder.

"Guess we underestimated her."

"You think." Rikka replied.

The rest of the horde ran forward swinging their blades.

Terra looked at Mai, and was Shin. But she was only interested in killing all four of them. Terra started walking towards Mai.

Celica wrote:Mai followed behind Rikka and Kalne the moment the fight began. She never came across Orcs before, so it was a new kind of fighting experience for her since she didn't know the style of fighting Orcs had. However, she was not afraid despite the numbers of them.

Pulling out her wakizashi, Mai sliced through some of the Orcs, then jumped into the air to dodge their swords. She threw out her whip, having it wrap around one of the Orc soldier's swords and pulled it away from him, pulling in to slash him across the chest. Then she made her way through the group again. Kyuu helped a little as well, shooting out like an arrow and driving a hard blow into an Orc's chest before flying backward to Mai.

After taking them down, Mai jumped back. Then she turned around to see some Orcs heading to where Shin was. The horse that Shin was lying on panicked, and it reared back and threw him off before it ran away. Shin groaned softly, but he was still somewhat unconscious.

"Oh no!" Mai exclaimed as she ran toward Shin. She shot forward and attacked the Orcs in her way, dispensing all of them before she knelt down by Shin. She looked him over, and for a moment her memory flashed.

"Shin....?"

Before she could try to remember anything else, she jumped up to throw back another Orc before she saw Terra attacking Rikka and Kalne.

Mai froze when she saw Terra look at her and began to approach. She stood up, making a defensive stance, ready to attack in case Terra did first.

The moment that Kalne was injured, the amulet pulsed. At that same time, so did Shin. The half demon stirred. The amulet pulsed again.

Shin...

Shin woke up. His eyes seemed demon-like a moment before they returned to normal before he slowly sat up. Mai heard some movement and she glanced back at Shin.

"You're awake?"

Shin had a distant look in his eyes, not really looking at Mai. Then he stood up and headed toward Kalne.

"Hey...where are you going!" Mai called, confused and at the same time worried about his safety. Then she set her eyes back on Terra.

"What do you want!"

Tika_Keiga wrote:"To kill all in my path." Terra's hands went flaming red, "Burn." Flames shot out from her hands, she was aiming at both Shin and Mai.

Kalne and Rikka had been surrounded by Orcs before they could follow after Terra.

Kalne felt her wound pulse, her fur started standing on end. She dug around for the amulet, sensing something she let it drop to the ground. She didn't know why, but the fox instinct told her not to ever touch it again. She looked up and saw Shin.

There was a flash of blades, as Rikka spun in the air and cleared the area around Kalne. "Wake up, or we'll die."


The youth headed into the mountains, we walked along like nothing was going on. "I might need help eventualy, I could trust them if that happened. Well time to continue moving." He started walking again.

Celica wrote:"Ahh!" Mai cried out as she tried to dodge the flame, but it singed her back. She hit the ground, then pushed herself up to try and dodge any more incoming attacks.

Shin glanced and saw the flame coming, and he quickly moved out of the way.

The amulet continued pulsing even when Kalne dropped it. Shin was still headed her way. He saw the Orcs that were going to spring on the fox girl, and he dashed toward the nearest one to her and took him out, despite him unable to use his powers again. He was going to continue fighting until Rikka cleared the rest.

Shin seemed like he was in a trance for a moment until the amulet stopped pulsing. Then he looked around.

"What's going on here..." he mumbled. Mai came running toward them.

"Look out!" Mai cried as she tackled Shin to the ground before another fireball flew above them. Shin barely knew what hit him as the wind was knocked out of him. Then he gazed up at the girl on top of him.

"...Mai?"

"Shin! It is you!" Mai said happily. Kyuu came up and chirped angrily.

"Oh right!" Mai exclaimed, blushing slightly before she got off Shin and stood up. She glanced at Rikka and Kalne.

"Are you two all right?" she asked. Then she turned back to Terra.

"She's strong...what do we do?"

Tika_Keiga wrote:Terra was angry now. Her horde had either died or ran away. She turned to the four of them, "It's Orc nature to destroy everything, and right now, I can't resist that nature in my blood." A huge yellow aura appeared around her. Lightening magic was being built up.

"Rikka stop her!" Kalne fell to one knee, something had affected her, making her weak. Kalne passed out.

Rikka rushed forward, using speed magic. She aimed straight for Terra who easily dodged, and still built up power.

Rikka continued atacking, but Terra seemed to be in a high power mode, making her untouchable even at Rikka's speed.

Terra kicked Rikka in the chest making her fly. She hit and went though some trees.

Rikka coughed, blood on her lip. "Who the hell is this girl?"

Celica wrote:"Oh no!" Mai exclaimed as she saw Kalne collapse. Things weren't looking so good for them. She thought that it was pretty easy with just the Orcs, but now there was this girl who could use strong magic.

Shin wasn't really paying attention to Terra. After he got up on his feet, he simply watched Kalne fall before he saw the amulet on the ground. He saw it pulsing and he tried to pick it up. It shocked him and he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Mai asked as she glanced back. She saw the amulet.

"Oh my...don't tell me that's..." she said softly, reaching down to pick it up. It glowed with a positive energy.

"That belongs to me..." Shin mumbled. Mai glanced at him.

"You don't know what this is...do you..." Mai said. Shin said nothing. Before they could do anything else, another one of Terra's magic attacks came at them. Mai dodged it along with Rikka and Shin.

"Damn it! I don't...I don't feel my power! What did you do to me!?" Shin said as he glared at Mai.

"Me?? I didn't even know that you were..." Mai began, not really paying attention to another attack coming toward her as she was looking at Shin.

Shin raced forward and grabbed Mai, pushing her out of harm's way. The two rolled over to the ground. Shin let go and got up.

"Listen...whatever you did to my powers...give them back. Now." Shin demanded.

"You saved me...thanks" Mai said as she got up. Shin glanced at Terra, seeing that she was getting angrier. The green-haired girl seemed to be building up more power. He knew it would be the end of them if they didn't do something. He looked back at Mai.

"My sword. Where is it" Shin asked.

"Uhh.." Mai mumbled, then pulled out Shin's sword which she had kept attached to her back. She wasn't intending to give it back to Shin but since he saved her from Terra's attack she figured he could help them. Shin grabbed it and unsheathed it and made a stance.

"By the way...I didn't intend to save you. I just wanted my sword back. Whether you and Rikka die is not my concern. I'm just annoyed at this girl for trying to attack me..." Shin mumbled to Mai. Of course, he didn't really understand why the first time when he tried to help Kalne, or even Mai. He began to think it might have something to do with the amulet.

"You're regret trying to fight me!" Shin called as he shot toward Terra. He slashed at the girl, trying to keep up with her. He was fast, but not fast enough and Terra had thrown another magic attack at him, causing him to fly backward and hit the ground hard. It was a powerful blow, and Shin couldn't remember the last time he had been in so much pain. He got up slowly, standing again as he held his katana. He watched as Terra prepared another attack.

Oh no...what do I do...my elder said not to release the seal but...it's our only chance... Mai thought. She got up and clapsed her hands together and made a few movements with them before she faced her palms toward Shin.

"Seal of Constraint.....release!" she called. The seal on Shin was broken, the half-demon could feel his mana flowing freely through him again. His body blazed in blue flame. Then he smiled evilly as he looked at Terra.

"Now you're going down..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Terra's silver eyes examined the challenger Shin.

Rikka could barely move. Going through trees hurt. She felt her chest and found at least two ribs were broken. Her breathing became laboured as the pain caught up with her.

Terra's expression was one of complete seriousness. She didn't intend to hold anything back. Her nature was controlling her right now. "Such determination. Too baaad!" She raised her hands and fired the lightening shot she had been charging.

Celica wrote:Shin narrowed his eyes and watched Terra unleash her attack. It came so fast he barely made it out of the way. Some of the lightning hit his left arm, and paralyzed it for a moment. He cried out slightly in pain, hissing as he gazed at his arm, his other still gripping his katana.

"Shin!" Mai cried.

The half demon didn't pay attention as he was concentrated on Terra. His left hand twitched slightly as he tried to regain control of it again. He gathered up some of his mana to try and make his arm move. Soon enough he was able to get some mobility back in it. Then he gathered up even more energy, all of it channeling through him and into his sword.

"You'll pay for that..." Shin growled. He made a stance, before he slowly made a few precise movements. Then he jumped into the air, making several slicing motions, sending blades of energy toward Terra. He saw the girl dodge, and knew it was his chance. He sped around and met Terra from behind, hitting her in the back and sending her flying forward and down into the ground.

Then he jumped above her to send a blast of power toward her.

Mai watched in awe, and she turned her head away slightly, shielding herself from debris and the bright light that came from Shin's blast. She cried out slightly, the power too overwhelming. Shin landed on the ground in front of her, his back facing her as he stared at the spot where Terra was. He didn't think that the fight was over yet.

"What are you still doing here...get out of here unless you really want to die. Take the other two with you" Shin mumbled.

Mai looked up at him in surprise. She was silent a moment, wondering what to do. She couldn't really leave Shin, but she knew she had to take care of Rikka and Kalne. She ran over to where Kalne was and lifted her from the ground, slinging the other girl's arm around her shoulders.

"Shin...I can't leave you. You have to come back with me to my village" Mai said.

"And what makes you think I'll listen to you..." Shin replied, still not really looking at her.

"Because I have the amulet. And I can tell you what it can do..." Mai answered. Shin was silent a moment. He turned his head slightly to look back at her. Then he looked back to see if Terra was moving again.

"Can't believe I have to listen to a human..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:As the smoke cleared something shocking could be seen. Terra's skin was now human colour, but her eye's and hair were still the same. She laid unconsious in the middle of the attack area. If one took a look at her they could assume she was sleeping.

Rikka struggled to her feet, dug into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. She drank it. Suddenly she could move her body freely. She walked forward. "It only dulls the pain." She kneeled down to Terra. "She's a half breed. Half Orc, Half human. Guess she's in human mode right now." She looked at Mai. "If you have soemthing to seal her powers, best do it now."


Kalne fought with the darkness that had entered her mind, and she was slowly winning. "Why are you here?"

"Because I crave freedom, and only you can free me."

"Why would I?"

"Cause if you free me, a great hero will also be revived. You see I'm evil, and threaten to destroy this world over two thousand years ago. But I was sealed by a member of a group of powerful heros. After I was gone a greater evil arose, and the group fought that. In the end they believed they destroyed it. But that is not the case. It's growing stronger, and soon it will arise again." The dark being didn't attack again.

"And why would you tell me this, and how do I know if your lying?" Kalne didn't attack, but was ready.

"For if that evil destroys the world, I'll die with it. And I don't want to die. But I do understand that after it's defeated, you'll come back for me."

"Say I believe you, where would I go?"

"To the mountain range close to where you are. Deep within is the chamber where they fought and sealed me. You'll know the truth there." With that the darkness disappeared.

Kalne was left alone within her head. "Hmm." She wondered what the dark figure exactly was.

Celica wrote:Mai was a bit surprised to see Rikka walk up as if she were fine. She knew the girl was injured earlier, and she wasn't sure how she was going to help both her and Kalne back to the village. She felt a bit relieved when Rikka said the contents she drank from the vial dulled the pain. Then she looked over to where Terra was.

Shin stood quietly, staring at Terra. Then he heard what Rikka said about the girl.

"So she's a half breed as well. That explains it" Shin mumbled.

Mai nodded when she heard Rikka say to seal Terra's powers. She gently lay Kalne down before she pulled out a scroll. She felt lucky that her elder gave her more than one just in case. She wasn't as adept at using magic and the like, but she learned how to use magic seals.

Moving over to Terra, she placed the scroll against the girl's back before mumbling some words. The scroll glowed then disappeared, sealing Terra's power.

"Her powers are sealed. It will last a day or so. I wonder if I should take her back to the village too..." Mai said.

"No. I'm going to kill her" Shin said. Mai stared at him in shock.

"You can't do that!"

"What? She tried to kill me. It's surprising that she didn't die from my blast" Shin replied.

"What happened to you...you're not the Shin I used to know" Mai said.

"What I was back then is no more..." Shin answered. Mai stared at him a moment before she looked at Rikka.

"I guess we can't really take her because we have nothing to carry another unconscious person. We'll just have to leave her then..." Mai said.

"Fine. Leave her to die" Shin mumbled as he started walking.

"Where are you going? Help carry Kalne" Mai said.

"I'll go back with you to your village. That's the only thing I will do...." Shin replied, still walking even though he didn't really know where he should be going. He just didn't want to stay too close to them.

Mai sighed. She figured that since Rikka was still a bit injured, she decided to carry Kalne on her back. She glanced at Terra before following after Shin.

I guess you really have changed...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne woke up suddenly when the darkness was completely gone. She quick pushed off Mai and landed on her feet. "I'm fine I don't need any help. But thanks anyway, just had a little 'head' problem." Kalne seemed not to even had lost any energy, and she looked at Rikka, "Abit of trouble?"

"You can say that." Rikka had been applying bandages to her bigger wounds.

Rikka was following after Mai and Shin. She trusted Kalne enough, not to even bother asking what her plans were.

Kalne kneeled down over the half Orc. She lifted her face and examined it. "Orc nature must of had it's old on her. Best to not make her feel Orc-like." Kalne was talking to herself. "Can't help but wonder if your a victim of nature like the rest of the Orc race."

There was a brief flash of light as Kalne shapeshifted to the form of a big blonde fox. She picked up Terra with her mouth and put her on her back. Then she ran to the other three.

Rikka looked back to see Kalne's fox form. "Guess we don't have to walk, but you guys can if you want to." Rikka jumped onto Kalne's back and held Terra in place.

Kalne gave one last hint to get on before she started off.

Celica wrote:Mai gasped in surprise when Kalne suddenly jumped off her back. She was a bit confused, wondering what was wrong with the fox girl for her to suddenly collapse and then moments later awaken like nothing happened. She shrugged it off but was even more surprised to see Kalne change into a fox.

"Wow that is so cool!" she said excitedly. When Kalne came up, she figured she did want to try to ride the big fox. She figured it would be much easier and a lot more fun to ride than to walk, so she climbed onto Kalne's back behind Rikka.

"Shin, do you want to ride too?" Mai asked. Shin glanced back a moment before looking away.

"I'm fine..." Shin replied simply. As soon as Kalne took off, he followed at her same pace. When he traveled, he always did so on foot as he never really felt too tired from going long distances. Mai watched him a while, hoping that he wouldn't run off. Even though she didn't seal up his powers again, she knew that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to do anything to them. Then she realized that she was supposed to head back to her own village. She looked at Rikka.

"Where are you guys headed? My village lies in the mountains to the east. I can lead you there, but other than that I don't know what else you plan to do...."

Tika_Keiga wrote:"I think Kalne was waiting for you to lead the way. We have nothing planned ourselves after all." Rikka examined Terra more closely.

Kalne sped through the trees well waiting for directions. She turned east when Mai mentioned it.

"So what're you gonna do when you get there?" Rikka asked both of them.


Nome headed up into he mountains, he found a cave leading inside. "Well, guess I'll do this alone." He stepped inside.

Celica wrote:"Well I have to report back to my village about...well you know...about what happened" Mai said, hoping that Rikka and Kalne would get the idea about her bringing Shin back to the village. She wasn't sure what they were going to do with him once they got there, but she just trusted in her elders.

"And, I guess we'll have to find out more about this girl..." Mai said as she glanced at Terra.

Shin wasn't really paying attention, he was just following blindly.

Mai began to call out directions to her village. She felt Kalne speed up, as if wanting to get to their destination quicker. She glanced at Shin to see him trying to keep up. The half-demon didn't really seem that tired.

It took a few hours, and the sun was already setting. They reached the base of the mountain at dusk. Mai realized she had to hold on tight as Kalne had to move upward on the mountain. The forest became more dense as they headed in, and soon there was less space to move.

At that point, Shin began to feel strange. He slowed down, eventually sinking to his knees.

"Wait" Mai said as she asked Kalne to stop. She got off before going to Shin.

"What the hell...is going on..." Shin mumbled.

"I think the elders have put a demonic barrier on this place. Here, I'll seal your powers so you won't have any trouble going into the village" Mai said.

"No way" Shin replied. He didn't want to feel disadvantaged again.

"You'll have even more trouble getting up there then. And I won't give you what you want" Mai said. Shin gave her a look.

"Fine."

"Good." Mai said, smiling a little before she pulled out another scroll and sealed Shin's powers.

"I hope you can make it up there" Mai added as she climbed back onto Kalne's back. Shin sighed before following. It was a lot harder this time.

Conniving girl... he thought bitterly.

Eventually they came to a large gate. Mai got off and walked up to it. She loudly called out a few foreign words before she jumped up and hit the gate in a few specific spots. Soon enough, the gate slowly opened.

Ahead, a grassy stairway lined with animal and demon-like statues lines the path going up to the village. As they headed up, there were some guards.

"State your name, and provide your key"

"Mai Kitano" Mai added. She held out her arm, and Kyuu climbed across. He chirped and began to glow slightly. The guards nodded.

"But you have brought foreigners with you..."

"They are my friends" Mai answered. The guards looked at them, and saw no sign of demonic energy between them all. They were especially trained for such situations.

"Very well. But you must speak with the elder"

Mai nodded before heading in. The village was bustling with energy, but it seems like most people were heading toward something. Mai looked around, wondering what was going on.

"Mai!" a voice called. Mai looked up to see a girl running toward her.

"Ling!" she exclaimed, happy to see her friend. She held the other girl's hands when they met and the two laughed and danced around happily.

"I'm so glad you're back safely!" Ling said.

"Me too!" Mai replied. She looked around. "What's going on?"

"Oh...one of the elders stopped a demon that was trying to break into the village. They captured it and brought it in and now they're going to slay it. Let's go watch!" Ling said as she pulled Mai along. Mai was a little shocked but went along.

They're slaying a demon in the village? They've never done that before...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne had turned back into her regular form a few second before anyone in the village could see her. "Hmm." Kalne was looking and examining the mountain. She needed to find the secret chamber hidden there.

Rikka had Terra's arm around her, and was mostly carrying her.

"I'll be back in an hour." Kalne said to Rikka before disappearing.

Rikka placed Terra against a wall. Then sat a small distance away. Kinda guarding her. 'Kalne, what are you doing?' Rikka asked herself.

Celica wrote: There was a loud screeching noise as Mai followed Ling to the center of the village. A large, stone table had been set up, and a giant almost dragon-like beast was tied down to it, thrashing around.

Mai gasped when she saw the beast, and she saw that some of the villagers were trying to keep it down with spells and special ropes.

"They've never done this before...did something happen while I was gone?" Mai asked as she looked at her friend.

"Well the high elder has demanded that all demons captured be slain within the village so that its remains will not attract more demons" Ling replied.

"That's unusual...the high elder has never been like that" Mai added.

"I know, but isn't this exciting?? Everything was sooo boring before!" Ling said. Somehow Mai didn't feel right about this whole situation. It took a while before Shin finally came up to see the commotion.

"What is this...this is...despicable" Shin spit out, angrily watching. Now he wished Mai didn't seal up his powers because he wanted to kill all of the villagers tying down the demon. He could feel his blood boiling.

"Shin...don't say anything. Just stay calm and act normal or they'll find out what you are..." Mai whispered as she went near him.

"I've had enough of you. Take the seal off right now or I swear I'll kill you even without my powers..." Shin warned. Mai stared at him in surprise.

The demon that was on the table somehow sensed Shin's inner demon and screeched out and thrashed even more.

"Brother! Help me brother...." it called.

Shin stared at it but stayed silent.

The other villagers were surprised.

"The demon spoke! It is calling for an ally! It must be hidden in the village!" someone said. The demon screamed and struggled even more, looking at Shin.

"Brother! Set me free and I will give you the secret to limitless power!"

Shin took a few steps forward.

"No! Shin!" Mai called. Shin pulled out his sword. It seemed like he was intent on setting the demon free. He jumped up high and came down with his sword ready. He landed on the demon, piercing through its heart.

The demon cried out in agony, thrashing a moment before it was dead. The villagers watched in awe. Mai was simply stunned. She was afraid of what might happen next.

"Well done" a voice said. Everyone turned to see the high elder. He walked slowly down from a set of high steps. Mai gasped. She wondered what the elder might say since she saw him approaching Shin. She ran up to him.

"M-Master, he didn't mean it...that's just my friend, h-he was..." Mai mumbled, wondering how to explain it. The elder simply waved his hand.

"This young man must be an ally. No regular person could be able to kill that demon with just one strike, even if it had no chance to move. It would have taken us days to kill it. Therefore, I am honored. Come, let us celebrate..." the elder said. The villagers cheered before bringing Shin and Mai with them.

Mai was confused. She began to think something wasn't right in the village.

We'll just have to go with it for now...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Seemingly forgotten, Rikka noticed no one even stopped near her. She didn't even see anyone look at her.

Terra put a head onto her head. "Dammit." She opened her eyes, and started powering up a spell. But nothing happened.

"Settle down." Rikka said calmly.

Terra had been already on her feet. She looked at Rikka. "Why didn't you kill me, and why is my skin the same colour as yours?"

"Dunno why your appearance changed. But we didn't feel like killing a half-breed."

Terra sat back down next to Rikka. "What about my powers?"

"Sealed for at least a day."

"Hmm." Terra examined her surroundings. "I'm glad you didn't kill me. I usually don't try to kill people, but everynow and again I get an urge to kill anything near me. It's part of Orc nature afterall. I should be able to control myself for awhile."

"Good to hear, because your in a demon slayer village. It wouldn't be good for you."

"Yes, I heard we'd have had to passed this place on the way."

"You were going somewhere?"

"Yes, it might take a bit to explain." Terra began talking.


Nome felt a Kunai press lightly on his back. "That's pretty good. Your the first that has ever snuck up on me."

Kalne held the blade close to him. "Why should we even trust you?"

"Have I lied to you?"

"No, but you still haven't explained why you were following Shin."

Nome laughed. "Rikka thought I was following you. Kalne, your pretty skilled, but it doesn't mean you can beat me." Suddenly he disappeared and reappeared behind Kalne with a sword on her neck. "See?" His blade disappeared as he resumed walking.

Kalne knew she had no chance to beat him, so she followed him instead.

Celica wrote:The celebration went on that night, with all the villagers eating and dancing. To Mai it seemed odd they would be celebrating over Shin killing the demon. For some reason she kind of felt sorry for the demon, so she was slightly angry with Shin but she was also fearful of thinking that someone might find out about him soon enough. However, Ling managed to get her to have some fun and she was happy celebrating for a while.

After most the night was done, Mai noticed that Shin wandered off somewhere. She left the center of the village where everyone was celebrating, and went off to a more quiet area to look for Shin. While she did, she came across Rikka and Terra. She was surprised to see the other girl awake already.

"Oh she's awake" Mai said as she looked from Rikka to Terra. The other girl didn't seem angry or intent on killing anyone so she remained calm.

"Where's Kalne? I hope she's all right" Mai said, wondering about the fox girl.

"Well...you two should join in the festivities. Or you can head into that guest hut there for some rest if you want" Mai added as she gestured to a hut not too far off.

"I have to look for Shin...who knows what other trouble he'll get into" Mai said before she walked off.

Eventually she found the half-demon sitting on one of the large rocks that surrounded a giant fountain. She went over to him.

"Shin..." she called. Shin didn't answer. She climbed up on the rock to sit beside him.

"Why did you kill that demon...aren't you....the same?" she asked.

"We are not the same." he answered firmly.

"But if you kill other demons...and you hate humans...then who's side are you on?" she asked.

"No one. I just want my revenge..."

"Revenge?"

Shin didn't respond. He glanced at her and saw the amulet around her neck, which didn't seem to be doing anything. Then he looked up at the full moon that shone above. Mai followed his gaze to look up.

"Do you remember...when we were kids...what you promised me..." she asked.

"No..."

"I figured..." she sighed. She glanced at a simple ring around her finger.

"You promised me...that...." she began, but Shin stood up.

"Leave me alone" Shin mumbled before he jumped away and disappeared. Mai watched him then sighed.

I guess he forgot...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Terra need some time alone. Right now she wasn't a danger and couldn't fight when cut off from Mana. She had gone off by herself. While Rikka had laid on the roof of the tallest building.


Walking along she sighed. "Never been near humans before, Mother acted more like an Orc then anything. But what are these feelings. Not bloodlust or destruction." She leaned against a wall in an Alley. "Must be the human side. But sooner or later, I'll crave destruction again. Which makes it hard to decide what I want." A little while after she fell asleep in the alley.


Rikka watched the stars, wondering what Kalne was doing. "So the only question is... Should I follow after her?

---------------

Nome didn't look back at Kalne. As the cave slowly gave way to ruins. Man-made thousands of years ago.

"So why're you here?" Kalne asked as they walked.

"I could ask you the same."

"Hmph."

Nome grinned. He saw the hall open up to a large cavern. They was a stone path held up by skinny stone pillars. And for some reason there was still fire in the candelers hanging everywhere.

Celica wrote:Mai sighed, sitting silently by herself after Shin left. She stared down at her reflection in the water of the fountain.

"Mai!" Ling called as she came running up. Mai perked up and turned to look back.

"What is it?"

"The high elder wants to speak with you..." Ling replied.

"Oh...all right" Mai said before she jumped off the rock to follow Ling.

--

Shin wandered through the quiet parts of the village, not really wanting to mingle or talk to anyone. He wondered what he could do, but for some reason he felt disoriented, like he forgot what he wanted exactly he wanted in the first place. Right now he thought his priority was to get the amulet back from Mai. But he figured he had to find the right time to get it back from her, after he found out what it did.

I should have just killed her and taken it....stupid girl... he thought. It was then he came across Terra sleeping in the alley. He eyed the girl a while, before he pulled out his katana. He figured this would be a good chance to kill her and get rid of her while she was in her human state.

Well isn't this convenient...

--

"You wanted to see me, Master?" Mai asked as she went into the high elder's hut.

"Mai...how did your demon extermination mission go..." the elder asked. Mai froze.

"Um...well...it...went very well, Master. Only....a few casualties..."

"I see. You know we must never allow for any casualties..."

"I understand, Master...but..."

"I want to know more about your friend..."

"Who? You mean Shin?"

"Yes...bring him to me" the elder replied. Mai gazed at him a moment.

"Understood, Master. I will get him..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Terra had always been on edge, even while sleeping. Being an Orc meant others tried to kill you around the clock. She she usually slept lightly waking to any sound. But since she began feeling human, and in a village of demon slayers, she had let her guard down. She had fallen into a deep comfortable sleep in that alley. Her green hair brushing lightly with the wind. For the first time in her life, she dreamed.


Rikka stood up. "Better tell Mai that I'm leaving first." She jumped from roof top to roof top looking for Mai.


Under the torch light the two walked, heading deeper within.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" Kalne asked.

"My name is " Again he said something but nothing could be heard. "But since you didn't hear that, you can call me Nome."

"There a reason your real name can't be heard?"

"Yea, but it's a long story. We don't have the time."


A bit later they came upon a rather large door. They seemed heavy but Nome seemed to push it easily aside. Inside was a chamber, and two thousand year old markings lined a small area of one wall. Under it was a dais that probably once held sacrifices.

Kalne examined the room. "Yep, this is the place."

Nome looked at her. "You know it?"

"Yeah, an ancient evil is sealed here. As well as a less ancient hero. The hero had used their life to bind the seal and both became trapped."

"You seem to know much."

"Only what I'm told." Kalne began thinking if she should try to release the seal or not.

Celica wrote:After leaving the elder's hut, Mai started searching the village for Shin. She didn't know where to look for him, though.

"Great...where did he go...I'm sure he couldn't have left the village..." Mai mumbled to herself. Then she felt something furry brush by her ankle.

"Kyuu!" she said happily. The ferret chirped before climbing up on her shoulder. Mai scratched his ear.

"Have you seen Shin?" she asked. Kyuu turned his head slightly and twitched his nose. He stretched out, sniffing the air. Then he chirped before jumping off Mai and started running. Mai figured Kyuu must have an idea of where Shin was so she followed.

On the way, she bumped into Rikka.

"Oh, Rikka" she said, stopping in front of her.

"I have to look for Shin. Wanna help me look for him?" Mai asked. Before she could wait for an answer, Kyuu chirped and started running off again.

"Wait, Kyuu!" Mai called as she went after the ferret again.

-

Shin moved closer to Terra. He stared at her, thinking about his fight with her earlier. During that fight he remembered getting a close look at her face. A look of anger and bloodlust. He realized that she seemed truly intent on killing him. It was that nature of hers that he wanted to destroy. He wanted to make that look disappear.

His hand clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, and he raised it a bit, as if he were preparing to hold it up then plunge it into Terra's back.

Then he felt a pulse. As if something clenched his heart to stop. He let out a soft grunt before he took a step back.

"Shin!" Mai called as she finally arrived. Shin turned to her.

"What do you want..." he mumbled. He glanced at her neck and saw the amulet glowing slightly before it stopped.

"What were you doing?" Mai asked, glancing at him then at the sleeping Terra.

"Nothing..." Shin replied before sheathing his sword.

"Were you....going to kill her?" Mai asked. Shin said nothing before walking past her.

"Hey! Don't you walk away! The high elder wants to talk to you" Mai said. Shin paused.

"Fine..." he said before walking again. Mai sighed, putting a hand on her hip in frustration before she glanced back at Terra. She didn't know how the girl ended up there but she figured it was safe enough in the village since her powers were sealed.

As long as Shin isn't near her I guess she'll be okay... Mai said before she followed after Shin.

Mai finally ended up leading Shin to the elder's hut.

"Ah, come in my child..." the high elder said as Shin entered.

"Mai, please leave us in peace..." the elder added. Mai paused, then nodded before reluctantly leaving. She wanted to know what the elder was going to talk to Shin about.

"So what's this about..." Shin asked.

"Dear boy...you must be tired cooped up by that seal.." the elder said. He made a few hand gestures before chanting a few words. Soon enough, the seal on Shin was released and he could feel his mana flowing again. He stared at the elder in slight surprise. He realized he must have found out he was a half-demon, like the elder from the last village.

"What amazing power...you must wield it well" the elder said.

"What do you want..." Shin said, suddenly on guard. His body began to glow in blue flame. The elder smiled.

"I want....your power..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka woke up Terra, and told her want happened.

Terra didn't seem surprised.

Then the two followed after Mai.


"At the time there were two great evils. The one sealed here was the lesser, and since they still needed to defeat the greater one, the girl sealed it along with herself. He told you the greater darkness was rising again didn't he?" Nome asked.

"You seem to know alot too."

"Only what I'm told."

"Well I have no doubts that he will try to destroy the world, I can't help but wonder if he will leave us alone to do it. There is a good chance he'll build up an army, and destroy us when we're weak from a final fight."

Suddenly a dark figure appeared on the Dais. "Yes, that is my plan. But you'll still need this girl's help."

Kalne looked at him. "If you have so much power, why not just overwhelm her?"

"This is a multi-millenia Seal. It can't be broken easily before the time is up."

"And what makes you think I can break it?"

"Cause you posses foxfire, one of the few things that can break this seal."

"Well I know I can't trust your word."

"Then let's talk for abit."

Nome sat against the wall while they talked.

Celica wrote:"Not a chance, old man!" Shin exclaimed before he jumped back. The elder began to glow with a red aura and he began to levitate. Suddenly, giant snake-like arms shot out from behind his back and shot out for Shin. The half-demon jumped and dodged, and tried to pull out his sword. Before he could, one of the arms wrapped around him and immobilized him slightly.

"Damn it!" Shin cursed, trying to figure out what to do.

Mai was waiting not too far off from the elder's hut. She was lost in thought until she thought she heard some noises. She glanced back, wondering what was going on. Then Kyuu perked up and then hissed, looked toward the hut.

"What's wrong, Kyuu?" Mai asked. She got up and realized something was really wrong. She dashed off to find out. Before she could enter the hut, two guards that she never saw there before blocked her path.

"You cannot enter" they said.

"Let me through! I demand to see the Master!" Mai said.

"The Master forbids it. Go against his wishes and you die" they answered.

"You can't stop me!" Mai said as she tried to shove past. The guards pushed her back and they began attacking her. Gasping in surprise, she jumped back and tried to defend herself. She realized something wasn't right about these guards. They seemed terribly strong. She realized she did have to fight back. Throwing out her chain, she tried to knock the weapons out of the guard's hands. They knocked it away and Mai dodged it before landing then shot toward them again with her other weapon.

I need to get to Shin...who knows what's happened...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Because Rikka and Terra had been with Mai at the time, they were attacked to.

Even with Terra's power sealed she was still fast, easily dodging every attack made at her.

Rikka was also easy to dodge, and the closer attacks she let glaze her blades. He smacked one in the back of the head, and it fell unconsious. Rikka felt a slight pain in her hand. 'That wasn't a human, humans are easier to knock out.' "Careful, I don't believe they're human." Rikka knew Kalne would know what they were. But she had taken off so suddenly. Rikka was begining to worry.

Celica wrote:Shin unleashed more of his mana as he tried to escape the snake-like arms wrapped around him. He managed to break free from it, his energy dissolving the arm. He landed on the ground and jumped back, pulling out his katana.

"You're messing with the wrong demon...." Shin warned before he shot forward to strike.

"I didn't expect it to be easy. Show me what you can do, boy!" the elder said before more arms shot out at Shin. The half-demon dodged and sliced his way through, but it seemed that each time he did more and more came at him. He could hear the old man laugh with amusement.

We'll just see how strong you are... Shin thought.

"Take this!" Shin cried as he swung his katana forward, sending forth a blade of energy toward the elder.

Mai landed after taking out the last guard. She glanced at Rikka and Terra to see if they were okay.

"Something's not right here...." she said. Then she turned to look back at the hut when she heard an explosion.

"Oh no!" Mai cried as she rushed into the hut. She gasped in shock when she saw the elder.

"What's going on!?" she exclaimed.

"Get out of here!" Shin yelled. He jumped to dodge another arm.

"Master!" Mai cried.

"What's the matter, Mai..." the elder asked, his voice sounding doubled, as if something else were talking. Mai knew that there was something wrong. She pulled out a scroll and threw it at the elder.

"Shadow of deceit...reveal your true form!" Mai called. The scroll dissolved and the elder screamed before the sound of a roar came out. There was a flash of light before the demon's true form could be seen.

"Snake demon!" Mai said. Both her and Shin jumped as the demon burst out of the hut, flying outside.

"Give me your power!" the demon growled as it dove at Shin. The half-demon jumped up and attacked. Mai realized the elder had been possessed, but she wasn't sure if his body was still in tact once the true demon was revealed. But right now, she had to help fight.

She threw her chain around a few of the snake demon's arms and bound them, holding on tight. It roared as she tried to keep it from getting closer to Shin.

Shin jumped up and sliced a few of the demon's arms off. With all the commotion, Mai's fellow villagers came to help.

"Fools! I will devour you all!" it cried before it sent out a blast of energy, throwing everyone back. Mai hit the ground hard, and the blast was so strong her body was already weakened. The amulet around her neck glowed and pulsed.

Shin was in pain but he stood up, making a stance. He charged for the demon again. He tried cutting through the arms again but they managed to wrap around him again.

"Now...I shall devour you first and absorb all your power" the demon hissed. Before it could take a bite out of Shin, something hit it and it roared in agony. It instantly released Shin, dropping him to the ground before it fell.

Mai looked up in surprise.

"Master Ying!" she said as she saw her elder. Ying was a strong, but young-looking woman. She stared the demon down.

"Demon! You will pay for what you've done!" she called. Then she jumped high into the air before making a few gestures with her arms and then unleashed a long scroll which began to float around her in a circle. She chanted a few words before unleashing a powerful spell to dispense the demon.

The demon roared in agony before it turned to dust.

Master Ying landed on the ground. Mai slowly got up to her feet.

"Master!" she said happily as she went to Ying.

"My dear Mai..." Ying said as she smiled and embraced the young girl. Then she put a healing scroll on Mai. She looked around at the other villagers.

"I must tend to the wounded..." she said.

After some time, Ying finally finished healing the wounded.

"Shin...are you all right?" Mai asked as she went to him. He said nothing as he stood up. He gazed at Master Ying.

"She is....your elder?" he asked.

"Yes. She may not look very old but she is very wise. She had gone on a long journey before I left to the village and found you. No one knew where she had gone to but now she has returned...." Mai said. She looked around a moment before she saw Rikka and Terra.

"Are you two all right? What happened to Kalne? I hope she's all right..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne's fox fire filled the room. She was attempting to release the seal. Suddenly all the foxfire engulfed the Dais.

The stone dais exploded. Black energies filled the air, as thousands of darkness exploded out, then suddenly it all got sucked back to form a dark figure. "Like I promised I will leave, see you after you defeat the greater evil." His darkness exploded out again.

Kalne covered her face.

Nome's swords flashed at bits of rock hit it.


From miles around the ground started shaking.

A dark mist exploded out of the mountain at several points, it started gathering high above in the sky.

At the same time a huge airship flew towards the mountain.

It fired a beam of energy at the darkness.

The darkness hissed then suddenly sped out of sight faster then the airship could follow.

So the airship flew next to the mountain and set down a few miles from the village.


Rikka didn't believe her eyes. "What has happened?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Terra replied.


Huge doors opened on the side of the ship, and a ramp extended. And down the ramp walked a single man with medium black hair, and a rather large halbred strapped to his back. He walked towards the village.


Kalne opened her eyes to see an unconious girl with medium length white hair, laying on the floor. She looked around for Nome, but saw he was gone already.

Celica wrote:"Shin, are you sure you're all right?" Mai asked as she followed the half-demon.

"I said I'm fine..." Shin muttered before he walked off. Mai sighed before she saw Master Ying tending to some of the villagers. She went over to her.

"Master...I am so sorry this has happened..." Mai said.

"It wasn't your fault, Mai" Ying said before she cleaned up and started heading toward her hut. As they entered, the high elder who's body was possessed by the demon was lying in bed. Ying had taken the liberty to care for him, hoping to still preserve his body, soul and whatever that was left of it.

"What happened to him..." Mai asked.

"I'm not sure how the demon could have possessed his body but I will surely look into it" Ying replied as she tended to the old man. He seemed to be in a critical state. Ying got up and went to a table to grab a scroll, pen and ink to write down something.

"I want you to look for some medicines for me, Mai. You'll have to travel to the cities for them. I will take care of things here" Ying said as she rolled up the scroll and handed it to Mai.

"But Master..."

"Leave as soon as you are feeling better. I take it you have companions who are here with you"

"You...don't have anything to say about..."

"Shin? I remember that boy....I see nothing wrong with him except maybe an attitude adjustment. Take care of yourself, Mai. As long as you have friends...you will be protected" Ying replied. Mai nodded then smiled.

It was then that she felt the rumbling on the mountain. She and Ying froze a moment before heading outside. Mai left the hut to go and look for Rikka and Terra. She found Kyuu, who happened to lead her to the two girls.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

Shin was wandering near the borders of the village when he too felt a strange force. He kept his eyes on the airship in the distance.

Now what...

Tika_Keiga wrote:The man with black hair stopped when he got to the village gates. "Open up! I'm here to kill whoever released the seal, and any who get in my way."


Kalne picked up the girl and slung her over her back. She turned and started off back through the ruins.


Terra could feel mana again. She noticed it was a few hours early though. She smirked. 'All my power will be back within minutes.' She examined Rikka out of the corner of her eye. 'Cause i don't know if I can trust you. And I still have that mission to complete.' Terra stood ready, to flee or fight.

Rikka listened to the man's words. Then whispered to herself. "Kalne, did you release that darkness?"

Celica wrote:"What's going on here" Ying asked as she came up beside Mai.

"The guards say that there is someone at the gates demanding entry" Mai replied. Ying narrowed her eyes and began walking toward the gates. Mai watched her a moment before following behind her.

Master Ying ordered the guards to open the gate and she came face to face with the dark-haired man.

"Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" Ying asked boldly. Shin moved in closer, but he stayed hidden. His eyes wandered from the black-haired man to the ship that he came from.

Strange...I've never seen anything like that before Shin thought.

Ying eyed the man cautiously.

"I have protected this village for years. We have always tried to keep the sacred seal from being released. I know not who has done this, but you are not allowed to come barging in here..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:"It was by prediction of the holy order, that someone would release the seal today. The darkness that spread out from the mountain was what had been sealed. I came too late to stop it, So now the person who released it must face their crimes and die. If you won't tell me who did it.." He paused for a second while his hand gripped the handle of his Halbred, "..I'll raze this village to the ground, and kill everyone to make sure."


Rikka didn't like this man for two reasons. The first was that is was obvious this man had bloodlust and thus killed for trill of it. The second was that Rikka was beginning to think Kalne released the seal, and she didn't like when her friends were threatened.


The two reached the cave entrance, Kalne saw an Airship in the distance. "Been awhile since one of those were near this continent." She started off down the mountain path, running quickly. "I wonder if HE is still the commander of it."


As Terra listened to the man's words, she began to like the idea of killing everything here. But she'd need to be careful, for she had no allies for the moment.

Celica wrote:Ying could tell that the man was serious, but she did not want to risk another battle, especially since so many of the villagers had been wounded from the demon's wrath earlier. She was strong, but she did not know how strong the black-haired man was.

"Hmph. The holy order. I told you I know not who has released the seal. Now...if you wish to investigate then very well I shall grant you that privilege. But after that is done I must ask you to leave..." Ying replied. Mai glanced at the man, then back at Ying. She hoped that there wasn't going to be any trouble. She figured it was a good idea for Ying not to risk a fight with the man, because he looked dangerous even if he had not shown what kind of power he had yet.

Arrogant bastard...I could take him Shin thought as he stared at the black-haired man. Then he looked at Mai, and the amulet around her neck.

I can't let him destroy this village until I figure out the secret of that amulet...

Tika_Keiga wrote:The man took his hand off his Halbred. He smiled a smile that could be classified as creepy. "Well then, answer me this question first. If you don't know who released the seal, then tell me whose missing from your village. Cause whoever released it, wouldn't be able to get back here faster then for anyone to notice." He thought for a second, "Also, tell me whoever is visiting your village that you've never met before."


Rikka was a little surprised about how much the man guessed had happened. She turned to Mai. "I think it's best if we leave." Rikka was indicating herself Terra, and Kalne. "And if you need it, we'll lured them away from here."

Terra could hear every word Rikka said. 'Using me as bait too... I guess I can't trust you." She turned and started walking.

Kalne hid in the treeline, and she saw who she was looking for. "Anthro, so we meet again." Kalne gently placed the white-haired girl down, and made sure she was hidden.


A loud voice echoed through the air. "Commander Anthro!"

The man turned his back to the village, and faced the new voice. "Ah, if it isn't the Fox-breed. Kalne was it? It's been a long time."

"Not long enough." Kalne started walking forward. "Leave this village alone, it was I who broke the seal.:"

Anthro also started walking towards her. His hand going up to his Halbred. "Figures as much, you were there 27 years ago when the Holy Order last predicted something like this on this landmass. So the real question is.... Will you come with or without a fight?"

Rikka's fears had been realized.

Celica wrote:"No one has left the village. I've made sure of this. As for any newcomers....there are none" Ying replied, knowing full well about Mai's new "friends" but did not look at either Rikka or Terra because she did not want to seem suspicious that she was lying. She would protect anyone who remained inside the village, even if she didn't know Rikka or Terra.

Mai glanced at Rikka when she said they were planning to leave. She began to wonder if it would be safer for them if they did.

"No...don't risk yourselves by luring them away. We can handle it. Just leave quickly and safely" Mai said softly so that no one else could hear. She moved over to Terra and removed the seal from her, even though it had already begun to wear off.

"Once you leave the village, you are free to do as you please. I'm sorry I had to seal your powers. I hope there are no hard feelings even if you did try to kill us....but please be safe, both of you" Mai said as she glanced to Rikka.

Everyone looked up when Kalne called out to Anthro.

She was the one who released the seal? Ying thought in surprise.

Oh no...what is she doing Mai thought worriedly when she saw Kalne and Anthro walking toward each other.

Shin was watching the whole time, and he began to sense that a fight was about to begin. His hand slowly went to the hilt of his sword, ready to jump in if he had to.

Tika_Keiga wrote:When the two got close to each other, they stopped walking, then talked quietly.

"Why is it I always run into you?" Anthro examined her.

"Hard to say." Kalne replied.

"Why did you release the seal?"

"Because I fear a greater evil is coming that will consume our world. I needed the hero that was sealed with the evil."

"Ah I remember. Documents from the heros' journey over two thousand years ago. They said one of their friends had sealed themselves to keep a darkness locked away."

"So they've told me."

"But these documents few have seen. The kingdom wants to cover up the events of the past."

"Then why tell me?"

"Cause I was not sworn to an oath of silence about it. I frankly care not if anyone knows of the sins of the past." He sighed. "Call your friends out here, cause I know your not alone."

Kalne smiled. "We're begining to know each other well."

"Too well if you ask me. I would prefer if we had never met. It'd make it easier to kill you."

Kalne knew this man had bloodlust, but he also was loyal to the kingdom. So he upheld the laws and orders he was given. Kalne turned to look at the village, "Any who can say they are travelling with me, please approach." Kalne used these words to leave Mai and Terra the choice of coming forward. Kalne knew Rikka would come.

True to Kalne's thoughts, Rikka was already standing beside her, with her looking relaxed.


Terra didn't move, whatever was happening, she didn't want to get involved. She was no friend to any of them, and had no reason to trust them. So Terra would not stand by their side.

Zion wrote:Kyo surveyed the scene he was currently viewing. Two of the three people seemed to have submitted to the Commander as far as he knew. He could tell that those two had no leads whatsoever on whom he was hunting.

I feel as though I should help them. Kyo thought. Despite no longer being an angel, he still kept shreds of his conscious alive within him. Though he may no longer be able to stand with God, that didn't stop him from his path of redemption.

I probably shouldn't. I might end up making more enemies than ever... He thought. But then again...what more do I have to lose?

Kyo prepared to jump and attack the man with the halberd, but a sudden wave of pain overcame his mind.

Agh! So you finally decided to show up huh..? Kyo thought. The person in his mind merely chuckled and its presence faded.


The short wave of pain however had done more than cause Kyo pain. It caused him to shift ever so slightly but the man with the halberd heard a rustle in the leaves.

Oh am I in for it now... Kyo thought with despair.

Celica wrote:Mai watched Kalne and Anthro. She saw that they were talking but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She wanted to hear their conversation but she didn't want to seem nosy and didn't want to venture too close, especially to someone as intimidating as Anthro. Ying watched them as well but she made no moves either.

Then suddenly Kale asked for those who were traveling with her. Mai didn't make a move at first, but Ying put her hand on her back and pushed her gently.

"Go, Mai. I find them to be trustworthy" Ying said. Even though she barely met Rikka or Kalne, she had strong insight and intuitions about people, and she knew Rikka and Kalne were not evil people. "They may be able to escort you to the cities where you need to get the medicines" Ying added. Mai looked at her a moment, then nodded. Then she slowly stepped forward to Kalne.

Shin stayed where he was, unsure of what to do. It was then that Ying noticed him.

"Shin! If you want to get what you are looking for, you should go with them." Ying called out. Shin froze when he heard her call his name.

How does she know me... Shin wondered. He figured he barely knew the woman.

You still don't remember, do you Shin....how I used to care for you and Mai when you were children... Ying thought.

Shin slowly came out of hiding. He moved to toward where Mai was, but didn't move too close to make it seem like he was in alliance with them. After all, he still had his hatred toward humans. He eyed Commander Anthro a moment, before glancing away.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Terra turned her back to them and started walking in the opposite direction.


Anthro examined them, "Alot are travelling with you. That's a change." He heard something. "Is the person hiding in the trees with you?"

"There is a unconsious girl by a tree. She is with me. But if there's another, they are not."

"Hmm." Anthro thought. "You, the one whose watching us! Come out or die!" Anthro's hand was firmly gripped on his hilt of his Halbred.


While Anthro seemed busy Kalne whispered to Rikka. Rikka nodded back.

Rikka stood next to Shin and Mai. "Kalne says not to trust this man. Apparently she's met him before. If your serious about travelling with us, our actions will be fast and consis. Follow Kalne's lead, and we won't die or become prisoners. Any questions?"


"I'm getting impatient." Anthro yelled to the trees.


Nome appeared near Ying. Hidden from everyone else's vision. "Hello Ying. It's been a long time. And yes. Kalne did release the seal, I was there."

Zion wrote:With an exaggerated sigh, Kyo jumped out of the tree and landed next to the unconscious girl. First and foremost he scanned her for a heartbeat and sure enough, she was alive. Satisfied, he turned toward the man that the others called Anthro.

"Hello." Kyo said in a voice far too confident for his demeanor. He had determined that Anthro was the only threat; the others most likely would not bother him. He took a glance at who he thought was Rikka, Kalne and Ying. Kyo had observed back when he was in the service of God. Though they may not be the most pure hearted people, they were much father from being evil than Anthro was.

Besides, he might have some information about Brianna... Kyo thought. Ordinarily, his old self would have detested any form of revenge. Now however, he was convinced that one less demon in the world of living was a lot to be thankful for. Kyo took one more glance at Anthro and he seemed to be unsatisfied with his answer.

"If you expect me to give all of my personal information to some stranger just because he's got a halberd, I believe you're very mistaken." Kyo said with an arrogant smile to Anthro. He gave a quick glance at Kalne and mouthed the words: Now's your chance

"Let's hope these people know how to repay their debts the next time I see them." Kyo muttered under his breath.

Celica wrote:There's someone else here? Mai thought when she saw how Anthro was yelling into the trees. She glanced up and saw some rustling. She was surprised to see Kyo appear and land on the ground. He looked different, like someone not of this world. She tore her gaze away when Rikka began whispering to her and Shin.

Mai listened carefully and nodded.

"I trust you both..." she answered. Shin eyed them a moment, but said nothing.

I can't guarantee you anything...humans... Shin thought.

Ying made no movements when she heard Nome's voice.

"Yes, it has been a while..." she replied softly. She had been wondering what had happened to the youth since she last saw him.

"So she did, eh? Now I understand. She must have released it with her foxfire. Well then. I guess we have a problem on our hands. I take it you will keep an eye on them. Take good care of them...for they might be the heroes that we are looking for..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:"Maybe." Nome said back. "I will keep an eye on them." He sighed. "Lots of things happened since that day so long ago. For example, I no longer have a name. When I say it no one can hear it, and all who did hear it forgot it during that event." He was silent for a moment. "Ying, I trust you to THAT item I left here last time. I can no longer wield that blade. Do with it as you wish." With that Nome disappeared.


"You cocky brat." Anthro rushed forward his Halbred slicing through the air as he tried to shop Kyo in half.


Kalne pulled something out of her sleeve and threw it to the ground, smoke covered the area. "Let's go." Kalne flew off into the distance.

Rikka followed after her.

Both didn't run too fast, so that Shin and Mai could catch up.


The soldier on the airship looked through the digital screen. "Targets moving due west. And the darkness went East. We will wait for Anthro to continue pursuit of either one."

"Understood." The second soldier reapiled before running off.

Zion wrote:"Whoa hey!" Kyo said caught off guard by Anthro's sudden rush forward. Then just as he was about to parry his strike, Kalne tossed something and immediately, everything was shrouded in smoke.

"Hey! This doesn't make things easier for me you know!" Kyo shouted after Kalne and the others just before there presences disappeared from his mind.

Now for the commander. Kyo thought. I don't think that I really need to knock this guy senseless just yet. I just gotta buy some time for the others. Then...the game of twenty questions starts.

Kyo searched for Anthro's presence and was surprised to see that he could not detect his presence. He immediately assumed that Anthro knew how to shield his mind from others. This complicated things much more than Kyo thought. He heard a loud cry and managed to sidestep a blow from Anthro's halberd.

Jeez! This guy's tougher than he looks or acts!. Kyo thought. Kyo feinted an attack forward and twisted attempting to roundhouse kick Anthro's side. However, Anthro blocked the kick with his halberd, causing Kyo much pain in his leg.

Okay, that was stupid, even by my standards. Kyo thought wincing at the pain in his leg. He knew that he could probably buy Kalne and the others just a few more minutes. After that, the risk that he would be mortally wounded would increase exponentially. He summoned a pair of phantom swords and just as he did, he suddenly felt a familiar presence.

You're here too Nome? Kyo thought. Things must really insane for you to ever allow your presence to be so easily detected. Kyo paused for a moment to block Anthro's strike with his scythe, then he backflipped intentionally with his back against the tree. He saw Anthro's smile of triumph as he rushed forward to take advantage of the situation.

"Sucker!" Kyo said suddenly closing his eyes. With a brilliant flash, wings made of spirit energy appeared in his back.

"If you don't get blinded by this, then let's have a rematch sometime." Kyo said masking the pain in his leg. He plucked a feather from his light wings and let it drop in front of Anthro's face. The wing glowed brilliantly, then let out a blinding flash of light momentarily blinding Anthro and disorienting him.

"Now to go check on the ladies." Kyo said with a crooked grin, wincing as he blinked the multicolored spots out of his vision.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Nome felt Kyo's presence. He was now long gone for the village though. "So Kyo, your here too? Seems things are starting to intertwine." Nome disappeared again, he headed after the darkness. "Kyo, watch them for me for now." He said to himself.


Kalne touched the ground lightly.

Rikka landed beside her.

Kalne had teleported them a few miles east.

"Is everyone alright?" Kalne asked.

"I am." Said Rikka as she sat down.

Kalne kneeled over the white haired girl, and examined her.


Anthro smiled, "We'll across paths again boy, and you might not be so lucky next time." Anthro headed back to the airship.

Soon after, it took off and headed west, to chase the darkness.

Celica wrote:"I understand...you have been left a mystery...I suppose that was expected" Ying replied. She closed her eyes a moment when Nome mentioned the blade. She could see it in her mind.

"Very well...I will guard it with my life..." she answered before Nome was gone.

As soon as the smoke screen came up, Shin followed after Kalne. Mai was a bit hesitant to leave when she saw that Anthro and Kyo had engaged in battle. She didn't know Kyo but she wanted to stay and help him since she felt that Anthro could not be trusted.

Go, Mai... Ying thought, as if sending the message to the girl's hand even though she did not possess the skill of telepathy. She could see the girl's form through the smoke, as if connecting with her.

Mai almost felt that Ying was telling her to go and she glanced back toward her master before she finally jumped and left.

Even though Kyo and Anthro were fighting, Ying made no move. She was one to help strangers, but only when in dire need, and she felt that Kyo seemed to be faring well against Anthro. However, she was ready in case the two would try to cause damage within the village.

She shielded her face with her arms when Kyo unleashed the blinding light. When everything was clear, both Kyo and Anthro were gone.

Good luck, Mai...and you as well, Shin... Y

-

Master... Mai thought, feeling a little sad to leave when Ying had just returned. She was lost in thought until everyone had landed on the ground. She gently touched the ground before slowly going down on her knees to rest. Shin landed beside her on his feet.

"I'm fine" Mai answered. She looked at Rikka who was examining the white-haired girl.

"Who is she?"

Tika_Keiga wrote:"I don't know her name. But I do know she's been sealed for over two thousand years." Kalne stood up. "We should get to a town a far bit from here. I'll go in fox form for a faster travel." There was haze in the air and a great blonde fox appeared. Kalne motioned for them to get on, she intended to run faster then last time.

Rikka picked up the girl and placed her on Kalne's back, then got on and held her in place.

Kalne would take off running as soon as Shin and Mai made their choice of travel.


Terra hid in between two houses, hiding in the alleyway. "As soon as I see my chance, I'll leave this village. And finish my mission." But for now she decided to conserve her energy. She fell into a light sleep that she could easily wake from, and as she did, her skin started to return back to green.


Nome's Memory:

The small kid trudged through the snow. His hair and body covered in a lair of snow. The wind whipped across his face like daggers. He clutched a sword wrapped in a thick wool.

It was night and the clouds hid the sky as snow came down like a blizzard.

The boy started to lose his senses and fell face first into the snow, but his grip on the blade didn't loosen.

(FYI for Celica. This is Nome's memory of when he met Ying. So yea......)

Zion wrote:Kyo limped toward the presences that he felt in his mind. He could feel a burst of power from Kalne and his figure changed. Kyo assumed that she must have changed forms in order to carry the unconscious girl he saw the other day. Suddenly frustrated, he knelt next to a tree and let his wings take form again. He plucked another feather and pressed it against his ankle where he kicked Anthro's halberd. The feather glowed, but instead of bursting in to light, it soothed his bruise. Sighing, he trekked over to where the group had gathered.

Leaving things to me huh Nome? Kyo thought. You haven't changed in the past centuries...


A hundred years ago in a remote location...
It was a full moon that night; Kyo was standing atop the peak of a mountain, scythe drawn. It was gently snowing and a snowflake got in his eye. He blinked for the first time in ten minutes, and the moment his sight returned, Nome was sitting next to him.

"Always one for making flashy appearances huh Nome?" Kyo said grinning. Nome merely nodded at Kyo's good nature.

"Not in a good mood? Oh well, guess I can't really get my hopes up." Kyo replied again. Again, Nome said nothing.

"So the races have taken a turn for the worst now huh? The humans are choking up the planet with there machines, the Orcs are destroying everything in sight...and even the Angels have gotten less...holy." Kyo admitted with a crooked grin. "I guess it's up to us now, to put everyone on the right track. I'm trying to do that right now with this...demon."

Nome just glanced at Kyo and as if saying "Keep dreaming"

"Oh look at the time! I've got to go punish some more sinners!" Kyo said jumping up. "Maybe we can share some new moves with each other, like those phantom swords I see all the time with you."

Standing up, Kyo took off his shirt and allowed his wings to stretch to his full length.

"Good talk my man, I'll see you later." He jumped off the edge of the mountain and flew away toward the horizon. He swore he heard Nome laugh when he said "Good talk".

Celica wrote:Mai stared at the girl while Kalne talked. She wondered what the girl was like before she saw Kalne transform into her fox form. Standing up, she went over to Kalne to get on, but she paused to look at Shin.

"Shin?" she called.

The half-demon had his back turned to her. He was staring off into the distance, back at the mountain where they had come from.

"Shin...we're leaving now" Mai said. She watched him a moment before she got onto Kalne's back, thinking that they were getting impatient. She wasn't too worried about Shin's well-being because she knew he could handle himself now that he had his powers back. She just wondered what he was thinking about.

"I know you still want to know about the amulet...but that can wait 'til we return to the village. Master Ying will be able to explain everything..." Mai added before they were off.

Shin stood still a moment, before he turned his head to see Kalne running off. Then he followed.

Mai...as soon as I find out about my past...then I will get rid of you...

--------

Ying ordered to have the gates locked and protected and had everything in the village cleaned up and back to normal as soon as Anthro had left. She walked quietly through the village, making sure everything was all right before she returned to check on the high elder. Afterwards she left the hut to head deeper into the village.

She approached a stone shrine, and gazed up at it. Pressing her palms together, she closed her eyes before chanting a few words. The shrine glowed then provided her an entrance into the mountain. She headed inside, walking along through darkness, with only a dim light shining through the tunnel. Eventually she came to a stone table on which something lay upon it, covered in cloth.

Carefully unfolding the cloth, it revealed a sword. She stared at it, suddenly flashing back through her memories.

Ying clutched her cloak around her as she climbed over another snow covered hill. The winds were blowing harder and she knew she'd have to find shelter soon. As she trudged onward, she came across a young boy. Kneeling down beside him, she examined him and checked if he was alive.

Finding that he was still breathing, Ying gathered some of her cloak and wrapped it around the boy, gathering him into her arms as she lifted him out of the snow. She carried him along facing the strong wind and snow before finding shelter in a groove in the mountain. Sitting against the large rock, Ying held the boy close to her to provide warmth. It was a bit difficult since she realized he was holding a long object which was covered. Curiously she gently pulled back the wool to glance at the object. She was surprised to see a strange sword. She covered it back up before she repositioned herself into a more comfortable position, still holding Nome.

Ying was tired from her travels, but she knew she couldn't sleep or else something might happen to her or the boy, and she didn't want to let anything happen to the boy in her arms.

She she stayed up all night, planning to move once the blizzard was over.

Dawn came, and the blizzard had died down. Ying moved Nome to her back to carry him back to the village. She brought him into her hut and put him down on the bed. She tried to take the sword out of his arms so he could be more comfortable, but even though he wasn't awake he didn't seem to want to let go of the sword.

"Stubborn one, you are..." Ying said softly. She covered him with a blanket before she went to check she small stove in the corner. She fanned the coals for a bit before she closed the stove. Then she poured some warm stew into a bowl and left it on a small table near the bedside for Nome. She gazed at him a moment.

"You are free to leave when you wish..." she said, even though the boy couldn't really hear her.

Then she left.

Tika_Keiga wrote:After awhile they five arrived in the said village where Kalne made arrangements for them to sleep at Inn.

The room had six beds even though there were going five of them.

The white haired girl placed on a bed in the corner. Kalne had gotten a doctor to have a look at her and he had found nothing wrong. He said that she'd wake up, when she wanted to.

Kalne turned to the other three. "Well since you've decide to travel with us. We have to decide what to do next. Be aware that more kingdom knights might come after me."

Rikka waited for the others to respond first.


Nome's Memory:

The small boy woke up some time after, and instead of the cold chill of ice, he found the warmth of a soft blanket. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked around. He felt the sword still near him. "Good. It's still safe." He placed it next to the wall then walked around the room. "I wonder. Did I die?"

The boy couldn't have been even of ten years of age. Yet seemed to have more experience then most his age.

Not wanting to know quite yet if he was in evil hands or good. He sat against the wall, within arms reach of the sword.

After awhile he unwrapped it and held it up. "The blade of the Kunari. But why did they entrust it to me? I'm no hero, no matter what that legend said." He fell back against the wall, and fell into a light snooze.




A thousand miles away, on the eastern coast of the continent, The Kingdom was battling against the Empire on Neutral soil.

Two Air battle ships hung in the air dropped smaller ships that attacked each other. Between the two fleets was thousands of smaller ships fighting.

On the ground below, innocents ran in terror of the battle that was never suppose to have taken place.

On the kingdom ship bridge:

"General, a report from Anthro. He was too late. The darkness has been released."

"Dam. Then the greater threat is almost recovered. Send message back to the capital, as fast as you can."

"Yes sir!" The soldier said before running to do the order.

Zion wrote:Heh, I really got sidetracked here. I was supposed to be hunting for her, but it looks like now I've the kingdom on my back now. Kyo thought. He glanced at the village where Ying, Kalne, Mai and several others were staying. Apparently, Ying had the village locked before he could snap out of his brief flashback.

Hm, well guess I can't really get mad at them, they did seem to want to help me when I was battling that man with the halberd. Kyo thought. Besides, they probably know I can take care of myself. Guess I can afford to make a side trip till tomorrow morn.

With that, Kyo walked toward a nearby lake and waited till the moon showed itself from the clouds. The moon was oddly bright that night, and Kyo looked at his reflection in the pond.

There's...parts of me people can't see, things that I'd rather people not see. Kyo thought looking in to the vast lake. Once the reflection of the moon was completely visible in the lake, Kyo closed his eyes and focused his energy. Then he allowed himself to become submerged within the lake.

Kyo looked within the confines of his own mind. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, there was much sorrow that he couldn't afford to burden himself with. He looked deeper and he found the source of his anguish. He saw her, the one that lost him everything. Kyo once again felt the pain of loss, the feeling he had when he lost his position as an archangel. The feeling of betrayal when she scorned him and escaped to the realm of the living.
And his realization that he no longer had an answer to why he was living.

Man, I really am messed up. Kyo thought sadly. He gazed upon his inner demons and began to sync with his own mind. It was then that he saw a reflection of himself with his back turned. It matched all his qualities...at least until it turned around. The expression on this version of him's face was scornful and angry.

Why should we have to trust anyone? We have no family, no friends, and whoever we put trust in end up betraying us in the end. Why are we the only ones that have to suffer through this?! His voice yelled and echoed through the confines of his mind.

We're not the only one, quit complaining. Kyo thought, but he realized that this incarnate of him reflected his deepest darkest thoughts. I'm not ready to give in just yet...

His darker version of himself scowled and pull out his own version of Kyo's scythe, except it was completely black and radiated demonic energy. Kyo responded with his own scythe.

I won't let you ruin my life anymore! Kyo shouted his voice reverberating. He charged forward and his inner conflict within his mind began.

Celica wrote:"Ooh this is nice" Mai said as she went to her bed and sat on it, bouncing on it a bit to test its softness. She was a little excited, having actually traveled with a group than by herself. She also never stayed in an inn before, since when she traveled she didn't take too long to rest, and when she did she would find a safe spot outdoors like under a tree. She wouldn't worry about anyone attacking her because Kyuu would keep watch over her.

"What do you think Kyuu?" Mai asked. The ferret chirped happily in reply as he jumped onto the bed. Then she looked at Shin.

"Isn't this nice Shin?" she asked.

"Lovely" Shin replied plainly. He glanced at Rikka and Kalne looking over the white-haired girl. Then Kalne asked what they would do next.

"My master gave me a list of things to get from the cities to cure the high elder. It's necessary for me to get these...but if you have other important things to tend to I will leave when I have to" Mai replied. She wanted to stay with Rikka and Kalne to help them since she realized they were in a bit of trouble now. Unfortunately she had to keep to her master's request.

"It doesn't matter to me" Shin replied before he turned and headed out the door. Mai got up when he did.

"Where are you going?"

"Exploring. Don't follow me..." Shin replied before he was gone. Mai sighed before she went back inside.

"Well we can't really rely on his help...but he'll follow as long as I have this amulet with me" Mai replied. She went quiet for a moment.

"So...what should we do now?"

-----

Ying's memory:

After taking care of some chores, Ying returned to find Nome sleeping against the wall. It was then that she saw the sword in his arms, uncovered. She quietly went over to him, getting down on one knee as she examined him.

"Young boy...what have you gotten yourself into" she asked softly. She knew there was something going on because of the sword he was holding. The felt it was dangerous for him to possess such a thing, let alone be holding it while he was sleeping.

She reached for the sword.

Tika_Keiga wrote:(BTW if anyone's wondering about the two Nome s. don't worry. it'll make sense later.)

"I'm gonna see if they have a bath around here." Rikka said. "I feel dirty from that Orc blood still." Rikka left the room.

Kalne thought about it. "Well I doubt she's going anywhere. I need one too." Kalne went out the door.

They soon found out of a heated pool behind the Inn. They took off their clothes and brought a towel to the poolside. It was split in two, a girl's side, and a guy's side.

As tradition of the Inn they washed themselves off before entering the pool.

Rikka sighed in relief. "It's been awhile seen I've been in warm water." Her towel was in arm's reach.

"Yes it has." Kalne's tail floated beside her. Her towel too was next to her.

Both relaxed in the warm water.


The girl's eyes slowly opened. She felt the softness of the bed, and warmth of the covers. Suddenly she realized this was not where she was suppose to be. She threw the blankets off and tried to stand. She fell back to the bed briefly as her legs relearned how to stand. When she was finally able to stand, she pulled the sleeve up her arm. A seal was painted on her arm. She licked her thumb and smudged the seal.

There was a burst of light and energy as her Katana appeared. "Now then. Where the hell am I?" She left the room.


Nome's Memory:

Suddenly the kid's eyes flared open, and the sword exploded with power. A gold aura appeared around them as the energy pushed things away from the kid and sword. The kid then realized he wasn't under attack and the energy and Aura disappeared. He stood up and backed away from her alittle. "I'm sorry. It's just.... it's just I've been travelling alone for awhile, and many have tried to kill me. And quite frankly, I don't know if I can trust you." The kid seemingly had been alone for a long time, and was starting to lose faith in other beings.

Zion wrote:Backround theme:
Silver Will, Golden Wings

Kyo charged forward, his scythe raised against the dark embodiment of himself. Smiling arrogantly, the second Kyo sidestepped and brought his own scythe down upon Kyo. He rolled away and jumped quickly back on his feet.

Ugh, I'm not sure if I can pull out of this one alive... Kyo thought despairingly. The second Kyo was all the sorrow and feelings of emptiness he had endured over the years, given physical form. Kyo had known that at some point, he would have to confront his own inner emotions he had kept hidden from all those he knew. But he never realized that it may cost him his soul.

Taking a deep breath, Kyo attempted to feint an attack to the left and shot a blast of holy light toward the second Kyo. Again, the attack did not have the adequate strength to injure his darker self. It merely spread out in different directions before it could hit its target. Then, the second Kyo began his assault. Kyo repeatedly was pushed to the very limits of his strength and managed to survive only because he was able to move at the last second. Finally Kyo realized what he had to do. He knew his own strengths, but he also knew his own weaknesses as well. Kyo closed his eyes and called up the spite and anger that had built up within him every since he had been excommunicated from the Upper realm. He allowed the Demonic energy to flow in to his very aura, then he summoned forth his wings. They were not the same luminous white color they were when he battled Anthro however. Now, it looked as though black fire had sprouted out of his back in the shape of bat wings.

"Let's do this!" Kyo said, a feral grin on his face. For the first time, the second Kyo was apalled. Kyo dashed toward his darker self and let loose several shockwaves of demon magic. At first, the second Kyo fared well and blocked and dodged several of them. But the mental strain that Kyo was feeling was also affecting the second Kyo as well. Finally, Kyo had decided now was the time to end the battle, lest he wanted to have the foundation of his soul destroyed. Gathering all the energy he had left in his mind, body, and heart, he let loose a blast of energy that was of neither demonic nor holy properties. Before the second Kyo could move in time, the blast hit him full on in the chest, then broke completely through him. The second Kyo gasped, his eyes wide. Kyo stepped forward surveying his darker self.

"I told you...I won't succumb to the darkness like so many others have..." Kyo managed to gasp in a low whisper. The second Kyo merely narrowed his eyes, and his body dissolved in to the shadows.

There was a ripple in the lake, and Kyo burst out of the water. With water dripping from his hair, he swam on to the banks of the lake and crawled out. Though his body had felt no strain during his battle with himself, he was mentally tired and began to crawl next to a tree to sleep. But suddenly, he felt a presence. It was that of one who was only partially a demon. He remembered that there was one other male that was travelling with the women. Suspicious, he pushed himself off and began to trek over to where he detected the presence.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Huge dark wings covered the sky, they connected to a being hidden in darkness. The silotweted figure stood still. His hair reached to his shoulders and hung in front of one of his eyes. His other eye was glowing red as a being from hell would.

Another figure stood in his path, one with smaller white wings.

The white figure didn't move.

"Move or I will kill you." The dark being said.

"I cannot. You have become evil, and thus I must stop you." A flaming white sword appeared in his hand.

"I haven't become anything, I've just seen the truth." A flaming black sword appeared in his hand.

"Then one of us will die." The white one readied.

"I guess so." The black one rushed forward.

Energy exploded out.

A small distance away, a small boy watched the clash.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Images flashed in my head. Voices too. Where was I? Where am I going? What's useful anymore? Am I useful.

Two identical figures stared back at each other.

"Who am I?" One asked.

"You are you. There's no other way to explain it." The other one replied.

"Why am I here?"

"You must overcome yourself. Only you can decide what to do."

"I've lost everything. Why should I save a world that will never learn?"

"I cannot say for you."

Images flash by, whispers of people from our journey. Her voice. Kind, caring. But the rest of them. They had supported me, but in the end I failed. Their..... all gone. I pushed them away. For their own safety. Except her,..... Yuki.... Our weakness drove you to that. If you ever escape...... Please don't hate me.

"Is there anyone that can help me?"

"Again, you must search for those answers within yourself."

"Who...... are you?"

"A summon spirit. The summon spirit of thought."

"I didn't summon you. Then who did?"

"A friend, that's all I can say. They didn't want me to tell you."

"Will you keep me here?"

"You can chose to leave. Just say so."

"But I need to learn something... before I do what I'm suppose to do next."

"Yes. What you will do won't save the world. But it will give it time for new heroes. They have a better chance of saving it."

"But this is not what I'm suppose to learn."

"No.... Shall we continue?"

"Yes."

Celica wrote:Ying's Memory:

Ying felt the rush of energy and she was thrown of her feet, and she was pushed back against the wall. As soon as the energy had vanished, Ying opened her eyes to see the boy looking at her.

"Don't you think that if I wanted to kill you...I would have done so by now...instead of taking you out of the snow and bringing you into my village...and my home" Ying replied in a neutral tone. She decided not to move in case the boy tried anything drastic.

"You may not have heard me before...but like I said...you are free to leave when you wish..."

-----

"Mind if I join too?" Mai asked as she came by. After she had washed herself she went into the warm pool. She let out a content sigh, glad to finally have a bath as well. She sank a little more into the water, the water level up to her nose. Then she blew some bubbles with her mouth before she giggled. She paused, glancing at Rikka and Kalne, then realized that she wasn't acting very lady-like. So she moved back to lean against a rock.

"This feels really nice..." Mai sighed happily.

Back in the room, Kyuu stirred from his sleep on Mai's bed. He perked up and saw Yuki leave the room. Stretching up and wiggling his tail, he decided to follow after the girl.


-

How did I end up getting stuck with these girls... Shin thought as he wandered along. For some reason he was urged to go because of Ying. He didn't know why he decided to listen to her, but for some reason deep in the back of his mind he felt that he should, and that he somehow knew her.

No use trying to remember the past when you can barely remember it...and try to forget the things that you do remember... Shin told himself. Then he paused, glancing out in the distance, sensing something. He stood still, wondering what it could be.

His hand moved to the hilt of his sword, ready.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Nome's Memory:

"No I didn't hear that. But it's still hard for me to trust you." The boy had a few tears falling from his face. "It's because I've been alone.... for so long." He wiped away the tears. "But It's not something I should dump onto other people." He edged to the door. "I have to leave now. I have to find the demon slayer village." He turned and tried to go out the door.


"Yes it is." Kalne sunk alittle lower.

Rikka had her eyes clothes and streched in the water.



The girl pulled her Katana from it's sheath silently. Without a signal sound she slashed out. She brought the blade back and sheathed it again.

The tree she slashed didn't move.

"Good, I haven't lost any skill. But I must find out what happened." She suddenly noticed a small creature following her. "Oh, hi there." She lowered herself and outstreched her hand and would pet it if it came close. Her inner kindness showing briefly. "I'm Yuki. I wonder what your name is."

Zion wrote:Kyo finally caught a glimpse of the presence he saw. As he got closer and closer to it, he recognized the soul frequency. It was that of a demon. Tensing, he moved closer to the man cautiously. The man seemed to be on guard so Kyo held up his hands showing that he did not mean any harm. He sweared he felt that person's presence when he was fighting Anthro, but amidst all the fighting and the others fleeing, he was unable to detect him. Kyo wondered if that was because he was only a half demon and the two soul frequencies were canceling each other out.

"Hello, I'm just wondering what your business is out here, in the middle of the night." Kyo said with a struggled smile. He blinked the exhaustion out of his eyes, and he noticed someone else was out a few miles from his position. One of those presences were familiar, it was the animal that always followed with that demon slaying girl.

What's up with everyone taking midnight walks? Kyo said with a sigh.

Celica wrote:Ying's memory:

She gazed at the boy a moment, seeing the tears on his face. She felt pity on him, wondering what she could do for him even though she usually tried not to get into other people's business.

"You are also free to stay, if you wish..." Ying added suddenly. She paused a moment, wondering if she should reveal to Nome that he was in the destination he was seeking. Then she stood up slowly. She usually tried her best not to let any foreigners into the village, but she had a soft spot for children.

"There's no need for you to continue searching..." Ying added before she went over to check her stove. Then she began to head out the door.

"You are already here..." she said before she left.

-----

Shin waited patiently for Kyo to appear. He still kept on guard as he stared at Kyo.

"I should ask you the same thing..." Shin replied. Even though Shin didn't think Kyo seemed dangerous, he had an urge to fight. He noticed that Kyo seemed to be distracted by something else, as if there were another presence nearby. He shrugged it off, not really minding it. Then he pulled out his sword.

"Are you following me..." he asked in a slight warning tone.

"If you're one of those that wants to try and take my power then just try and take it. Let's see how powerful you are..." Shin added.

Without another warning, he lunged toward Kyo.

He swung at him, using only a partial amount of his energy just to test Kyo's strength and abilities. Then he jumped away if Kyo tried to attack, getting close to to the open bath where the girls were. However, he had no idea that they were there, so he didn't care if he and Kyo destroyed the place while fighting. Shin smiled in satisfaction, glad to be able to use his powers, even if not to their full extent.



-

Kyuu shrinked back slightly when Yuki noticed him. When she stretched out her hand invitingly, he lingered a little closer, sniffing the air and creeping up closer. He could sense that she meant no harm, so he chirped and sniffed her hand curiously and let himself be petted. Kyuu made another noise, as if saying his own name, wiggling his tail happily. Then he jumped onto her shoulder and curled around her neck gently.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Yuki smiled. "I guess I'll call you Kyuu until something tells me otherwise." A light breeze brushed her hair.

Suddenly the tree she had attacked snapped in two. There was a loud crash of a falling tree.

"Always so loud." She pet the little animal some more. "You remind me of a friend I once had. I wonder if they still exist anymore." Yuki was reminded of her companions she had travelled with. "I wonder. How long has it been?" She started walking.


Kalne quietly wrapped her towel around herself. But said nothing to the other two. She smiled a bit more.

Rikka didn't notice what Kalne had done.


The boy's expression finally changed. "Really? I'm here? My journey is finally over." As if he had been trying his very best to excert energy, it seemed the fact of knowing he was safe, finally let him relax. And the cold he had gotten in the blizzard showed itself. His head became hot and he passed out with a high fever.

His grip on the sword loosened and it fell away from him.

Celica wrote:Mai was enjoying the warm water so much she didn't really pay attention to what was going on. She had her eyes closed, happy and content as she tried to forget her current problems. Then she heard some noises. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"Did you hear something?"

-

Still in Ying's memories:

When Ying had returned, she was surprised to find the boy unconscious. She went to him and felt his forehead. Realizing he had a fever, Ying lifted him up and put him back into bed. She covered him with the blanket and put a damp washcloth on his forehead. Then she looked down in surprise, realizing she had almost stepped on the sword that Nome had been holding. She picked it up, examining its craftsmanship for a while before she gently laid it against the wall beside the bed.

"I wonder what you came here for..." Ying said softly, glancing at the boy. She went to sit in the corner and pulled out a scroll, pen, and some ink. Then she began to write out some medicinal recipes.

She hummed a soft tune as she did.

Tika_Keiga wrote:The boy didn't know how long he had been asleep. But when he woke up, he felt alittle better. He had found the demonslayer village. His journey was over. He suddenly had a vision of why he came here.

"Take it son. Take it and get it to the village of the demon slayers near the southern mountains. Your the only one I can trust." His father patted him on the head before turning back to him.

A huge battle was taking place between kingdom and imperial forces. Both were fighting for a weapon that had been stored in the city. but which now rested in a young boy's hands.

"Go!" His father yelled at him.

Crying the boy turned and started running.

The boy sat up. "It's been alittle over a year..... I wonder what happened." The boy stood up and went looking for his rescuer.


Kalne was still smiling, "I didn't hear anything." She said slyly.

Rikka opened one of her eyes at that. Then relaxed in the water again.

Zion wrote:Kyo immediately side stepped the moment that Shin lunged forward. At first, he didn't understand why Shin was acting so hostile. But then, Kyo understood. Of course it could just be the demon blood that flowed through his veins, but Shin seemed to want to determine the true extent of Kyo's power. Obliging to Shin's unsaid request, Kyo called upon Kamui and he wielded his scythe.

"My business is my own. You probably wouldn't be interested in it." Kyo said answering Shin's question late. Shin darted forward again and this time, Kyo just blocked the katana. He winced as the shock from the collision sent waves of pain through his exhausted mind. Just then, he noticed Shin jumping backward toward several familiar presences. Immediately, a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his forehead.

"Um, Shin? I don't think you should stand too close to there..." Kyo said his voice slightly cracking. He knew at once that things would go very out of hand if they continued to fight in this area.

Celica wrote:"How do you know my name..." Shin asked after he landed. He stared at Kyo for a moment, wondering if he knew something about him thus the assumption that Kyo was following him. He took a fighting stance again, but he blinked when Kyo mentioned something about not standing too close to where he was.

"What are you talking about? Stop trying to distract me" Shin replied before he shot toward Kyo again. Their weapons clashed, the and force the energy between then was so great it threw Shin backward....into the bath.

Mai barely knew what happened until something fell into the water. She cried out in surprise, shielding herself from the splashing water. Then when she gazed the water a moment, until Shin suddenly popped up. She screamed, covering herself. When she realized who it was, she stared at Shin angrily.

"SHIN! What do you think you're doing!?" she cried.

Shin didn't know what was going on, he just realized he fell into the water and came up for air. Then he caught a glimpse the girls. He stared in shock for a moment until Mai yelled at him. He was about to explain until Mai threw a hard punch at him, then kicked him out of the pool.

Shin scrambled to his feet, stumbling backward.

"What the hell!" Shin cried.

"GET OUT!" Mai screamed.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"GET OOOUT!" Mai cried again before she started throwing things at Shin. Dodging the flying objects, Shin backed away, stumbling into Kyo as he did.

"Ugh....women...."

-----

Ying's Memory:

Ying raised up her arm and a golden brown hawk landed upon it. She stroked the bird gently. The bird was her guardian, Talken. She was training Talken in the practice grounds of the village. All of a sudden, a little ferret appeared by her feet.

"Ah, Kyuu...there you are. Did you find it?" she asked. Kyuu chirped and climbed up onto her shoulder to present her some red berries.

"Thank you, Kyuu. These should work well." She replied. Then she looked toward the gates of the practice grounds.

"The students should be arriving soon to train. Today you will choose your companion, Kyuu. I am sure you will know the right one..." Ying said. Kyuu chirped in reply before jumping off of her.

I wonder how that boy is doing...

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka had been caught off gaurd, and it took a couple seconds to sink in that Shin had see her naked. Her face flushed a dark red. With no words of reply she quickly grabbed her towel and watched Mai kick him out.

Kalne just smiled.


Yuki heard someone scream. She started running back to the Inn. Her hand went to her hilt. The air around her became cold, as she readied Ice magic.


Nome's Memory:

The boy had struggled with his first few steps, but eventually started walking fine. He examined the village as he walked. It was a beautiful place in his eyes, though he had not been to many places.

After awhile the boy realized he forgot the sword, he ran back and grabbed it. When he returned outside, he saw students heading to some sort of practice grounds. He followed them.

He watched as whatever was happening happened. He saw Ying was leading the event.

He gripped the sheathed blade. "She'll know what to do with this cursed sword." He sat down and waited.

Zion wrote:Kyo caught Shin as he crashed in to him after get kicked out by Mai.

"See? What did I tell you? Now they probably think you're some perverted demon now." Kyo said unable to keep himself from laughing. "Guess you're what they call an incubus now!" Then he started rolling on the ground laughing. Finally, when he regained his composure, he noticed Shin was staring at him, as though Kyo knew something he shouldn't have.

"What's the problem, are wondering how I knew they were there?" Kyo asked. That didn't seem to be what Shin wanted to know. Frowning, Kyo attempted to determine the emotions that everyone within the area had at the moment. Shin seemed to be angry at having things turn out the way they did at the bathouse. But then amidst all the emotions, Kyo sensed someone readying magic coming their direction.

"Hey, if you have any questions, save them for later, someone's coming." Kyo said struggling to keep his eyes open. He remembered exactly how tired he was at that moment. He probably wouldn't be able to repel any dangers if anything went wrong.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne sensed the girl. "So she's awake." She stood up and jumped out of the bath area with the towel wrapped tightly around her.

Rikka sighed got up and headed back to the change room. "It was nice while it lasted."


As Yuki got closer she sensed the fight had died down, but now she was sensing a demon and something she couldn't quite tell. She rushed forward brought her sword up and attacked the demon first.

There was a flash, and Kalne stood between them. Her Kunai stopping Yuki's blade. "Hi there. I'm Kalne, the Fox Breed. I'm glad your awake." Kalne smiled.

Yuki was shocked and almost fell over. "What do you mean 'Hi.'.. Jeez." She sheathed her blade, the cold air disappeared. Yuki was abit flustered, she was so certain about being attacked that the sudden mood change confused her. Her regaining her composure she got serious.

Kalne's Kunai was suddenly gone, as she stood there in the towel. Though she didn't seem to care if someone checked her out.

"Who released the seal?"

"I did." Kalne answered.

Suddenly Yuki was angry, and she let it show. "Why the hell would you do something so stupid? Do you even know what you done? I left everything behind to save my friends, and seal that thing forever!"

"Even if that meant an eternity in that seal."

"Yes. It's what I chose. Who're you to decide to undo that?!" Yuki glared at Kalne.

Zion wrote:Kyo stared at the scene that was layed out before him. Kalne, who was only wearing a towel seemed to know this mysterious girl. But it was not because Kalne was half naked that he was staring at her so stunned. It was because he now understood why there was so much chaos in the time where he was an angel. He remembered that there was some incident back in the Upper Plane about a demon.

Is this the girl that sealed that demon away? Kyo thought. He immediately put himself on guard. He was still unsure of what this girl's intentions were, but he still wasn't going to let anything kill him unexpectedly.

Wait a second, if she's here....then the demon must be-! Kyo then understood.

Celica wrote:"Shut up!" Shin cried when Kyo started laughing at him. Having not been around human contact for so long, Shin was not used to being embarrassed in such a way, and his face had a light shade of red as he stared angrily at Kyo. Of course, he was even more surprised when Kyo said he was a demon.

Just who is this guy...he looks like a human but he doesn't seem like it...and how the hell did he know all that stuff... Shin thought. He still stared at Kyo even though he mentioned someone was coming, standing there soaking wet.

"The nerve!" Mai mumbled to herself as she got out of the water and put the towel around her. Like Rikka, she went to change back into her clothes before Shin tried to come and take a peek at them again. She noticed that Kalne had left with just a towel around her and went to follow after her. It was then that she saw Shin and Kyo there, and then Yuki suddenly going toward them to attack.

"Shin!" Mai called, realizing that the half demon wasn't paying attention.

Shin was loathing his own embarrassing situation, but then he heard Mai's voice, then sensed an oncoming force. He quickly released his energy, and he was engulfed in blue flame, the water soaking him suddenly being repelled from his body and clothes. He realized he had dropped his sword, so he had no weapon to repel any attack. He spun to face Yuki, but before either of them could attack, Kalne stepped in.

Shin stared at Kalne in surprise. First, at the fact that she had stopped Yuki from attacking him, and second, that she was half-naked. His eyes slowly began to wander before he quickly shook the thoughts out of his head.

Stop it, you idiot... he scolded himself. Mai came running up and stopped when she saw how Kalne stopped Yuki. She watched them converse, then looked up when the snow started falling, wondering where it was coming from. Then she felt something furry by her leg.

"Kyuu!" Mai said. The ferret chirped before climbing up onto her shoulder. Then Mai looked at Yuki.

"Who are you? Why did you try to attack Shin?" she asked, ready to fight if she had to. Kyuu chirped, then jumped from Mai to Yuki, as if indicating that she wasn't a threat. Mai blinked before she realized this then calmed slightly.

Shin listened as well, but was a bit confused about what both Yuki and Kalne were talking about. Then he realized that the presence of all the people around were bothering him. He spotted his sword on the ground and picked it up.

"Well I'm out of here..." Shin mumbled before he started walking away.

Tika_Keiga wrote:"Oh yea. I haven't introduced myself." Calming down a bit she said her name. "My name is Yuki Hinataro. I sealed the evil this fox breed has released. Now tell me. How long did the seal last?"

"A little over two thousand years."

Yuki heart shattered. "T... two.... thousand." She became sad. "So then. They're all dead by now." Some tears flowed down her face. She turned to Mai, "I attacked him because I sensed a demon's power. From experience, demon's can't be trusted." Yuki was finding harder to breathe. The suddenly realization of losing everything she had ever loved was sinking into her deep.

Rikka came out of the Inn fully dressed. She saw Yuki crying, but didn't say anything.

Yuki's hand went up to Kyuu. "Pathetic isn't it, I've only known you for ten minutes, and now your the closest thing I have now." With that Yuki passed out. Her heart had given out on her. She fell to the ground, her Katana rolling away from her hand.

The sky seemed to snow a little more, but by morning it would be gone. It was spring after all.

Kalne kneeled down over her. She whispered to her, "I've lost everything too. But you'll have to rebuild." She picked Yuki up and headed back to the room.

When they were out of sight, Rikka walked towards Kyo. "Speak now, do you intend to follow us? What is the reason your still here?" Rikka didn't care what Shin did, but she tended to be on guard whenever he was around.


A campsite a few miles south...

The fire started to die as midnight approached. The teen had fallen asleep. He was alone. His glasses to the side. Light purple hair. His weapon stood against the tree.

Zion wrote:Kyo glanced at Shin and noticed that he was now walking away from the area.

Hmm, well if I was accused of being a peeping tom, I'd probably feel just as bad as him. I'll leave him alone for the time being. Kyo thought. He looked over at the girl who had just revealed that her name was Yuki. The talk about the seal was bringing a flood of clouded memories back to his mind, but he ignored them for the time being. When Kalne had said that the seal was still intact for two thousand years, he couldn't help but feel impressed. Then, he noticed Rikka walking forward to confront him. She seemed to want to know if he was going to stick around with them, and if so, why he would.

"Yes, I think I'll stay with you guys for the time being. You guys seem to attract trouble in the most tranquil of areas." Kyo said with a crooked grin. "And I actually hope I can use that to my advantage."

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka had a hard expression, even though he had helped them escape she wasn't about to trust every person just because of one deed. "Well whatever. But if you make any moves that make me suspicous, your gone." Rikka turned and headed back to the Inn.


Kalne placed Yuki on the bed, then got dressed. "We're not so different Yuki." With that Kalne headed out into the night to think about something.


Terra woke up. She felt a weird energy. "That power. It's what I was told to seek." She stood up and in the moonlight she made her way across the demon slayer village. She found an hidden entrance that was already open. She sensed someone inside. Terra readied a lightening spell. "We'll see how this ends up." She entered.

Zion wrote:Kyo simply nodded at Rikka's response. He's make sure that he didn't do anything that'd endanger them. Slouching away, he dragged his feet toward the village inn. He was about at his limit for staying up so late in his condition. When he got to the counter in the Inn, he ordered his own room. Even if Kyo was invited to the girl's room to sleep, he'd still feel very uncomfortable about it. Yawning, he walked in to his room and fell asleep the moment he tucked himself in to his bed.

Inside the Airship Levantine...
"It's funny isn't it Uriel? He's been searching for me for the last 17 years, yet, now it's me that's looking for him. But I'd keep my distance if it wasn't for the Black Renaissance Sacrement that I need him for." The female figure said, laughing wickedly. The second shape, a tall man wearing a cape merely nodded, his silver mask glinting in the bridge of the airship.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Rikka found Yuki sleeping and no sign of Kalne. "Guess I'll sleep then." Rikka laid down on one of the beds and fell asleep.


The airship Nalvist...

Anthro reviewed the reports. "Dammit. It went into the Haltar Jungle."

"Should we follow sir?"

"No. That is Orc territory. We do not have the supplies to raid the Orc right now. We head back for the southern city of Mora."

"Understood."

A few seconds later the airship headed south.


The airship Karturist...

"So he is here."

"Yes."

"And the other airships?"

"All are above Mora fighting against the empire ships. Except two. Last we heard from Nalvist was they were chasing after the darkness released from the se.."

"Yes the seal. Who released it?"

"They didn't say."

"And the other ship?"

"Levantine has been silent. No word from it has been received by anyone."

"Send the Talroy to investigate the Levantine's last known position."

"Understood." The soldier ran off to do the orders.

Zion wrote:In the Upper Plane (heaven)
"Saint Michael, we've discovered the location of the traitor Uriel and Brianna. They are in an airship of some sort in the Middle Plane." The white cloaked figure said. The man that he was talking to frowned behind his white hood and looked troubled.
"I don't understand. According to the mirror, she is only fifty miles away from Kyo's position. Why would she expose herself to unnecessary danger?" Archangel Michael said.

"Perhaps it has something to do with what Kyo has that other angels do not have. It was already verified that Archangel Uriel has defected to the demons. It seems that he doesn't have what Brianna needs." The female voice said.

Michael pondered what it could be that the young fallen angel had that would make Brianna want to reveal her presence after seventeen years. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Archangel Michael.

"Raphael, please bring me Kyo's file. I need to know everything about his past from his birth, to when he was exiled. I believe that is where the answer to all our questions lie, and to why Brianna is after him." Archangel Michael said grimly.

Celica wrote:After the whole scenario was over, Mai decided to follow after Shin. She kept a good distance away at first, because she figured he wanted some time to cool down and think a while after the bath house thing. Finally she saw him jump up onto a large rock and gaze up at the stars. She approached slowly.

"What do you want, Mai" Shin said suddenly. Mai froze when she realized that she had been noticed. She sighed and walked up.

"Shin...I know you probably didn't want to come with us but..."

"You're right about that" he interrupted.

"What were you doing anyway? Were you fighting with that guy?" Mai asked.

"He seems to know too much about me..." Shin replied.

"And what's wrong with that?" Mai asked.

"Because I...don't remember much about myself" he answered.

"Oh...so is that why you don't remember..." Mai said, a bit disappointed.

"Remember what?"

"That promise you made to me..." she answered. Shin was silent a moment.

"I don't make promises..." Shin finally said.

"Well you did. And it's terrible that you don't remember"

"Like I care"

"You should! Because you seemed to care enough to give me this!" Mai said as she held up her left arm. Shin glanced down at her to see a red string tied around Mai's wrist. He stared at it a while.

"What's that"

"The promise you made..."

"What promise?"

"That we would get married..."

---

Ying's Memory:

"Begin!" Ying ordered as the students began their training. They did exercises then had sparring matches with each other. Young Mai was there, trying her hardest. After a while, Ying told them to stop.

"You have all done very well. Some of you will be going for field training with your parents soon. But today, some of you will be chosen by a guardian. This guardian will be your lifelong companion. They will protect you until the very day you die. They will only choose who they see fit to their ability. We only have a few guardians left in our village, so choosing a student will be a difficult process. Who they choose is who they choose. To earn their right and respect, you must fight them. Today, I will introduce you to Kyuu." Ying said, and Kyuu appeared before her.

"Each of you will fight him one by one. If you lose, you must move on. Whoever lasts the longest will be Kyuu's companion" Ying said.

Kyuu chirped before he began to glow with a green energy. Then Ying ordered for the students to begin. Each student tried their best, but they had failed. Kyuu was strong despite his size, and he was quick and agile as well. The last was Mai. She rushed forward, using her speed and skills to try and outsmart Kyuu. He hit Mai hard a few times, but the girl kept on going. Ying watched them both.

Mai...I knew you would be the one... she thought.

"Enough. I believe Kyuu has found his companion. Congratulations, Mai" Ying said. Mai stopped and stared at Ying in amazement. Then she smiled happily. Kyuu chirped and jumped onto her shoulder.

After all the students had gone, Ying approached Nome. She had seen him sitting and waiting for her.

"So now that you're here...what is it that you seek" she asked. She gazed at him a moment, then saw the sword in his hands.

"I see that is no ordinary sword. And by how you seem to protect it with your life...very valuable as well" Ying said.

"You are too young to wield such a sword...maybe if you train here for a while...I will be able to help you. Until then...maybe I can store it for you. Come with me" Ying said as she led the boy the shrine.

"This is a sacred shrine that our ancestors used to lock away cursed artifacts. They sealed their holy power within to guard sacred artifacts and this village from demons and those with evil intentions...." Ying said. She realized that only she and the high elder possessed the knowledge to open the shrine, but she felt not to mention it to the boy. Then she turned to Nome.

"If you wish, I will take care of that sword for you...."

-----

Back in Ying's present:

Ying opened her eyes after she had been meditating for a while. She looked up when she felt a presence. Gazing back, she realized she forgot to close the entrance to the shrine. Then she gazed at the sword.

"This sword must must not fall into the wrong hands..." she said as she covered it up again. She realized she wouldn't be able to avoid meeting with whoever was coming. Then she turned around, ready to fight.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Kalne gazed at the moon. "Two thousand years for her. Three hundred for me." Kalne suddenly slapped herself. "Mustn't regret. I have to move on." Kalne sped through the forest, running at full speed to release some steam.


Nome's memory...

"My father told me to bring it here. He said you could hide it from the world, until someone can contain it's power." He looked down. "He's probably dead now, and I know I can't wield it. At least not yet." He thought for a moment. "Yes. I would like to train here. But first I want to know what happened to the city of Kurast." The boy half pleaded to Ying. He knew he was weak. The year travelling to the village had forced him to lose his childhood earlier then most children.


Terra hands were glowing with the lightening spell ready to fire. The green skinned girl stepped into the room to see Ying. "So that sword is what I told ordered to get. My master would like it. Though it is curious. I couldn't sense it until that entrance was open. So that leaves one question. How did he know it was here?" Terra let Ying think. "Alwell. Doesn't matter, you'll be dead soon enough." Terra move with great speed behind Ying and raised her hands, firing the lightening at Ying.

Celica wrote:Shin said nothing, and looked away from Mai.

"That was a promise I threw away a long time ago..." Shin replied. Mai felt her heart wrench.

"Fine! Then you're a liar! I can't believe I even cared about you at all...." Mai choked, trying not to cry.

"But since you want to leave anyway...I'll tell you about this stupid amulet" Mai said as she pulled it off of her.

"Only a handful of these exist in this world...they were made as a bond between demons and humans. Only a few demons are able to create such an artifact. Whoever created this must have been a powerful demon. But the demon who creates it is said to give it to a human that they cherish greatly. That human is protected by this amulet...absorbing some of the demon's powers for protection. And whenever that demon is close...he will be obligated to protect that human as well from any danger. That's why you protected both me and Kalne, Shin. Because we had it in our possession. But whatever...since you don't care...I shouldn't force you...." Mai said as she threw the amulet on the ground.

"But just so you know...you can't really make use of this amulet yourself or it'll just absorb your power. The point of it is to protect humans. So you'd better just get rid of it...or give it to someone who actually knows how to use it..." Mai mumbled before she stormed off.

Shin turned around to glance back at the amulet on the ground. He saw that it was glowing slightly.

Father...you created that amulet...didn't you...

----

Ying's Memory:

Ying listened carefully to Nome's story. She felt pity on him, thinking of how hard it must have been for him to travel such a long way and also to lose his father. Then he asked about the city of Kurast.

"I'm sorry...but have no information about the fate of Kurast..." she replied. She saw how tired he was.

"Give me the sword and I will hide it for you..." she said. Once he had given her the sword, she proceeded to store it away in the shrine. Then she returned to him.

"Come...you need rest. I will train you once you are better..." Ying said as she led him back to her home.

"Like I said...you are free to stay here as long as you wish..."


Present:

Ying stared at Terra as she approached.

"Whoever your master is, I cannot allow anyone to take this sword" Ying replied. Before she could say anything else, Terra attacked. Ying barely had time to move before she was hit by the spell, and she cried out as she flew forward, tumbling over the ground. She jumped up before Terra could attack again, dodging her other spells.

I promised to protect this sword with my life.. Ying thought. She pulled out one of her scrolls and cast a counter spell to attack Terra. She realized her spells were a bit slower than Terra's, so she wasn't sure how long she could hold the girl off.

Ying knew she wouldn't be fast enough to dodge more of Terra's spells so she risked getting hit a few times as she pulled out another scroll to cast a binding spell on Terra. Then she raced for the sword. She stared at it, wondering what to do with it. Her eyes widened when she saw it glowing. She pulled the covers away from it to see. She held it by the hilt, as if being instructed to use it.

Then before she could do anything, the sword released a powerful burst of energy. Ying held onto the sword tightly, trying not to let go of it. She realized it had distracted Terra enough, but the girl came for her again, hitting her with another spell. She dropped the sword, falling to the ground in pain. Then she got up slowly.

"You will not...take this sword..." she said slowly. Then she pulled out several scrolls and threw them out, each one unraveling and hanging in the air. She began to chant, calling out her most powerful spell. She knew it was risky, one that might cost her life. But she knew she had to protect the sword, and the village.

The power from her spell was so great that the energy flowed all the way through the tunnel out of the exit of the shrine. The villagers caught wind of this and hurried to see what was going on.

Once the spell was done, Ying fell to the ground, unmoving, next to the sword.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Nome's memory...

Soon after the kid's training began...


Terra's eyes went wide. "Dammit." Terra's magic guard shattered as the blast hit her. Terra was on her hands and knees, smoke rose from her flesh. In great pain, Terra stood up. "Don't think I've given up." She knew she wouldn't even be able to hold off a powerless human so she used the last of her strength to escape the village.

Outside the village a small group of Orcs were waiting.

"There's hers. She survives humes attackes."

"So you cowards came back. The Item is well protected. We must go back to master for new orders."

"Why shoulds we listen to yuoes?" One Orc said. "I kill you and becomes leader."

Suddenly blood splashed from the orc and he fell over dead. Terra was behind him, then fell back to her knees. "Anyone else?"

No other Orcs said anything. "Then we go back to the jungle. And one of you carry me."

One of the Orcs picked her up and then the group headed west.

Zion wrote:Kyo slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling. As far as he could tell, it was still very late at night but he managed to rest just enough to regain all of his energy. Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, he slid out of the covers and walked outside. He breathed in the night air and tried to pinpoint the location of everyone else. To his surprise, most of the others were unable to go to sleep. He frowned, but thought nothing more of it.
I think I'll go take a walk. Kyo thought. His limbs were still numb from the short battle he had with Shin, which surprised him to a large extent. He walked outisde the gates of the village and looked up at the night sky. Several black clouds were spread out through the sky, but there were still some stars glinting through all the clouds. Suddenly, he detected two presences. One was that of an angel, and another was one that was all too familiar

"Hello Kyo, did you miss me?" A female voice said mockingly. Kyo turned around quickly, summoning Kamui in to his hands. There, was Brianna herself with her chakrams and an angel wearing a silver mask that was seemingly unarmed.

"You!" Kyo said anger beginning to well up inside of him.

"I'll take that as a no, but that's fine. It matters not anway." Brianna said smiling. "Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me."

Kyo was smart enough to stop talking and immediately darted forward, his scythe raised above his head. He swung with all his might downward toward Brianna's neck, but was stopped by some invisible force.

"What?!" Kyo said, thrown in to the air by the counter force applied in the shield. While he was in midair, the silver masked angel conjured a silver spear.

"No...Uriel?" Kyo said realizing who this angel was. Uriel's spear glowed white and the spear flew directly toward Kyo. He only had time to curse once before the spear pierced through his torso. Blood leaked out of Kyo mouth before the world turned black around him. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious from the surge of pain.

"Thank you Uriel. Now let's get him on to Levantine shall we?" Brianna said laughing. Uriel hefted Kyo over his shoulder and they climbed into a beacon, floating back up into their airship.

Celica wrote:There were shouts coming from the villagers when they saw Terra. They had begun to chase after her, but weren't able to catch her before she escaped.

Ling saw the commotion and immediately rushed to the shrine. Finding that it was open, she paused, having not seen something like this before. Gathering her courage, she ran inside and finally found Ying lying motionless on the floor.

"Master Ying!" she called, shaking the older woman lightly. She received no response. She saw that Ying's hand was closed around the sword that lay next to her. Ling gazed at the sword a moment, wondering where it had come from, having not seen anything like it before, though it would just seem like an ordinary sword.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Ling stood up and stumbled back slightly, looking around in a panic. She heard some of the other villagers making their way in, but she yelled back at them to head back out. Then she tried to get Ying.

The ground trembled even more, and a crack began to form in the middle of the cavern. There was a split, and the cavern opened out below to an endless dark pit.

"Master Ying!" Ling called loudly, hoping that Ying would awaken. Unfortunately Ying still didn't move, and her body was engulfed by the darkness, her hand still grasped tightly around the sword as she fell into the abyss.

"NO!" Ling cried, trying to go after Ying. Before she could, one of the villagers had gone in and grabbed her in time and pulled her out of the collapsing shrine. She cried uncontrollably as soon as they safely made it out.

"Master Ying...."

-----

"That jerk...I shouldn't have tried to save him at all..." Mai mumbled to herself as she headed back to the inn. She had been blowing off steam after her talk with the half-demon, so it had been late when she headed back. She didn't think much of where she was going, except that she wanted to get as far away from Shin as possible.

It was then that she saw Kyo in the distance. When she moved closer, she could see that he was trying to fight someone. Then she could make out two individuals. She watched in shock as Kyo was immediately attacked and taken away by the two strangers.

"Oh no!" Mai said as she tried to run after them. Unfortunately they were already gone. She looked around desperately, wondering what to do. Then she ran quickly back to the inn.

-

"There has to be something more to this thing..." Shin mumbled to himself as he gazed at the amulet. He picked it up using the point of his sword and let it hang there.

Maybe if I let her use it for a while...I can figure out more of its potential. That's what you wanted....right, father? It will lead me to her...then I will destroy her.... Shin thought, thinking of the woman that used to be his mother. Then he headed back toward the inn. As he did, he saw Mai quickly running back as well. He wondered what had gotten into her before he followed.

Something has happened...

-

Kyuu had been asleep next to Yuki after Kalne had put her in bed, but he stirred and awoke when he sensed Mai. The ferret perked up when Mai entered.

"Rikka! Kalne! That guy that fought Shin was attacked and taken by some weird people!" Mai cried, trying to explain what she saw as best she could. She looked around.

"Where's Kalne?"

Tika_Keiga wrote:The sword shone brightly, as it fell in Ying's grasp. It the type of sword that would protect whoever it was passed to. Since Nome gave up his ownership to Ying, so Ying was now it's owner. A barrier appeared around Ying. The same type Ying had once seen the young boy use.

In the deep darkness, the small light remained. Waiting for it's owner to awaken.


Yuki had woken up moments before Mai entered. She was laying with her back to the door, and her face to the wall. Tears still wetting her face. She listened to Mai's words but didn't have the strength to reply or turn around. So she laid there silently crying.


Rikka couldn't sleep and sat up. "She was gone when I got here." She sighed, "What happened?"

Celica wrote:Ying was trapped in the darkness of her mind. She felt weightless, floating through nothing. She realized that she was dead. The feeling was all too familiar. A white figure approached her.

So...we meet again.... Ying thought. The figure seemed to be able to read her thoughts.

Is it really my time...or are you lying to me again... she added. Then she felt an aura behind her. Turning slowly, she saw a golden light. She stared at it in awe a moment before she turned back to the glowing white figure.

It looks like my soul still cannot rest...

With that, Ying felt herself being pulled away from the white figure.

She opened her eyes.

---

"That...that guy...the one that Shin fought with. He was fighting someone...and...it looked like they killed him..and they took him! They disappeared into this light and...there was this airship..." Mai replied. She didn't know why she was worrying since she barely knew Kyo, but from what she saw he didn't seem evil.

"Maybe I'm too late...maybe he's really dead...I saw that spear...go right through him..." Mai said softly. It was then that Shin appeared behind her.

"It's a pity. I wanted to kill him" Shin said. Mai perked up and turned around to face him.

"Don't you think you've done enough? Why don't you just leave like you said you would!" Mai added. Before she could say more, Shin held up the amulet to her which hung from the end of his sword.

"Take it, Mai. I won't have much use for it" Shin replied. Mai stared at it a moment, then looked at Shin.

"Well I don't want it" Mai muttered as she turned away from him, crossing her arms. She was still angry at Shin from what happened earlier. Shin chuckled lightly before he managed to slip the amulet back around Mai's neck.

"You never know when you might need it..." he said. Mai glanced down at it. Then she sighed.

"Fine...but you'll regret it" she mumbled. Shin glanced at Yuki and Rikka, then turned around in the doorway.

"It's almost morning. I don't know when you all plan to leave but it should be soon..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:The Talroy's cannon ripped through the sky as it fired upon the Lavintine. It had received no word from the Livantine, so their laws dictated that it be destroyed.

A man with med length white hair commanded the airship. He had brown pants and a white sleeveless shirt. Black gauntlets were on his arms, and strapped to his back was black sword as tall as himself.

"Sir, should we really fire upon them?"

"Our orders and laws say any airship that doesn't respond, is expected to be taken over, and must be destroyed before it can be used against us." His dull yellow eyes hung with confidence."

"Understood."

The man's name was Xecos. The fourth airship commander. He commanded the airship Talroy. He was ordered to find Levantine, which had gone AWOL. The usual orders were to find it and try to ascertain it's situation. But since it was war time, he was ordered to destroy it if it didn't cooperate.

Talroy's cannons opened fire.

---------

Rikka sighed, "I didn't even get any sleep." She stood up and gathered what was left of the supplies. She then went over to Yuki. She sat on the end of the bed. "I know you don't feel up to it, so stay here. Rest. Come find us if you want to help."

Yuki nodded back slightly. Still crying.

Rikka smiled. She stood up and walked out of the Inn.

Waiting beside the entrance was Kalne. "So we're going a bit early?"

"Yep." The two waited for Shin and Mai. Then would head out.

-------------

The purple haired boy saw the village in the distance. While it was still dark out, the sun could be seen about to come over the horizon. He was glad to finally reach a village. After all we had only been travelling by himself for the last month, and hadn't quite gotten use to it yet. He tried to find the Inn.

------------

In the darkness, in the sword's barrier, it revealed some of it's powers to Ying. In her mind she saw some of the uses it could be used for.

The first was the current barrier. Ying would be able to use it at will now.

The second was of part of it's demonic side. When used this way, a black mist would shoot out from the sword, and could be used to surround an enemy and crush weaker ones, or to hide herself and get a chance to run.

The third was probably the most useful. As long as she kept her mind on the sword, the ability to teleport to it's location was possible. But only her, can't be used to teleport more then it's owner. This ability could be used to fight a far foe. It gave an example in Ying's mind. Of one of it's previous owner's throwing the sword across a chasm, then teleporting to the otherside. And another example of while in battle, A previous owner threw the sword and skwered a man in a group of enemies, then teleported to the spot, and while in the middle of the group, took them all down swiftly.

The fourth was the last for the time being. It showed Ying how it's appearance changed from owner to owner. Ying would be able to do this once, so it's form would stay that way until she passed it onto a new owner.

Zion wrote:Kyo looked around in the darkness frowning. He had no idea who he was, how he had got here, and what he was going to do. No matter how far he strayed in to the darkness, there never seemed to be an end. Kyo panicked beginning to run in any direction he faced. This continued for several minutes until he was too exhausted to keep moving. He sat down trying to calm himself down.

[i]Oh my god...am I dead? Kyo said panicked. A sudden ripple echoed through the darkness and he was flung off his feet....

And Kyo's eyes shot open. He looked around and saw that he was in some kind of cell. Everything was completely dark save for the light that was glowing off the machines just outside his cell. Some kind of beam had penetrated through the walls of the room and ripped open his cell door. Picking himself up off the ground, he winced as he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Kyo looked down and saw a long scar that stretched from one side of his ribs to the other. He did not know how he had gotten an injury so severel. In fact, he didn't remember a thing except for his name.

"I have to get out of here." Kyo concluded stepping out over the ruined cell door. He exclaimed when he put his hand on the wall. The wall seemed to be coated in some kind of black ink that stuck to his hand. Kyo wiped off his hand swearing, then he stomped off in to the hallway. As he stepped through the door to the hallway, he heard a piercing screech inside of his head. He looked down and saw that some kind of collar was attatched around his neck. It was made out of some obsidian-like material and had a red stone embedded in the front. Suddenly, a portion of the black ink on the wall slid off and began to accumulate in one area. The glob of darkness continued to grow and shape until it looked similar to a large plant with long tendrils. It sent one of its tendrils outward trying to grab Kyo. He instinctively side stepped and managed to avoid barely avoid the tendril. Kyo struggled to think of how he could defeat such a large creature, and he managed to think of a solution. He turned and began running straight at the left side of the demon plant, causing it's tendrils to reach out toward him again. He ducked under one of the tendrils and jumped on to the other, beginning to pick up his speed by running. When he was almost at the plant himself, he picked up one of the explosives that were mounted on the wall. Kyo jumped over the eye of the plant and pulled the pin on the explosive, dropping the grenade in between its petals. The explosion seemed to be trapped within the plant, then the skin of the plant ripped open sending out a shockwave knocking Kyo off balance as he landed. He looked around at the damage and was astounded to see the entire hallway was no longer coated in the black substance. Then, an orb rolled out of the remnants of the plant. Curious, Kyo walked over to the orb and picked it up. He was suddenly overcome by a sense of vertigo, and he felt like he was falling up...

Kyo's memory
Anthro darted forward his halberd raised ready to hack Kyo in half. Kyo's back was up against the wall as he plucked one of his feather off of his spirit wings. He dropped it in front of Anthro's face, letting the wave of light overcome the entire area...

Kyo opened his eyes quickly shaking his head. The orb was no longer there, but Kyo remembered a small portion of who he was.

That's right, I was helping those people...I think it was Kalne, Rikka, Mai, and some other people... Kyo thought. Oh right, there was also that half demon Shin and that orc girl that ran away.

Kyo shook his head, allowing his memories to fully return to his mind. He remembered about being a former archangel, Brianna's betrayal, but he still lacked large fragments of his past. Kyo stood up and attempted to use healing magic on a few bruises that he had obtained in the battle with the plant. He frowned as his wounds continued to remain.

This collar must block out my magic... Kyo concluded. He glanced around the area for a possible weapon, and he glimpsed a claymore that was lying in the armory.

Hmm, I haven't used a sword in seventeen years, but I guess I don't have a choice. Kyo said. Another explosion rocked the ship, knocking him off of his feet.

Ugh, I'd better hurry and get all of my memories then. Kyo thought running to the closest door in the hallway. The door automatically slid open, and Kyo stepped in to the next room, holding the claymore warily with two hands, ready to attack whatever assaulted him...

Tika_Keiga wrote:The darkness formed into the appearance of a demon boy. With long ears, and a red head band. "So you followed me?" He turned to face Nome. "What will you do?"

"I know what your capable of. But don't betray your word to Kalne." Nome replied.

"I may be evil and want to rule the world. But I'm not a deceitful man."

"That's to be seen." Nome's red eyes looking at him.

"Something for you to say. I know what happened five years ago."

"I can no longer follow that path while in this form."

"Then they'll have to make sure you stay in this one." The darkness said cockly.

Suddenly Nome was behind him with a sword at his throat. "Don't think I'm weak because of this form. Farewell. For now." Nome disappeared.

Darkness smiled, "That form will disappear soon enough." He laughed as he turned around and made his way into the jungle.

------------------

"Still no reply sir."

"Stop firing, but if you see anything happen besides them trying to communicate, I want the Levantine brought down."

"Understood."

His dull eyes watched as the situation unfolded.

Talroy stopped firing but was ready to keep battling.

------------------

Nalvist's cannon ripped through the sky.

The commander smiled. "Anthro has arrived."

The communicator opened up. On the view screen Anthro could be seen. "Reporting in."

"What have you found?" Tyson asked.

"The darkness is in the Orc jungle. We have lost track."

"Very well. Take my place in this battle. There's things I must take care of."

"Understood."

Nalvist took Kuturist's place in the battle.

Kuturist took off north.

Celica wrote:Mai watched Rikka talk to Yuki. After the conversation Yuki had with Kalne earlier, she realized that the girl must be in a deep depression after losing everything she loved. She went over to her.

"You don't know me...and...I may not have experienced or even begin to understand how you must feel...I want you to know that I'll be your friend..if you want me to..." Mai said, smiling a little, though she was just looking at Yuki's back.

"Let her be, Mai..." Shin muttered before he walked out. He didn't care about Yuki, who she was, where she came from or that she had 'saved' the world. The thing that bothered him was that she tried to attack him earlier.

Maybe not now...but we shall battle again another time... Shin thought to himself.

Mai sighed before she started to walk out.

"Come on, Kyuu" Mai called. Kyuu had been trying to comfort Yuki by staying close to her, and he nuzzled her cheek lightly before Mai called him. He chirped a goodbye before he jumped away from her and onto Mai's shoulder.

"So...are we going to help that guy?" Mai asked as she followed after Rikka and Kalne.

"I say let him go. He must fight his own battles..." Shin added. Mai glanced at him, frowning slightly before she decided that there wasn't anything she could do anyway.

I hope he's all right...

------

"There is nothing that can be done, Ling...she is gone..." one of the villagers said as they tried to comfort her. They all assumed that Ying was dead.

"The high elder is still in bad condition..." another villager replied.

"I must tell Mai to return..." Ling said softly. She stood up slowly, before she put two fingers to her mouth and made a loud whistle. Soon enough, a hawk appeared. It was Ying's guardian, Talken. The hawk came and landed gently on Ling's outstretched arm.

"Talken...please deliver a message to Mai..."

-

Ying watched as the sword revealed its secrets and uses of skills to her. It was if those images were being engraved into her mind, and slowly she understood everything.

Then she opened her eyes.

"So am I your owner now..." she asked softly as she raised up the sword to look at it. She let it lay on her open palms, holding it out before her. It felt odd for her at first, because she had never wielded such a weapon before. Then she closed her eyes.

"Take on the form as you wish..."

The sword began glowing, and though it had been long in straight in appearance before while in possession of Nome, it shrunk slightly, forming an odd curve near its end. Once Ying opened her eyes, she gazed at the new sword's appearance before she gazed up through the darkness of the abyss. Pulling out a scroll, she attached it to the hilt of the sword, casting a speed spell.

"Take me out of here..." Ying said as she heaved her arm and threw the sword upward. Along with the spell, it propelled the sword out of the abyss, breaking out of the shrine and high into the air above the village. Then concentrating on the sword, Ying was able to teleport to it in the air.

Grabbing the sword, she pulled out one of her last scrolls and cast another spell. Once she did, she disappeared.

Tika_Keiga wrote:They walked through the village heading for the road south.

Rikka explained what Mai had told her.

Kalne spoke. "If it was an Airship we have no way of following or boarding it. So we can't rescue him. He'll have to fight his own battle."

"Unfortunate but true." Rikka added.

-------

As the youth entered the village he saw a familiar face, he ran towards her. "Rikka!" She yelled happily.

Rikka looked ahead and saw the short light purple hair of a person she had once met. "If it isn't Alex Lowell. I wonder what he's doing here."

Alex slowed down as he came up to them. "I see your travelling with others now."

"Yea." She examined him.

Kalne smiled at him. "So who would you be?"

"My name is Alex Lowell. I would prefer to keep where I'm from a secret."

"Fine then." Rikka walked passed him.

Kalne followed her.

"But we just found each other again. Your leaving already?"

"We came here to spend the night. We did that, and now we're going." Rikka grinned as she walked. "Watch this she said to the others."

Alex sighed. "Dammit." He jogged to catch up with them, "Would it be okay if I joined you?"

Kalne glanced at Rikka.

"Yea, he can be trusted."

Kalne smiled back at him, "Then sure. But keep up or we'll leave you behind."

Alex smiled a bit. "I understand." He followed after them.

Zion wrote:Kyo sheathed the claymore back into it's scabbard and glanced back up at the giant black crow that had been formed out of the dark substance. The crow seemed to stand immobile for a few seconds, then it collapsed vanishing into the void. Kyo walked over to the sphere that rolled out of its body and picked it up.

Kyo's memory: Upper Plane
Kyo sighed leaning his head on his knuckles. He thought that it was a completely idiotic idea that Angels needed to go to school. He already had enough of it as a human, why endure another pointless torture? Kyo struggled to make himself look like he was paying attention when suddenly, the door opened and two tall angels, one a male and one a female, walked in.

"Archangels..." Kyo said outloud.
"Wow...check out the lady..." One of Kyo's classmates whispered to his friend. Involuntarily, Kyo glanced over at the female Archangel. She was tall by a woman's standards, around six feet he estimated. She had strawberry blonde hair and had a determined expression on her face. The other Archangel was around the same height, but he his hair was some kind of bronze color and was cropped short.

"Sorry to interrupt Archangel Sarael, but we would like to talk to Kyo for a few minutes." The male Angel said. Kyo immediately stood up frowning and walked over to him. The female Angel followed the two out of the classroom and turned to face him.

"Hello Kyo, I am Archangel Gabriel and this is Archangel Michael. We've heard about your performance academically and in battle. Though you seem to show a reluctance for learning, your grades are among the top ranked. Your performance in battle however is much more noteworthy. Is it correct that after Lirael, the commanding officer of your unit, died, you led the remnants of the unit yourself?"

"Yes." Kyo responded glancing downward.

"I see. Then Michael and I have decided that we're going to have to pull you out of the academy and," Gabriel continued. "We're going to promote you to the rank of an Archangel."

"Hmm, I remember that." Kyo said outloud smiling. "I felt so proud..." At that moment, a large black spider jumped through the opening doors and bared its fangs at Kyo's face. He twisted his neck to the side allowing the spider to lodge its fangs in to his collar. Kyo quickly drew the claymore, slashed the spider in half, and it evaporated in to the air. He was surprised to see that the venom in the spider's fangs was melting through his collar. He crushed the decaying part of the collar and pulled it off. Kyo felt relieved to feel his familiar mana flowing through his veins again.

"Well, I wonder what we have here." Kyo said glancing at the sphere that the spider left behind. This sphere was colored black and white and he saw parts of his memory swirling within it. He picked it up and closed his eyes.

Kyo's memory?
The rain was pouring hard against the roofs off the deserted buildings. Nome was standing, facing a white figure in the center of the town. Nome had extended his wings to their full extension and they seemed to have been crafted out of the darkness itself. The white figure pulled back the hood of his white cloak and there in the flesh, was Kyo. He closed his eyes and his wings formed directly behind his back.

"Move, or I will kill you." Nome said staring directly into Kyo's eyes.

"I cannot. You have become evil, and thus, I must stop you." Kyo focused his energy and a white sword covered in flames appeared in his hand.

"I haven't become anything. I've just seen the truth." Nome summoned his own black flaming sword.

"Then one of us will die." Kyo tensed ready to charge.

"I guess so." Nome charged and the battle began. Kyo closed his eyes and allowed his energy to form around his body. A white aura enclosed him and dissipated any rain that landed on him. He lunged forward, his sword raised, clashing with Nome's own sword. An explosion of power shot the two backward, knocking away all the droplets of rain where the swords made contact. Without commenting, they clashed again and again throwing their entire force in to their blows. Kyo fired off a beam of light but it was negated by Nome's aura. Nome swung his sword downward at Kyo sending waves of black flames toward him. Kyo dashed to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack. The flames hit a nearby building, igniting it. The orange light from the flames, accompanied by the rain and lightning, was an eerie scene. Panting, Kyo raised the sword in to the raining sky and focused every ounce of mana he had left in to the blade. The sword glowed a blinding white light and all of the dark spots in the town was immediately illuminated. Kyo floated in the air for a few seconds, then shot toward Nome with remarkable speed, his sword pulled backwards. Nome threw up a shield of darkness, and the two powers clashed. For what seemed like an eternity, Kyo's sword continued pushing against Nome's shield, the two sending out shockwaves of energy that levelled any building in the vicinity of the power. Finally, Nome's shield exploded and Kyo's sword pierced through his chest. Nome's eyes widened as he tried to heal his wound, but to no avail. Kyo's sword prevented any dark magic from working once he struck a victim.

"Ugh, you sure put up a good fight." Kyo said to Nome who had just gone unconscious. "I hope you know that I can't just let you die. But that doesn't mean that I can just let you off the hook either."

Kyo pondered a solution to his problem and he sighed, realizing the harshness of what he was about to do. Slowly, Kyo reached out his palm and pointed it at Kyo's body. His hand glowed and Nome's body was enveloped by a glowing white cacoon.



End of memory

Celica wrote:"I guess you're right..." Mai replied. She gazed down, staying silent as they walked. She felt a little bad about it, leaving Kyo to his fate even though she barely knew him, and Yuki sinking in her sadness.

Mai looked up when Alex approached them. She blinked, gazing at him as he greeted Rikka. She looked away in a shy manner when he looked at her.

Shin eyed Alex carefully, wondering what kind of person he was. He immediately figured Alex couldn't be trusted when he said he didn't want to mention where he was from. Not that Shin trusted anyone at all anyway, even if Rikka said he could be trusted.

Mai kept quiet along the way, which was unusual for her since she was usually talkative among others, even though she usually traveled alone. Most of the time she was not completely alone since she had Kyuu, but when it came to a large group she would be very shy.

Kyuu perked up on Mai's shoulder and chirped. Mai glanced at him before looking up into the sky, hearing a hawk's call.

"It's Talken.." Mai said. The hawk circled over the group before swooping down when Mai stretched out her arm where it landed.

"He has something tied to his leg" Mai observed. She pulled the scroll off of Talken's leg. The hawk flew off of Mai's arm when she did. Mai glanced at him before she opened the scroll to read it. She almost collapsed from shock when she saw the message.

"M-master Ying is....d-dead??" she mumbled, unable to take in the news.

Shin stared at her, a bit surprised as well. He remembered Ying from the village, and he realized that she was strong when she destroyed the demon that tried to take his power. He didn't think Ying would be one to be taken down easily.

"They want me to return with the medicine soon...but...Master Ying...it can't be...." Mai continued.

"So she's dead...there's nothing to be done..." Shin said.

"No! She can't be dead! There's no way!" Mai exclaimed, tears starting to form in her eyes. To her, Ying was like a mother to her, especially since she had lost her own mother at a young age. She sank to her to her knees, crying softly.

"Master Ying..."

Tika_Keiga wrote:The three of them looked towards Mai.

Kalne nodded to Rikka.

Rikka stepped towards her. "We'll help you get the medicine. Just tell us where to go."

Alex was abit confused. But he didn't say anything.

-------------

Yuki sat up. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I must regain my strength. If what Kalne said was true..." She thought about Kalne's words. "... Then I still have a job to do. I'll mourn for them later." WIth that Yuki locked her feelings of regret and despair away. She stood up looking like a new person. Ready to destroy anything that got in her way. She left the room.

Zion wrote:Kyo just stared emotionlessly at the ceiling after seeing the memory. Although his memories had been scattered, he did feel like that memory was familiar unlike the other memories of the group, and when he became an archangel.

Was that memory even real? Kyo pondered frowning. As far as he knew, Brianna and Uriel did not know about Nome, but they may have very well probed through his mind and tried to confuse him. The memory did make sense however. Before he had seen the memory, all he remembered was that he and Nome were formerly friends, yet, he did not remember anything past that point.

Well...I'd better get back on track. Kyo thought moving onward. He paused for a few seconds to think about the others.

I wonder if they're worried... Kyo thought sadly. [/i]Heh, probably not, they haven't known me long enough to care. [/i] Despite his harsh thinking, he marched on to the next room.

**Next: Top of page 9


In the Levantine control room
"Ugh, why do Imperials have to be getting involved when things were going so well?" Brianna said angrily. She paced around the room while the posessed crew mindlessly stared at the screens of their consoles.

"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to compromise. Start firing back at Talroy! Don't stop till everything on board is destroyed!" Brianna screamed at the lifeless crew. Immediately, the crew began working quickly and one of the cannons emerged from the side of Levantine. The cannon filled with energy, and fired directly at the Airship Talroy.

Kyo tossed the claymore away and walked over to the corpse of the black lizard. Now that he could use his mana again, he was better off using Kamui instead of non-magical weapons like the claymore. He knelt down and despite fearing what he may see, he picked it up and immersed himself in the memory.

Kyo's memory: One millenium ago
Lifeless corpses littered the barren wasteland. Several knights in steel armor were striking back at the black shapes, but all was for naught. The dark figures overwhelmed them and tore out their throats. The demons continued to overwhelm the battlefield and once they were done with that, they moved on to the nearby village. The screams of the peasants filled the air and echoed for miles. Finally, the screaming ended and the demons all turned simultaneously and began walking away from the wreckage. They glanced up at the figure on top of the cliff and knelt down. The figure was wearing black and blue armor and had a horrifyingly similar scythe in his hand. The figure peered through his helmet at the wreckage and once he was satisfied, he pulled off his helmet to breathe in the corpse-scented air. The figure was Kyo, and his red eyes gleamed in the blazing sun's light like two burning rubies.

"No!!!" Kyo said once he regained consciousness. He couldn't believe it. This too was a memory that he had never posessed before, although it was much more sinister than his encounter with Nome.

"I...used to be a demon?" Kyo said slumping against the wall and staring down. "Then I'm responsible for the deaths of millions." He dropped his face in to his palms and stayed deathly still. The determination that used to be always present in his purple eyes vanished and was replaced by a look of despair.

Tika_Keiga wrote:"Evade!" Xecos yelled, the airship shifted to the right. Things started to slide to the walls as the airship tilted.

The energy blast had did minor damage thanks to Xecos' quick orders. "Bring it down, NOW!" He yelled.

All of the Talroy's cannons opened fire on the Levantine.

-----------------

The battle above Mora was coming to a close. The Empiral forces were retreating.

Empire had lost a good bit of the fleet, and Kingdom had lost two of the ten ships that were there.

Tyson commanded for to searched for survivors of the fallen airships.

Tyson and Anthro were alone in one of the command rooms.

"I see. This Kalne then is the culprit."

"Well I would like to see her brought to justice, She has done much for me over the past hundred years."

"That's right, you've been here for a long time. What do you think she'll do?"

"If she did release the seal, it'd be for a good reason. I suggest we let her be, and keep a close eye on the holy order."

"Why the holy order?"

"They have the most influence on the king."

"Very well. Then do as you wish with the Nalvist for now. Your free to pursue your interests till, we need you again. The rest of the fleet is leaving this continent. The object we searched for is long gone. I wish no longer to fight and let men die for something that isn't here."

"Very well." Anthro turned and left.

Talking to himself he said, "Now I wonder if the Talroy has found the Levantine."

Zion wrote:Kyo walked zombie-like through the corriders and stared ahead at the large double doors. They were large and had red cracks that glowed down the doors frames. He seemed to have found the location of Uriel and Brianna. The entire frame of the ship shook and he was knocked off his feet. He rolled just as he hit the ground and came to a rest at a nearby wall.

It seems like we're getting attacked. Kyo thought grimly.


"What!? What do you mean our cannons did minimal damage?!" Brianna said screechingly to the mindless crew that was in charge of the weapons sytems.

"Damage done to the Talroy was minimal. Talroy has just fired it's cannons." The soldier said in a monotone. "Outer wall has been damaged severely. Shields are down and cannons 1,7, and 12 are down"

"Brianna." Uriel said appearing out of the shadows. "Kyo is outside the doors."

"Can this day get any more complicated?!" Brianna screamed with the head between her hands. Slowly, she composed herself and had a fickle smile.
"Let's give him a proper welcome then."


Kyo dove throught he opening doors and quickly summoned Kamui. He glanced around and saw several of the Levantine's crew working mindlessly, paying no attention to Kyo whatsoever. Frowning, he scanned the area for Brianna and Uriel. Suddenly, a blazing ball of fire shot through the double doors to the left of him. Kyo jumped off to the side, and narrowly avoided the blast. He glanced in the direction where the fireball came from and slowly but cautiously, walked through the doors. It was then that he came face to face with both Brianna and Uriel.

"So you managed to escape huh Kyo?" Brianna asked rhetorically. "You always have a nack for attempting pointless things, yet, you always get your desired results."

"Not with you I didn't." Kyo said coldly. He glanced over at Uriel and said, "Uriel, why do you help her? You know she can't be trusted."

"It is not for my own benefit that I help her." Uriel said. Afterward, he ceased speaking despite Kyo's many questions.

"I guess I'll have to beat the sense into both of you then!" Kyo yelled, his normal good nature absent from his voice. He summoned his wings, plucked a feather, and tossed it in the direction of the duo. There was a flash of light, then the battle began.

Celica wrote:Mai sniffed then wiped the tears from her eyes. She stayed quiet a bit, trying to calm down a little more before she did anything. Then she nodded in response to Rikka.

Kyuu chirped softly, nuzzling against her.

"Thank you..." she said, before slowly getting up. She pulled out the scroll that Ying had given her. Opening it, she read the instructions again.

"Well I guess Master Ying knew where we were going. We just have to continue south..." Mai said. She sighed, gazing at Ying's handwriting, remembering that she had just written it not too long ago. Then she put the scroll away.

"Let's go..." she said. Kyuu jumped back onto her shoulder as they continued their journey.

Shin was about to follow, but paused. He glanced back over his shoulder slightly, feeling as if someone were following them. Then he continued walking behind the group.

Not far off in the trees, a shadowed figure watched.

Tika_Keiga wrote:Xecos' quick orders left the Talroy still in the air as it fought with the Levantine. He thought, 'Just what happen to the crew?'

The Talroy's cannons fired whenever they were ready.

---------------------

Kalne nodded followed after Mai.

Rikka nodded at Mai's answer. "Alright then."

Alex was still confused so he didn't say anything. He just followed after them.

---------------------

The Nalvist lifted off the ground and left the broken city of Mora.

---------------------

Nome left the jungle. As far as he knew, no Orcs had noticed him. Or the darkness. Without a word he vanished again.

---------------------

Terra and the last few of her Orc subordinates made it to the Orc city in the Jungle mountain.

"So you have failed." The warlord look down upon Terra.

Zion wrote:Battle theme: Brahman


Once again Uriel stepped in front of Brianna, his expression unreadable behind his mask. Kyo cursed and dove backward, firing a blast of light in midair, hoping to hit both of them. The light had no effect on the two whatsoever. Now much more angrier, Kyo focused his energy in to his scythe, and lunged forward, bringing Kamui down on Uriel's shoulder. There was a flash of light, and a silver spear appeared in Uriel's two hands.

"Longinus..." Kyo said outloud quietly. Longinus was one of the most sacred weapons in the Upper Plane. Only Uriel and God himself could use the weapon at its full power.

Uriel swung Longinus to the right, knocking Kyo off-balance. He stabbed outward and managed to only clip Kyo's side as he sidestepped. Brianna merely just sat in the backround laughing. Kyo began to realize how futile his effort were, yet, he still continued to stand after each blow he received. He slowly stood up after Longinus grazed him below his eye and glanced down with a feeling of hopelessness.

I can't win...Kyo said, not bothering to wipe the blood that was flowing out of the wound underneath his eye. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light in the center of the room. Kyo shielded his eyes with his arm and when he looked up again, another angel was there, wearing pure white armor and a flaming sword in his hand.

"Archangel Michael!" Kyo said with joy.

"You did well Kyo." Michael said calmly facing Uriel and Brianna. "Uriel, I would ask you what business you have helping a demon, but I doubt you'd give me an answer. So there's nothing more to be said."

Kyo and Michael both glanced at each other, and they understood exactly what was on each other's mind. Kyo dashed forward weaving around Uriel and getting in close range to Brianna. Michael also darted forward, stepping in front of Uriel before he could interecept Kyo.

"Kyo, there's one more thing I need to give you." Michael said. He reached in to his cloak and revealed a pure white sword, reminiscient of one of Kyo's memories. He threw the sword and Kyo caught it with one hand.

"Heh, I haven't used this in seven years." Kyo said smiling at his old weapon. This was the same sword that he used to fight Nome, and the very same sword that he used to combat demons in the last hundreds of years. The sword's name was Ama-no-urakumo-no-Tsurugi*.

"Let's do this Tsurugi!" Kyo said with a grin, beginning to sound like his old self. His sword immediately glowed in response as Kyo unsummoned his scythe and drew Tsurugi.







*Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi is Japanese for "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven"

Celica wrote:Even though Mai was still saddened by the news of Ying's death, she knew she had to be strong and fulfill her master's request. Soon enough she shed her sadness and was determined to make it to the first city where she had to find a certain herb on the list she received.

It took a while before the limits of the city showed up. Mai stopped and stared at the size of it in awe. She only barely remembered going to a large place like that since she was a child.

"Well...I guess this is our first stop..."

----

Ying had appeared upon a cliff. She gazed down into the valleys among the tall, pointed mountains in the distance. Then she pulled out the sword and gazed at it.

"Let's see if I can use you to find him...."

Tika_Keiga wrote:The warlord looked down upon Terra. His red eyes wanted to kill her. But he still had a use for her.

Terra swore to herself. Of all the Orcs, the warlord was the only one she couldn't kill. He had always been imune to her magics. "What would you have me do?"

"I'll send you on another mission, after you heal. And don't fail me this time." He laughed as Terra was dragged away to the prison cells.

---------------------

Kalne suggested something to Mai. "You know, if there's more then one thing on that list, we could split into two groups and gather them twice as fast."

Rikka began thinking of the best 2/3 teams would be balance enough. She knew Alex was the weakest.

Alex watched Rikka. 'It's been a few years. But why now of all times?' He asked himself.

---------------------

"Commander Tyson. We have a lock on Alex's keycrest."

Tyson was lying on a couch in his private room. He opened one eye. "So you've found the king's son. hmmm." He thought.

"What shall we do?"

"In other circumstances I would leave him alone. But with all the recent attempts to assinate the Imperial blood line, we will have to go after him. Set course."

"Yes sir." The soldier left.

Tyson closed his eyes again, trying to get some sleep.

----------------------

Namaru laughed as he broke the seal. "Four down, seventeen to go."

Power exploded from the Dias. As a huge monster rose from the seal.

The creature seemed to be made out of ashes and fire. It's black skin had cracks running through it like fire. It's eyes were flaming, and it gave off a large amount of heat. It laughed a few times. In a deep dark voice it spoke, "Hahaha, I'm free. I feel the power bursting through me again." He looked at the white haired man. "So your the one whose attempting to release the seals. And from what I can tell, I'm the fourth of twentyone."

"I will release the rest of your brothers and sisters with time."

"Ha, some of them have tougher seals then me." It paused. "Now, what do you want from me?"

"A simple alliance, my master wants you on his side, in the upcoming fight."

"The only reason for that was if the summon spirits were going to be released as well. For we the dark summons, have nothing else in our path. Though we can't take control of this world directly, we can help those who make a blood pact."

"That is why I am here. To form a blood pact."

"Then your master is stupid. For you would have all this power, and he would have nothing."

"That's to be seen."

"Very well, mortal. I Efreet of the dark flames, shall make the blood pact."

Namaru grinned as pained surged through his body, in a painful voice. "17 to go."

Zion wrote:Battle theme: I'll face myself

Michael charged forward knocking back Uriel away from Kyo and Brianna. Even after the immense distance he was pushed, Uriel still kept his weapon locked against Michael's, both of them repeatedly pouring energy into them to overwhelm each other. They both pushed away from each other and resumed charging at each other, both of them rebounding when ever they met resistance in each other's block.

Hmm, so the entire time he was with us, he was concealing his true strength. Michael said observantly. Despite this revelation, he did not seem to lose his composure. On the contrary, he felt much more confident. He allowed more of his holy fire to surge along the edge of his sword, before he resumed the attack.


Kyo twisted and dodged the twin chakrams that had been tossed at him. They returned to Brianna as she nonchalantly stepped forward repelling Kyo's attacks. However, Kyo could see behind her expression that each blow she was blocking was causing her much more pain than she let him realize. He wiped the blood flowing from beneath his eye out of his face, and extended his wings to their full length. He slowly allowed as much mana as he possibly could to flow in to Tsurugi, dodging the chakrams as they flew toward him. Finally when Tsurugi had reached its maximum capacity of energy, he allowed the surplus energy to explode outward knocking Brianna backward. He raised his sword above his head and dashed forward to end the battle. However, he suddenly stopped charging with a confused expression on his face. For some reason, he felt as though his mind was screaming to not kill her.

I don't get it. I've wanted this for so long. Why am I hesitating now? Kyo said pausing and staring at the ceiling as though looking for an answer. Brianna saw her chance and in one last attempt, dashed forward, her aura exploding out of her body. When she was inches away from Kyo, she got ready to throw her chakrams as hard as she could, but Kyo saw, and on instinct, he struck out with his sword in a horizontal slash. Tsurugi met a small resistance against Brianna's two chakrams before his sword pierced through them and cut a large wound across her ribs. Brianna's expression turned to shock as she collapsed, blood flowing out of her wound.

Michael saw that Kyo had just finished his battle with Brianna, and he felt that he should do the same. He glanced in Kyo's direction for a split second, and pulled off his necklace. There was an explosion of power so immense, all the windows inside of the room cracked and shattered into pieces. Uriel didn't even have time to block before Michael appeared behind him, and stabbed outward twice through his stomach. Uriel made no sounds of pain as he crumpled to the ground, dead. Suddenly, Uriel body began to evaporate in to black smoke and he disappeared in to the Lower Plane. In his place, was one another bright orb. Michael hesitated, wishing to destroy the orb, but he stepped away from it instead. He saw Kyo glance with curiousity at it, and he began to walk slowly away.

Kyo, I hope you're ready to face the truth. Michael thought in an empathetic tone. With that, he disappeared in a flash of light, returning to the Upper Plane.

Kyo crawled toward the last orb with the last of his strength and used his remaining mana to roll the orb in his direction. He saw Brianna look at the orb with curiousity, but she continued to clench her wound, with a look of extreme pain on her face. Kyo seized the orb and he felt himself fall upward again. He swear he heard Brianna exclaim as though she were experiencing the same feeling, but he dismissed it as just a figment of imagination. Kyo steeled his nerves and stared directly in to the foundation of his past.

Celica wrote:"Right, that would be the best thing to do" Mai replied when she heard Rikka's suggestion. She glanced at the others, also wondering about who should team up with who.

Mai paused at Alex, wondering what his abilities were since he had just joined their group. She figured Rikka could figure that out, but she realized that maybe Kalne would like to stay with her. Then she looked at Shin.

"What do you want to do, Shin?" she asked.

"I'm not one to lead...or do as told...but from what you told me last night...I must stay by your side..." Shin replied.

Mai took a moment to let those words sink in. She didn't think Shin would really take what she said so seriously. What she told him about the amulet was true, but she didn't think Shin cared at all to really want to protect her.

"All right...well...let's get going"

------

Ying traveled down to the base of the mountain. There she found a shrine, protected by a barrier. She realized it was a demonic one.

Using the sword's power, she generated a black mist to try and break apart the barrier. Since the mist was demonic it should be able to cancel out the barrier.

She saw that her guess was right. The barrier had disappeared. She slowly stepped toward the gate. Suddenly, a black figure appeared.

"You of human blood...you are not allowed to pass here..." the figure said.

"I am here to pay my respects..." Ying replied. She knew that the area she was entering was a gravesite. And she knew exactly whose it was.

The black figure held out his hand and a black scythe materialized. Then he held it up.

"Then you must prove your worthiness..."

Ying knew that she would have to fight to pass. She gripped the sword in her hand. She stood her ground.

Then she saw the figure attack.