.03. - Minaki



Minaki returned after a minute or so, holding a small jar of muscle cream 
in her hands. Kaname was still sitting on the bed, not having moved an inch 
since she left; her expression, however, was distinctly less sour now, 
which was at least an encouraging sign. Minaki smiled briefly at her and 
sat back down on the bed, peering meticulously at her bruised shoulder. 
Gently, she scooped up some of the white cream inside the jar and began 
smearing it against Kaname's skin in tiny circles, making sure to spread 
the stuff well over the area of the injury.

"Ow." Kaname winced and flinched, although this time it was more through 
the burning sensation of the cream than actual fear. She hissed softly as 
the stuff began to settle in her muscles, the added pressure from Minaki's 
fingers somehow both painful yet soothing.

"It'll be fine as long as you don't let it sit," Minaki said, scooting to 
the side so she didn't block the light. "Just keep moving, and even though 
it may hurt a little at first, it'll get better with time. Papa taught me 
that."

Kaname's scowl returned in an instant. "Must be nice having a dad," she 
muttered, almost sulking.

"What..." Minaki hesitated for a second, her hand resting upon Kaname's 
shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

She continued massaging in slow circles, sighing softly. "It's not good to 
keep it all bottled up, you know," she prodded, trying to coax some 
reaction besides withdrawn anger from Kaname. "I'm sorry I hurt you like 
that... but I think we can become friends, if you just tell me - "

"I don't want to talk about it."

Minaki fell silent, pausing for a long while before speaking again. "... 
all right, fine," she said quietly, her hand trailing down Kaname's arm. "I 
was just trying to see if I can make some conversation. It's kind of 
uncomfortable, with it quiet like this."

Kaname felt her cheeks warm, and she cursed herself out mentally for being 
so stupid. She was growing embarrassed. Why the hell would she feel 
embarrassed about *this*? "Yeah, I guess," she muttered.

"Are you sure you don't want to? I won't tell anyone else."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Kaname mumbled quietly. She was trying 
her hardest to sound angry with her, but her body was betraying her; she 
was tired, and the warmth of the room and of Minaki was making it harder 
for her to focus on being angry. Her eyes began closing as she leaned back, 
suddenly not caring what Minaki thought. "Nothing..."

Minaki smiled. Despite her rough edges, Kaname really was just a nice, 
normal girl at heart - or so she wanted to believe, from the bottom of her 
heart. Someone like her couldn't possibly have anything to do with the 
demons... and even if she did, it probably was because her protector - 
Keiya, his name was - had misled her. She was going to have to fill Reiya 
and Toji in whenever she saw them next. Hopefully it wasn't going to be as 
unpleasant as the last encounter.

"It's okay," she said. "If you won't tell me anything, then I'll tell you a 
little about myself."

"'kay."

"Will you listen to me, at least?"

Kaname fidgeted, almost snuggling against Minaki in her attempts to get 
comfortable, even as a dwindling part of her mind screamed for her to 
remain on guard. "Why not."

"Unless you don't want me to. You look pretty tired."

That did it. Kaname bolted up in an instant, straightening herself on the 
bed, her mouth curled in a defiant scowl and arms tensed. "I am not tired!" 
she protested.

Minaki gently slid her hands up and down Kaname's shoulders to ease her 
into relaxation once more, nodding in approval as the girl leaned back 
against her again, her body warm and almost incongruously soft. It seemed 
strange, that someone who had fought so ferociously would be so delicate. 
With slow, careful motions, Minaki closed the jar of cream and set it aside 
on the desk, gently laying Kaname down and sliding back on the bed until 
her head was resting in her lap.

"You're such a weirdo," she mumbled, looking up at Minaki blearily. 
Although she wriggled in protest, the effort behind it was half-hearted at 
best. She felt oddly comfortable like this; even the dissenting voice in 
her head had quieted down, leaving her thoughts drifting like clouds in the 
sky.

Minaki sighed and stroked the girl's hair, tidying up the thick, nappy 
braid that had been trussed up during their fight. "Maybe so... ready for 
your bedtime story, Kaname?"

"Sure, whatever."

*That was going to have to do,* she supposed. Even Minaki didn't expect 
someone like Kaname to grow acclimated so quickly, but things were going 
smoothly for the most part thus far. Perhaps the girl was just tired from 
overexertion, though she certainly looked to be in good physical shape - if 
not a bit underfed. That last was probably through no fault of her own; 
whoever Keiya was, Minaki thought, he really had to learn how to take 
better care of his friends. She was going to have to give him a piece of 
her mind later on, whenever she met him.

With that thought planted firmly in mind, Minaki began to toy with Kaname's 
hair again, twining her fingers in her braid to gradually unravel it. "Now, 
then, listen carefully. Once upon a time..."

__________

Angelblade

by Jeffrey Yang

10.28.02 to 01.21.03

__________


Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Minaki -

_____


"That's you."

Minaki giggled softly. "Well, yes. Who did you think it was going to be?"

"You were supposed to tell me a *bedtime story*, not something that 
happened to you." Although Kaname didn't move, Minaki sensed that she was 
sulking and wide awake again.

"It's a good story," she said defensively, digging her fingers into the 
braid and tugging at the knots. Her other hand moved to grip a swatch of 
hair at the base so that she didn't end up hurting Kaname. "It's just like 
a fairy tale. You won't know the difference, really."

Kaname tightened her grip upon her knees, huddling in on herself as much as 
she could and tilting her head back and forth to accommodate the makeshift 
combing, not really noticing she was doing so. "Yeah, right."

"All right. Now..."

_____


Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Minaki. She wasn't anyone 
special at all, really. Her parents came from a wealthy background; her 
father was a retired oil baron, and her mother was in biochemistry doing 
something she never really understood. Not that it mattered, because they 
were proliferate enough in their own fields to retire early, rich beyond 
belief. But instead of wasting away their wealth on material goods and 
other transient possessions, they chose to move to Hoshimi - a small and 
quiet town back then - and live in relative obscurity, pursuing their own 
interests in creative arts.

Times changed, of course. They loved each other still, but they wanted 
something more in their lives. So one day, a decision was made. They were 
going to have a child.

_____


That was when Kaname began snickering madly.

"... what?" Minaki mumbled, feeling a bit off-put by the sudden derision. 
She had just been getting into the swing of things, too.

"Your parents were going to do it."

Minaki frowned and lightly smacked Kaname on the head from behind, 
eliciting a yelp of protest. "Don't talk like that, please."

"... well, they were."

"I know, and you know. That doesn't mean you have to be so crude about it."

"You're the one telling me your life story here," Kaname mumbled, tilting 
her head forward again instinctively to give Minaki better access to her 
hair. Then she quickly drew back, jerking her hands upwards as Minaki 
continued to unravel the waist-length braid. "... what're you doing?"

Minaki blinked confusedly. "The same thing I've been doing for ten minutes?"

"Dammit, don't touch my hair without asking!"

"But you didn't seem to mind when I started - "

"I *said* don't touch it!" Kaname retorted, shifting around to lie on her 
back and making sure her hair was stuck beneath her. Her enemy was a crafty 
one indeed, waiting until she was half-asleep before utilizing her wily 
hair-braiding witchcraft. She glared coldly up at the enemy in question and 
closed her eyes, a slight smirk on her face. "All right, go on."

"Um, with the story?" Minaki blinked in confusion, backing away so that she 
wasn't as close. The heat from her body was still uncomfortable, mostly 
because of the unfamiliarity of the situation and the close proximity of 
their Guardians. It wasn't like when she was with Reiya; Kaname's Guardian 
seemed to be generating waves of emotion that she couldn't quite define.

Kaname, for her part, gave no indication that she felt any different from 
her usual self. She snagged a pillow with one hand and brought it close to 
her chest, hugging it for warmth. It was better than snuggling with the 
enemy, after all. "Yeah. The story. Go on."

"All right..."

_____


Minaki was born a year later. Back those days, Hoshimi was still a 
relatively small town full of honest people trying to make a living. There 
were a lot more family-run businesses, and the population was relatively 
low for a town of its size. People knew each other by name, and things 
simply felt a lot more tightly-knit than they were now. That was the world 
in which Minaki lived her childhood, a world of sun-drenched grass, warm 
summer breeze, and quiet city streets. It was a time of happiness and 
innocence, before the cares of the world weighed in on her. Going to school 
was fun because she had friends... and every year when school ended for 
vacation, and she would spend time with her parents.

Summer was her favorite season, when she and her parents would light 
fireworks and watch them crackle and fade above the smooth concrete of the 
neighboring park's walkways. Autumn was a sad time, because all the leaves 
on the trees changed color and everything became cool and wind-swept. She 
didn't like it as much as summer, but everything had its place and purpose 
- that was one thing Minaki came to understand at an early age. Just as 
summer was her most beloved time of the year, winter would have to come... 
a time of snow and coldness, when she stayed in the house more than she 
would've liked and went out only to go to school. But winter led to spring, 
and spring was the period of transition when the grip of winter finally 
loosened; a time just before the next summer was to arrive.

Her life passed through the cycle of seasons without any incident. There 
were a few times when she became unhappy, usually when one of her parents 
had to go do something important with their jobs, but for the most part she 
found herself in a state of tranquil bliss. Life passed in such a fashion 
until it came time for her to change classrooms... and that was when Minaki 
was first asked the question that she still had not managed to answer:

What was she going to be when she grew up?

Time flowed and ebbed. Minaki's life grew steadily more complex, but she 
was always smiling, never letting anything intimidate her. Her mother often 
told her to smile, even in the face of sadness. Never let your smile 
falter; that way, the people around her didn't have to be sad as well. The 
best thing in the world was to try and minimize sadness, because there was 
so much of it already. Minaki took that to heart. She wasn't sad very 
often, but when she was she would remember her mother's words and remain 
pleasant, no matter how heartbroken she truly was. It seemed to work. 
People never got angry with her, and everyone liked her.

Virtually nothing changed in those serene years. Every day was the same 
from morning to night-time: she would wake and eat breakfast, go to school, 
have lunch and recess, come back, do her homework, play a little bit, and 
then go to sleep again. The cycle of her daily life stretched, repeating 
endlessly until a day became a week - a month - a year. But she was not 
bored at all. Minaki was happy with her life, where she had everything she 
could ever want. If she wanted a toy (which wasn't often), she only had to 
ask her father and he would buy it for her. If she wanted to play, she only 
had to ask her mother and she would set down her papers to do so. But 
despite her upbringing, she never became spoiled or self-centered. Minaki 
knew that she was the same as everybody else. She wasn't anybody special, 
and she probably never would be.

But that was okay. Minaki's goals in life were simple and honest... until 
the day she finally discovered the answer to the long-standing question: 
what was she going to be when she grew up?

_____


"... so what *were* you going to be?" Kaname interrupted at that point.

Minaki smiled down at her, relieved that she was finally starting to enjoy 
the tale. "That's going to be next," she said. "You don't want me to spoil 
it too quickly, do you?"

Kaname rolled her eyes, although she was smiling *just* a little. Whether 
she wanted to admit it to herself or not, the story was rather pleasant to 
hear (if not completely banal) - and the information about Minaki's 
Guardian didn't hurt. "God, no. The suspense is killing me."

"Come on, Kaname, try to have a little fun, won't you?"

"I'm trying. You have no idea."

_____


The day was sullen and rainy, almost as if it was a portent of what was to 
come. It was another school day, except Minaki was now in middle school and 
was allowed to walk by herself. Her parents could have drove her there, but 
they both knew that their daughter had to learn independence one day, and 
now was as good a time as any. She was running down the street, her shoes 
splashing in the puddles on the pavement. It had been sunny that morning; 
the rain came without warning, and her friends had already gone home before 
her. Normally, she wouldn't have minded, but the weather was getting really 
bad very quickly and she didn't like to get wet.

She had always been a popular girl, but there were reservations about her. 
Her demeanor was too cheerful, and there were those who thought it to be a 
sign of repression, or something deeper behind the mask. They could not 
accept her happiness at face value; they couldn't believe that Minaki was 
so perfect. Someone like her should not have existed. Although the 
dissenters were few in number, they existed... and as Minaki made her way 
down the damp street, she found herself abruptly surrounded by three girls 
she knew of only vaguely, mostly through her own friends. They were the 
ones whom she had been warned to stay away from.

Minaki took a step back, then another. She glanced around between the 
three, her eyes darting back and forth nervously. "H-hello," she said 
softly, a passing car mostly drowning out the greeting. "May I - "

"Freak," one of them spat out.

"Weirdo," another muttered, leaning forward into Minaki's face and shoving 
at her. The girl stumbled back onto the wet grass with a cry of surprise, 
her dress darkening with rain. She struggled to stand back up, only to be 
pressed back flat against the ground as the third girl stomped down on her 
chest with her boot. Minaki gasped, shivering with the cold as water seeped 
through her clothes, leaving her skin wet and clammy. She tried to get up 
once more, but the pressure was too much... so she simply lay still, 
waiting for her tormenters to leave.

"We don't want you around here!" the girl shouted down at her, grinding her 
foot into Minaki's chest.

"Damn preppy bitch, thinking you're better than everyone else!"

"You better watch out or else it'll be worse next time!"

With that, the three disappeared further down the street, laughing shrilly 
amongst themselves. Minaki remained lying on the grass, blinking her eyes 
as the rain continued to fall in feathered droplets upon her form. Somehow, 
she wasn't angry. She didn't want to beat up the girls who had done such a 
bad thing to her. She didn't even think about whether she deserved it or 
not. The only thought in her head was that she had to be stronger. If she 
had been stronger, she could have shown those girls that she wasn't a bad 
person... she wouldn't have been pushed down. Now her dress was streaked 
with dirt and grass, and her parents were going to be sad because it was 
not going to wash easily.

She rolled over onto her stomach, not really minding the wet at this point; 
it had been forgotten in the sweeping wave of self-conviction that was 
overtaking her. Just as she was about to get up, she thought she saw 
something bright and flashing from the corner of her eye. Minaki glanced 
over, towards a tree not five feet from her: a beautiful birch, its leaves 
wavering from the weight of the raindrops. Something small and glowing was 
sitting in front of the faded white trunk, emanating a soft emerald light. 
As she drew closer, she saw a single tiny butterfly, green effervescence 
sifting from its wings as they flapped airily to and fro.

Minaki did not hesitate. With one hand, she reached for the tiny creature, 
intending to grasp it.

Power, hot and searing, rushed into her body the instant her fingers 
brushed against the radiance. Minaki stiffened and opened her mouth in a 
silent scream as verdant rays erupted from the base of the tree, swirling 
rapidly about her form... suddenly converging inwards on her, all of them 
slamming themselves inside her body at the exact same time. Her eyes 
widened, then squeezed tightly shut as the power sank through her skin, 
silhouetting her figure for a brief moment. Then the world was still once 
more as Minaki slumped against the ground, her limbs completely drained of 
strength.

_____


"Of course."

"Kaname?" Minaki murmured inquisitively, peering at the girl closely. 
"What's wrong?"

She was curled in on herself again, glaring sullenly at a patch of wall 
that seemed to be capturing her interest. "So that's how you got your 
Guardian," she mumbled.

"Well... yes..."

"Can't blame those girls for hating you. You're terrible."

Minaki blinked in confusion, reaching out to pull the shirt back over the 
girl's shoulder. "What are you talking about?" she said slowly.

"I hate you." Kaname's tone was flat and completely unpretentious; she had 
meant every word.

But Minaki shook her head, refusing to accept that. "No, you don't."

This elicited a dark, sullen glare from the girl. "You and your perfect 
childhood," she spat out in disgust. "What the hell kind of a bedtime story 
is that?"

"I thought it would be nice," Minaki confessed, looking vaguely guilty. She 
truly had, and the unexpected hostility left her feeling rather puzzled and 
a bit drained. It was exactly like the animosity those girls had displayed, 
and once again she could not comprehend why. She had even used her power to 
show Kaname that she wasn't a bad person...

"Well, nice for you." Kaname flopped onto her side and dragged the blankets 
over herself, trying her hardest to ignore the fact that her enemy was 
sitting next to her. It would have to do for the time being. "I'm going to 
sleep."

Minaki sighed and slid off the bed, heading over to the closet to get some 
blankets for herself. "... don't you want me to tell you about Kalciane?"

"Not really, no." Though her answer came without hesitation, it took a 
mighty effort for her not to show interest. She *did* want to know, but now 
wasn't the time for her to ask.

"I'm sorry she kicked you so hard." Minaki spread the covers on the ground, 
folding them over once and laying a pillow down on top. "Do you feel 
better, at least?"

Kaname shrugged slightly, rippling the blankets with her movement. "Yeah, I 
guess."

"I really am sorry... you don't - "

At that, she turned over on the bed, the springs creaking. "Minaki, I heard 
you the first time. Shut up and go to sleep, damn it."

Minaki stopped, hesitating before she smiled softly. "All right... good 
night, Kaname."

That was about as good of a response she was probably going to get at this 
point, so instead of pressing the issue she switched the lights off and 
eased herself onto the blankets. The soft glow of a night light clicked on 
from the corner of the room. As Minaki slid the other half of the covers 
over herself, she listened to the faint sounds of night around her, 
settling slowly into sleep. She could hear Kaname's breathing, slow and 
regular, and at that she smiled to herself in the darkness, feeling 
Kalciane's presence stirring in her soul.

Everything was going to be all right... and that knowledge was enough to 
lull her to sleep as her eyes gradually closed.

_____


"Minaki! Breakfast!"

Kaname grunted and rolled over in bed, pulling the covers above her face 
and wondering why Minaki's mother had such a loud, irritating voice. She 
remained still as Minaki scrambled across the room, pressing her hands 
against her ears and wishing everything would go away. Kaname had never 
been a morning person - or an afternoon person, for that matter. In fact, 
she got up pretty much whenever the hell she wanted to, and most of the 
time that led to a fairly strange sleeping pattern that left Keiya 
completely incapable of keeping up with her. But that was fine, since she 
had gotten used to doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. (This 
usually consisted of looking for other Hosts to beat down, as that was tons 
of fun.)

She was only dimly aware that Minaki was nudging her, trying to wake her 
up. With an irritated yowl, Kaname swung her arm outwards in a lazy attempt 
to drive her away before flopping back onto her side, eyes remaining shut. 
Her shoulder was noticeably throbbing, but it was only a dull pain instead 
of the furnace of agony it had been. She was used to pain, so it was no big 
deal; however, the combination of the unpleasant sensation, her rumbling 
stomach, and the smell of bacon and eggs wafting down the hallway was 
beginning to pull her away from her sleepiness.

"Aren't you going to get up?" Minaki said, her voice sounding muffled. She 
was probably putting her school outfit on, or something like that.

Kaname made sure she kept the blankets over her head as she let out a 
decisive "no". She heard the closet door sliding open and Minaki's 
footsteps as she paced about. Moments later the covers were yanked off, 
leaving a rush of unpleasantly cool air to hit her skin. Kaname yelped and 
curled herself up in an attempt to try and stay warm, her hand darting 
outwards to grab for the quilt. But Minaki simply took a step back and 
dangled it just out of her reach, sighing and smiling to herself at the 
same time.

"It's morning. You have to get up." She jerked her hand back quickly as 
Kaname groped blindly for the covers one last time before giving up. "Papa 
and Mama made breakfast for you. It's good, you should eat some."

"Argh, just let me sleep!" Kaname hugged her pillow and shut her eyes again 
defiantly, flopping away from Minaki.

Minaki shrugged and sauntered out into the hallway. "There's going to be 
leftovers for you... my parents will be home and they'll help you if you 
need anything. I need to go to school now."

"Mrrf."

"And if you do anything to them," she continued, her voice dropping 
dangerously low, "I will not forgive you."

Kaname waved a hand airily, managing to hide the cold trickle of fear that 
had welled up inside of her with a callous nonchalantness. "I won't. Relax."

"That's good to hear!" Minaki replied, instantly cheerful again. The 
transition - or lack thereof - left Kaname feeling vaguely unsettled. "I'm 
going to eat now. See you later!"

With that, the door slammed soundly shut, the sound reverberating in the 
room for a few seconds. Kaname muttered something about mornings and rolled 
over the other way on the bed so the sunlight wouldn't shine in her face. 
She didn't reflect upon how strange Minaki had acted just then, or how she 
was sleeping in a stranger's house... because damn it all, she was 
comfortable, and that's all that mattered. With that thought planted firmly 
in her mind, she felt herself relaxing as she gradually drifted back into 
unconsciousness.

She woke up again a few minutes (or hours, it didn't really matter) later, 
feeling just as groggy as she did previously. The house was perfectly still 
now save for the ticking of an alarm clock that she hadn't noticed earlier. 
According to the readout, it was 2:36 PM. With a disappointed groan at 
having to get up so early, she swung herself up on her feet and stomped out 
of the room before coming to a sudden stop. Kaname blinked in confusion, 
the hallways foreign to her... then she remembered that she wasn't in her 
hotel anymore. A cursory inspection revealed that no one was home; her 
parents must have gone out.

Kaname poked her head into the kitchen, which was somewhat separated from 
the dining area by a length of countertop that stretched around half of the 
room. Cabinets lined the walls, and a refrigerator lay in the far corner 
next to a rack of collector's plates. Neatly-folded towels were set along 
the counters, a few laying in the sink waiting to be washed. She pulled the 
refrigerator door open to forage for food and was mildly taken aback when 
she spied a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns covered with 
plastic wrap, sitting on a shelf waiting for her. With a few conspiratorial 
glances here and there, she eased the plate out and set it on a table, 
staring at it as if it was going to bite her.

"... they really did," she mumbled to herself, a bit dumbfounded as she 
glanced between the food and the microwave. Her stomach rumbled at her 
again, and she peered intently at the microwave again for a long moment. 
Then, with a violent gesture, she flung the door open, sliding the plate 
inside and slamming it closed. The sound resonated nicely throughout the 
house, a few trinkets chiming softly from the mantle.

Of course, there was no one to scold her. She pressed a few buttons to 
start heating her food and slid around the kitchen floor for a bit on her 
socks, her momentum sending her skidding clear across into the living room. 
In all truthfulness, she was hoping someone would catch her in the act. She 
didn't know why she felt that way, as it made not a damn bit of sense, but 
the desire was there, clear and unmistakable. It never occurred to her that 
she just wanted attention, to be noticed; the only thought in her head was 
the sense of homeliness she felt when she saw Minaki and her parents, 
peaceful and happy together... the perfect family she never had. Jealousy 
flared up in her heart, but she quashed it under the weight of her pride. 
She didn't *need* a family, damn it. She had herself.

The microwave dinged and Kaname slid back around on the tiled floor, coming 
to a neat stop in front of it. She pushed the door open and gingerly lifted 
the plate out, grabbing a fork from the sink and peeling the plastic wrap 
off. Curls of steam rose from the food - but she was immediately upon it, 
shoveling as much as she could into her mouth in unkempt fashion. The hash 
browns burned her tongue, but she didn't care. After the fight last night, 
she found herself rather hungry, so any food was good food right now.

The meal was gone in minutes, leaving Kaname to stare down at the empty 
plate a bit dizzily, breathless but satisfied nonetheless. Her eyes roamed 
about the room again, wondering if she was being watched - and a sudden 
thought flickered across her mind. *I should go back to the hotel.*

This, of course, brought up the question of "why". Why should she go back, 
when she had someone whose parents made breakfast for her? Someone who 
wouldn't shout at her when she did something wrong and wouldn't ignore her 
when she wanted to talk? Keiya was always there for her, but... on one 
hand, he had brought her out from certain death. On the other, he was being 
an incredibly huge jackass as of late. Kaname's mind wavered back and forth 
for a few moments before she gave up, groaning with irritation. Why did 
life always have to be full of stupid, hard choices?

She glanced back down at the dirty plate, then at the front door. With a 
quick burst of motion, she set the plate in the sink and ran, fumbling with 
the knob a few times before flinging the door wide and darting out onto the 
front lawn. It was bright and sunny outside, and Kaname raised her arm to 
shield herself from the glare as her eyes adjusted. As soon as she was able 
to see clearly enough to ascertain that no one was around, she shifted her 
arms forward. Purple energy spiraled out from them, solidifying into twin 
arm-blades.

*I can't believe I slept here for the night,* she thought to herself, 
vaguely disgusted with the notion. But deeper down, she felt a peace that 
she had not known since her former life, the one she had until it had been 
swept away by the wake of her Guardian. "Rave! Let's go!"

And with a burst of concussive power, she was flying through the air, gone 
a second later.

_____


"And now,if you'll all turn to page eighty-three, we'll be able to begin 
today's lesson."

The sound of pages being turned filled the room. Toji glanced out the 
window at a group of girls running around the P.E. field, their chants of 
"fight-o! fight-o!" barely audible through the classroom walls. He didn't 
mind the view any, but today his attention wasn't particularly upon the 
girls as they made their circuit around the track. Reiya had been missing 
in action since the weekend, and though she did have the tendency to 
disappear into her own world for prolonged periods of time, it had been two 
days since she'd shown up at their usual meeting place after school. Toji 
had found himself lingering around the school's entrance gates as the rest 
of the students filtered homewards, leaving only when the security guards 
finally asked him politely to go away.

It was already Tuesday and there had still been no sign of her anywhere; 
she hadn't even bothered to come to class, although that was a common 
enough occurence that no one said anything about it. As he turned to glance 
over the page, his thoughts turned again towards what he might have done 
wrong. Toji never thought he had done wrong when it came to the demons - 
but he held his reservations nonetheless. There were Hosts scattered among 
the populace, others who had awakened with newfound power. So why did the 
demons appear only shortly after they did? Toji didn't believe in fairy 
tales, and the thought that they had been given power to fight an incoming 
demonic threat was too far-fetched for him to accept. There had to be some 
other reason behind it all, but all of his ideas thus far had been too 
contrived for his liking.

He had only been trying to explain that to Reiya, but apparently she didn't 
understand his point - probably because they had somehow managed to go off 
on a tangent that ended up sounding as if he was accusing them all of being 
in the wrong the entire time they had been hunting the demons on their 
missions. That hadn't been his point at all, but he had always been afraid 
of speaking directly to her. He did, once in grade school back when they 
first met, and he had been brutally ignored. Later on, he would come to 
understand that Reiya was just like that; her quiet nature only intensified 
with the death of her parents. Still, accidental or not, it had cut him 
deeply, and he had never quite gotten over the fear of saying exactly what 
he felt... until that day.

Of course, that last incident only solidified that fear within his heart, 
and now he wasn't sure if he could ever say what he felt directly to her 
face... not that it mattered, because he wasn't sure if he would get 
another chance to do so. Reiya was elusive, and more often than not neither 
he nor Minaki knew exactly where to find her. Even if he did manage to 
figure out where she was, there was no guarantee that what he said would 
have any effect, or if she would let him speak at all. Toji figured that 
he'd rather not take the chance - and so he remained where he was, only 
marginally paying attention as the teacher droned on about derivatives and 
integrals.

Lunchtime finally came around, and he was the first one out the door. The 
lunch room was situated in the adjacent building on the first floor; his 
locker was around the other side of the math department on the second. It 
was something he had brought up repeatedly with the class president, to no 
avail. Typically, it took five minutes for him to walk around and put his 
textbooks away, and by the time he made his way to the cafeteria the lines 
were usually out the door. He had tried bringing his own lunch once, but 
ended up getting sick of it after a week. Ironically enough, with the 
emergence of his Guardian Toji had taken to skipping lunch altogether, 
opting instead to eat a quick dinner before going on a mission...

... which was not what he had planned for today. He didn't expect to see 
Reiya at all, and he figured that it was probably for the better since he 
would actually be able to eat a proper meal for once. It wasn't that he 
valued the importance of diet over his friendship with her, but all of the 
fighting and the nights spent huddling in fear in his bed were growing 
wearisome. Those were the things that he didn't confess to Reiya, for he 
knew that she would have laughed at him. The gruesome visage of the demons 
haunted his dreams, and sometimes he could feel his Guardian wanting to 
control his body when danger arose. It wasn't something he wanted to 
experience every minute of his life.

Toji was so immersed in his thoughts that he barely noticed as Minaki fell 
in step behind him, following him as he trudged steadily past the classroom 
doors and around to the back of the building.

Fear was the one thing that he seemed to turn back to the most over the 
past year. It was there when he first felt the embrace of his Guardian's 
presence within his soul, its fingers cool and formless like water. It was 
also there when Reiya first spoke to him on the soccer field where he had 
slipped for just a moment, his curiosity having gotten the better of him. 
He had felt it strongly when they first fought together, the swell and 
current of it overwhelming. But it had not been just the fear of the demon 
that had left his heart cold. His body had moved in ways he didn't 
understand, striking and defending with a familiar ease. It was that 
familiarity that had frightened him the most; where had it come from, and 
why? What was it going to do to him?

He sighed as he turned the dial on his locker, growing increasingly upset 
at the situation. Neither Minaki nor Reiya understood his feelings - and if 
they did, they didn't seem to care. They didn't feel anything was wrong 
with the force that was changing their bodies, instead taking it in stride 
as if it was just another event in their daily lives. Their indifference 
frightened him the most... while he kind of expected it from Reiya (who was 
just incomprehensible to him, in so many ways) he never fathomed why a girl 
like Minaki took a shining to her Guardian. For someone so cheerful and 
happy, whose life was so perfect, the prospect of being given such 
destructive skill didn't seem to concern her at all.

Which was, of course, the exact opposite of what he was going through. He 
had asked Minaki about it once after a rather routine mission one night 
down at the Hoshimi Mall, and much to his surprise she had confessed that 
she loved to fight. She loved the way that Kalciane moved, and how she was 
a special Guardian unlike any other they had seen; she fought for her and 
her only, her strength immense and beauty unparalleled. The way Minaki 
spoke made it sound as if she was in love - which in retrospect, Toji 
thought to himself, was probably not too far off. Kalciane did seem like 
the incarnation of what a young girl would have idolized.

Still... did she fight for the thrill? Did she really believe she was doing 
good and upholding justice? Or maybe she wanted something else. Maybe she 
wanted a break from the monotony of her life, to reaffirm her own existence 
through the strength of her Guardian angel...

It wasn't for him to decide, regardless. He slammed the locker door closed, 
his backpack a few pounds lighter, and turned around to come face-to-face 
with Minaki.

"Hi!" she chirped.

Toji stumbled back with a start, hitting the locker with a hollow metallic 
rattle. "Minaki... hi. Don't do that."

"You didn't notice me? You looked a bit distracted." The young girl smiled 
and patted him on the shoulder, shrugging her backpack upwards on her shoulder.

"I guess I am. What're you doing here?"

She shrugged and looked around the area briefly, watching the various 
students milling past them. "I followed you. You looked like you needed to 
talk... and I've got some things to tell you also."

"Oh?" He moved away from the lockers and made his way around the building 
again, moving at a brisk pace towards the stairs leading down to the 
cafeteria. "What's that?"

"I'll tell you later on. Now is not a good time," she added, glancing about 
casually and waving as a group of her friends walked past, smiling back at 
them. Despite the cheerful expression, her voice was low and quite sober, 
something she rarely employed even when she was amongst their own little group.

Toji felt himself growing nervous as his mind worked through the 
possibilities of what she was hinting at, and as they skipped down the 
steps, he tossed her a withering glance. "I don't see why not now," he 
said, a bit more sour than he would have liked. "It's not like anyone else 
would care..."

"We made a promise." Minaki darted ahead a few steps, standing quietly in 
line outside of the cafeteria building, a dusty beige affair that was 
brimming with students at present. She peered around the backs of some 
girls in front of her to check how long the wait would be and turned to 
face him. "Promises have to be kept."

He nodded, a bit distracted by the size of the line but earnest 
nonetheless. "Right."

They stood about in silence as the line slowly inched forward, the hum of 
idle chatter filtering around them: how was the test? Did you get the 
assignment done yet? Are you doing anything after school? Ten minutes 
later, the two walked towards one of the tables in the patio dining area 
and took a seat across from each other, setting their trays of rice and 
honey-glazed chicken down with a clatter. Toji dug in first, not bothering 
with good manners. He was hungry, and the prospect of getting something to 
eat before eight or nine in the evening was too tempting to resist. Minaki 
watched him in silence at first, starting in on her food after a bout of 
contemplation.

The two ate in silence as lunch hour slipped past, the hum of student 
traffic shifting past them as people moved away into their own little 
groups here and there about the dining area. Toji scraped a piece of 
chicken along the interior of the cheap styrofoam bowl to gather up the 
last few grains of rice, popping it into his mouth before peering evenly at 
the girl across from him.

"Have you seen Reiya around?" he said, leaning back as he finished his 
mouthful.

Minaki shook her head slowly, sipping from a milk carton with a straw. "I 
haven't. You were really mean to her, Toji."

"Look, I *know* that. I'm trying to find her so I can apologize, all right?"

"I haven't seen her... sorry. I'm worried, too, but we both know she'll be 
fine."

"Is that really true?" Toji muttered, mostly to himself. "I've never seen 
her so upset."

The girl reached out to take Toji's hand between her own, patting it 
comfortingly. "You have to understand, Toji... Reiya's very lonely. She's 
by herself all the time, and she doesn't have anything else in her life 
anymore. The two of us are all she has now."

"I know that." His words were sullen, almost as if he wanted to deny them.

"Of course you know," Minaki said with a smile. "But I don't think you 
understand."

Toji glanced up at her. "What?"

"Maybe you know how she feels, but you don't understand it," the girl 
repeated patiently, as if she was speaking to someone several degrees less 
intelligent than herself. "It takes more than just knowledge to really 
understand something, especially with feelings. Feelings you have to... 
*feel*, you know?"

"... I guess."

"Toji, will you listen to me?"

His expression instantly became defensive. "I *am* listening!" he snapped.

"Please keep quiet. I just want you to listen for a moment, okay? I'm not 
trying to lecture you..."

"Sorry." He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck a bit nervously, 
letting out a somewhat tired sigh. "I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"It's all right," she reassured him. "Reiya loves you."

Toji blinked a few times until the sudden statement finally registered in 
his brain. "--*huh?*"

"Reiya loves you, Toji. It hurt her a lot when you rejected her."

He sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose to avoid looking at Minaki. 
"I didn't reject her at all. I just wanted her to be more careful."

"You don't trust her."

"I - " He paused before finishing the sentence, realizing that she was 
speaking the truth. Whether he liked it or not, she was able to perceive 
things far more accurately than he could; she always had been able to. " - 
I guess you're right. I don't. Minaki, I'm worried she'll get hurt badly 
one of these days. With the way she's going, it's going to happen sooner or 
later, and when it happens it'll be my fault for not helping her sooner."

Minaki nodded. "I know you want to help her. But instead of telling her to 
stop... you should be there with her, fighting by her side."

"I'm not a fighter, Minaki," Toji said quietly. "I'm just a normal guy."

But she shook her head at that, looking faintly disappointed as she 
gathered up the trash onto her plastic tray. "Toji, none of us are normal 
anymore. If you can just make yourself believe that, none of this would 
have happened."

He shot to his feet defensively, clenching a fist. "None of what? Are you 
saying this is all my fault?!"

Minaki just looked at him, her gaze saying more than any words could. Then 
she gathered the tray into her hands and walked off silently.

Toji didn't bother chasing after her. Instead, he brought his fist down 
hard on the table, feeling utter frustration run through him. Was this what 
she had come to tell him? That he was the reason things were suddenly 
breaking down? He didn't believe that. He couldn't believe it. He didn't 
want to believe it. He hadn't been the one who had wanted to go on the 
missions in the first place and now he was the one to be blamed? He tried 
to calm down by reminding himself that Minaki was still a kid, and she had 
the tendency to say things without thinking them through. But he already 
knew better; while she was indeed a bit on the childish side, it was just a 
front. If Minaki had said something this serious, she probably meant every 
word of it.

He sighed once more as she disappeared around the corner of the cafeteria 
building, staring down at his empty tray. For the first time in years, he 
was feeling lonely.

_____


Kaname stood silently at the entrance of the Family Motel.

She didn't want to go back inside. Fear lingered in her heart - although 
she would never have admitted it - and it made her legs weak as she stood 
in front of the revolving doors that led to the interior. It was late in 
the day, the time when the sun left dappled rays of orange and red across 
the streets. She had opted to wander around for a bit after leaving 
Minaki's place. Normally, she would have done the same in her own part of 
town, the dying south-side that was slowly giving way to the newer, 
renovated downtown sector... but this once, she had decided to see just 
what made the two of them so different.

And the differences were readily apparent. Having grown up in the 
south-side all her life, Kaname was accustomed to dirty, newspaper-swept 
streets and faded brick buildings, their edges deteriorating with each 
passing day as a testament to the decline of the area. The downtown was 
like another city altogether, its avenues cheerful and bright, matching the 
glimmer of the smooth, sleek office buildings jutting three or four stories 
up towards the sky. Even though it was the beginning of the work week, 
there were still plenty of people milling about, entering and exiting the 
various stores that lined both sides of the entire street. Around the 
shopping district were restaurants and more department stores, the entire 
affair surrounded by neatly-spaced street lamps that sported banners 
emblazoned with the official Hoshimi city seal, and the words "Downtown - 
The Place to Be!" in garishly-colored letters beneath it.

All of it ended up mostly puzzling Kaname, who found it rather overwhelming 
for a few minutes until realizing that she had to have money to do 
anything. Once that understanding settled in, she instantly became bored 
and decided to go back home. But even so, the glamour of Minaki's city - 
for indeed she considered it hers, as it was hardly comparable to her own - 
remained in her mind, refusing to be forgotten. Minaki was so privileged... 
so lucky... she had everything while those from the south-side were left to 
fester and wither, to fend for themselves. Kaname clenched her fists as she 
stalked away, not even invoking Rave for fear that someone would see her 
and make fun of her.

She had ended up walking all the way back to Keiya's hotel, but now as she 
stood in front of the doors there was only dread in her heart. Her throat 
was seized up like she had been crying, and it only made her even more 
irritated. Why was she feeling this way? She had stormed off before like 
this, and for much longer durations of time... and yet this time was 
different. Perhaps Keiya wouldn't be there, and she would have gone to all 
the trouble of returning for nothing. After all, when she returned, she 
wanted it to make a *difference* - and that only worked if he was there to 
plead and beg her to come back.

*Oh, who am I kidding,* she thought sourly to herself. *He wouldn't do that 
even if he were here... wait, is he here?* With that, Kaname strode past 
the doors and into the plush lobby, sweeping her gaze around to find it 
empty. She frowned - it was just as she had expected - and reached down 
within herself to invoke Rave's powers, sweeping the area for the presence 
of other Guardians and Hosts nearby. There was nothing but the glimmers of 
a few others who were not Keiya. He was nowhere to be found.

Kaname paused, a bit confused by the development. If he wasn't here, he 
might have been off on one of his various outings. Keiya went on his own 
missions, much like those two brats, Reiya and Toji... except his missions 
didn't involve going after demons. No, Keiya was not the kind of a person 
to hunt them down for the sake of peace; that was far too noble for him. He 
had already left school even before she had known him, preferring to spend 
his time prowling about the south-side. His watch was constant as he kept 
an invisible but very real grip upon the sector as if it were his own 
little slice of the world, controlling the rebellions from opposing gang 
leaders by beating them senseless.

That was the way things had been up until late last week, when Reiya and 
Toji had come uncomfortably close to their home turf. An unfinished office 
building down the street had ended up completely demolished. Sources were 
still baffled as to what could have caused it since there were no signs of 
explosives at all, and yet the sheer scale of what had happened could not 
have been done by anything else in such a short period of time. What 
transpired in the offices of the city council was beyond Kaname's 
understanding, but two things were obvious to her: one, it had been those 
two Hosts who had caused it, and two, it was because of them that now the 
grip around the south-side was tightening.

And suddenly things started making sense to her.

She knew Keiya well enough to know that if he felt threatened by anything 
at all... if anything began to creep too close for his comfort... he would 
do everything possible to push it away. More often than not she had been 
the target of that tendency, usually whenever she wanted him to comfort her 
in the earlier days while she was still coming to terms with her Guardian. 
Such attempts had always ended in him rejecting her, ultimately resulting 
in a sort of strained bond where each knew the other well enough but could 
not cross the invisible barrier dividing them. She had tried once more 
after her fight with Reiya and Toji, and he had pushed her away again, more 
vicious than ever - except now, she was finally able to understand why.

Kaname spun around in the lobby, bolting for the door and dashing out onto 
the dusty, cracked sidewalk. Her mind was working, a single train of 
thoughts progressing from one to the next. It was because of those two 
Hosts that the city was beginning to suspect the south-side of criminal 
activity... and as strong as Keiya was, he still held his reservations 
against authority; he wasn't going to try and go against the city council. 
But he also wasn't going to simply lie down and do nothing, which meant 
that the next logical target...

Her arms shot outwards, purple energy flaring in curled tongues of power 
around her fingertips. "RAVE!"

She struck the ground with both arms as the twin blades of her Guardian 
manifested, propelling herself into the air and atop a building. Kaname 
paused for just a moment, her footsteps quick and determined. She was 
already mentally chiding herself for not realizing where he was sooner, and 
if she was quick enough, she might get there in time to help him out.

_____


And as Kaname raced across the rooftops towards Hoshimi Academy, the day 
continued to slowly dwindle to an end, leaving the sun's burnt ember rays 
cast in deepening hues across the cityscape. Miles away, Hoshimi Academy 
was gradually emptying: classes were over, and the student population was 
trickling out across the courtyard towards the iron-wrought gates that 
fenced off the entrance. The shadows deepened around the building as night 
took hold, leaving the grounds cast in darkness beneath the moon.

Only a few students remained on campus this late, the majority of them 
practicing various sports within the gym. Two of the students, however, 
were scuttling across the rampway bridging the science and language arts 
building, their shadows shifting  in twisted shapes across the vertical 
beams supporting the canopy overhead.

"I'm really sorry, Toji," the girl said as they made their way down the 
steps. "I thought she would come, like she always did..."

Toji shrugged and moved on ahead across the courtyard, which was now empty 
and almost a bit desolate. "Don't worry about it. Minaki, I'm going to go 
on home... I'm really tired."

She nodded and smiled at him from the foot of the steps, one hand resting 
upon the metal railing. "I know. I'll see you tomorrow, then... right?" The 
last word was hopeful, almost pleading.

"Of course." With that, he was jogging across the concrete and towards the 
iron gate, skirting around the water fountain in the middle of the deserted 
yard.

Minaki slung her backpack onto one shoulder and moved away from the stairs 
to follow him, her pace decidedly slower. It had been the first day that 
Reiya had ever missed an after-school appointment, and that bothered her in 
ways she couldn't comprehend just yet. Maybe it was just that it seemed 
unlike her; if she wasn't here, what else could she be doing? Without Reiya 
around, Minaki found herself suddenly unsure as to what she needed to do. 
Toji had no desire to go on missions unless one of them went along, and now 
there was a good chance he probably wouldn't even if asked. And she wasn't 
sure about going at it alone... while Kalciane was strong, she much 
preferred being around her friends -

Her thoughts were cut short as Kalciane's presence flared to life, warning 
thoughts racing through her head. Minaki's legs tensed and she spun away 
upon one foot, a blast of invisible energy slamming directly into the 
ground where she'd been standing bare moments ago. One hand darted to the 
strap of her backpack, tossing it onto the steps. Then she lifted both 
hands upwards in a smooth motion, her fists closed and ready.

"Who are you?" she intoned quietly.

Her words were almost drowned out by the sudden breeze that swept across 
the courtyard. Dead leaves rustled across the concrete, scratching against 
the far wall, and a voice resonated through the air from all directions at 
once. "Keiya Dulce... and Kazeki. Prepare yourself, girl."

With that, the leaves spun into a dizzy storm as the wind kicked up 
fiercely in a stream that barreled directly towards the girl. Minaki held 
her ground, fingers clenching - leaping upwards right before what would 
have been painful impact, her right arm stretching outwards. A blinding 
flash of golden light cut through the night in front of her, silhouetting 
the form of a winged angel. Colors shimmered and solidified as Kalciane 
came alive, her wings and arms spreading wide... leaving both Guardian and 
Host to land the same instant, the angel assuming a confident stance as 
Minaki quietly folded her arms across her chest.

"Interesting. An Evoluder type?" Something jumped forward from the walkway 
on the second floor to land softly on the ground in open view.

Minaki's eyes narrowed, assessing the figure in front of her. He was a tall 
man, wearing an unbuttoned Hoshimi Academy uniform, with a white shirt 
beneath. One hand was poised casually at his side; the other was shoved 
into the pocket of his trousers. "You're the third one, aren't you."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she replied carefully. This must 
be the person Reiya had mentioned, the one who had protected Kaname. 
"Evoluder type?"

"You don't even know yourself. How pathetic." He made no movements from 
where he stood, save for a slow, deliberate raising of his free arm. "But 
it doesn't matter now."

Minaki shook her head and opened her mouth to respond, only to leap back 
out of the way as Kalciane flew backwards towards her, having been struck 
by an unexpected blast of air. The angel was back up on her feet almost 
immediately, dashing forward with wings tucked behind her and arms low at 
her sides - to be pushed away once more bare inches from the man, skidding 
across the concrete to stop at her Host's feet.

Keiya smirked, turning to face the two. "You can't even control it. What 
kind of a fighter are you?"

"I can't... control it?" Minaki's expression slipped just a tiny bit, 
betraying a hint of anger. Can't control her Guardian? "You take that 
back... I can make Kal move just fine!"

"Move - and apparently not much more." His arm swung outwards, and another 
blast of concussive wind streaked outwards for the two in a torrential rush.

Both Host and Guardian leapt aside to avoid the attack, flanking the man 
quickly. Minaki gestured with one arm, her voice clear and authoritative: 
"Kalciane, take him down!"

The angel flipped around quickly in midair, her feet pounding against the 
ground as she charged directly towards her enemy. But Keiya raised one hand 
up as Kalciane drew close, intercepting an incoming roundhouse with another 
twist of air that sent her spiraling towards the sky... before turning away 
from Minaki, his calm, scornful tone somehow echoing throughout the courtyard.

"Are you not supposed to be the strongest one? Is this all you have to face 
against me?"

Minaki's fists tightened until her knuckles whitened, her small body 
trembling with frustration and rage as her Guardian landed gracefully at 
her side. While Keiya's moves were powerful enough to repel Kalciane, they 
lacked the strength to do any substantial damage, leaving the two in a 
stalemate. But his Guardian was pure air... unlike her own angel, who 
required just about all of her concentration to control. If he simply 
continued to throw her aside, she would eventually tire herself out, and 
that was something she could not risk.

But she wasn't going to let it end like that. Minaki thrusted her hand 
forward and her Guardian immediately assumed an offensive stance, both arms 
whipping forward. "Kalciane! Angel Mezzo!"

In a flash of gold, both of Kalciane's hands opened simultaneously to 
unleash roiling bursts of azure power, the energy reshaping itself quickly 
into blades of light. She pressed forward towards Keiya in a burst of 
speed, arms lowered at her sides in preparation to strike. Minaki was 
expecting another countermove, and it came in a blast of air rushing 
outwards to push her Guardian away. But as the attack came, Minaki focused 
with all of her might... and the angel brought both arms whipping around, 
using the blades to slice through the wind as if was paper.

Keiya's eyes widened in surprise.

It was already too late, even as he brought his arm upwards to intercept 
the blurred kick aimed for his head; with a desperate effort, he invoked 
Kazeki just in time to turn himself around so that the blow glanced against 
his shoulder, sending him spinning back and away. One arm snaked out in 
retaliation, whipping an air current outwards. The other snapped downwards 
to brace himself as he landed at a distance from the angel, his shoes 
skidding along the smooth concrete.

"Finally, you prove yourself to be something more than a puppeteer." He 
rubbed at his shoulder as he straightened himself, meticulously dusting his 
clothes off while ignoring his Guardian's whispers of warning. "But it is 
useless. I am going to destroy you, girl."

"Why?!" Minaki shouted across the empty courtyard, glaring at him 
reproachfully. "We never hurt you. I never did anything to you! Leave us 
alone!"

His lips curled into a smirk. "Foolish Host. You don't even realize the 
impact of your own actions."

"The impact..." She blinked in confusion at his words... and in that moment 
Keiya lashed outwards, a veritable storm swirling about his body. Winds 
kicked up and ripped angrily in Kalciane's direction, seeking to toss her 
away - but the angel snapped her wings open, lifting into the air to avoid 
the blasts. Keiya snarled, glancing upwards just in time to spot Minaki's 
Guardian tilting herself in midair, barreling downwards at him in a 
spinning divebomb with bladed hands outstretched.

He had only a moment to ruminate upon his enemy's sheer folly before 
casually leaping backwards to avoid being cut in half. Kalciane struck the 
ground hard, her bluish hand-blades digging into the concrete. Her body 
shifted to the side, both feet whipping at his chin as she propped herself 
up on her hands. Keiya darted back once more, Kalciane's boots barely 
touching the fluttering fringe of his uniform. Instead of retaliating this 
time, he threw a field of wind in front of himself... and sure enough, 
Kalciane's next strike resounded solidly against it, sending the angel 
spinning away ineffectively.

Keiya lowered his hand, the courtyard eerily silent as the violence passed. 
"It's impossible. Your inexperience shows in every move of your Guardian."

*Inexperience?* Minaki thought indignantly, willing Kalciane to right 
herself in midair - only to gasp out loud as shearing wind from above 
struck the angel down to the ground without warning. But it didn't end 
there; the pressure only intensified, beating down on her form with iron 
determination. Jagged cracks spidered outwards in the concrete beneath her 
wings, the ground itself gradually giving way beneath the assault. Her 
Guardian opened her mouth in a silent scream, a loud splintering cutting 
through the air as her armor began to crack from pressure.

"KAL!" Minaki shouted, breaking into a sudden run towards her Guardian, 
only to be thrown back by a lash of air that seemed like a careless 
afterthought. Another sharp crack split the air as her Guardian's 
shoulderplates finally shattered, sending flecks of white whipping around 
like shrapnel.

And then there was a tremendous roar as the water in the fountain exploded 
outwards, sending rivulets flying in every direction. Keiya leapt back, 
bringing one hand around to deflect the rush with sweep of wind - and 
through the cascading drops he could see a young man standing calmly, 
fingers on his outstretched hand splayed outwards. The water shimmered, 
gathering about his arm as it lifted away from the puddles upon the ground 
to form an undulating, flowing wall in front of him.

It was Toji.

He stepped forward through the sheet of liquid, flicking his hand in front 
of Kalciane. More water exploded outwards, rapidly coalescing around the 
angel in a protective column; the rest gathered about his body, forming a 
liquid cloak that swirled about his shoulders as he lifted his arms upwards 
into a dual-fisted stance.

"You dare to interfere in my fight?" Keiya intoned coldly, the wind flaring 
to life around him.

Toji ignored him. "Are you all right?" he said tightly, barely shifting his 
gaze towards Minaki.

"F-fine..." she whispered quietly, Kalciane already fading into floating 
motes of emerald light even as she struggled to get up. Minaki quickly 
retreated back to the foot of the stairs, huddling down next to her 
backpack as her gaze fixated upon the two men.

"I don't know who you are," Toji murmured in a low tone, the cloak 
billowing angrily about himself as he turned back to regard Keiya. "But I 
am not going to let you get away with hurting Minaki."

Water roared out with a rush of sound, shifting away from his shoulders. 
The cloak dissipated in a flash of brilliant droplets beneath the 
moonlight, reshaping itself at Liquis' command into a series of curved 
blades that arced rapidly through the air towards Keiya. His response was 
immediate, a blast of air tearing outwards to meet the attack, scattering 
the water to the winds. A bare second later, Keiya himself rocketed through 
the mist with a piercing shout, swinging a kick for Toji's face.

He had not expected such speed. The blow landed hard, snapping his head to 
the right and spinning him bodily in the air. He had not expected such 
strength, either, and as Toji struck the ground he heard Liquis groaning in 
protest in his mind. Whispering a few words of reassurance, he swooped 
upwards onto his feet, using a stream of water to propel himself backwards 
away from Keiya's next move, a downwards punch that sent an ring of 
explosive air flaring out from the point of impact.

Droplets coagulated in the air about Toji as he raised his arms again, 
regarding his opponent warily. Where he had come from was anyone's guess; 
the only thing he could imagine was that he was extracting revenge for 
Kaname, although that seemed rather far-fetched to him. Even more confusing 
was why he was such a powerful Host. Guardians grew strong through usage 
and practice, and the only time the three of them managed to use them was 
during missions against the demons. Where, then, had Keiya gotten his 
experience from?

He had no more time to think, as Keiya was upon him again with another 
ferocious punch that crackled the air around his fist. Toji barely managed 
to avoid the move by weaving to the side - the speed was overwhelming - 
coming back with a hook kick at the back of his head. Instead of the 
solidity of impact, he felt his leg yanked upwards into the air in a twist 
of wind. He quickly rolled with the momentum before it snapped his leg in 
half, spiraling at an awkward angle through the air. Another gust buffeted 
him in his side, sending him crashing to the concrete once more.

But Toji was up on his feet once more almost immediately, fists raised 
upwards in defiance. He furtively gazed past Keiya to try and find Minaki, 
to at least reassure himself she was all right - but she was nowhere in 
sight. He didn't understand why his heart was pounding so powerfully in his 
chest. It couldn't have been exertion, as he was breathing only slightly 
quicker than normal. Despite the knowledge that he was outmatched, there 
was an undeniable sense of excitement that would have frightened him had he 
thought about it harder. Perhaps it was his Guardian's emotions channeling 
itself into his brain, its excitement instead of his -

And then he realized that Keiya was simply walking towards him, nothing 
more. He had already measured Toji's abilities in his mind and was moving 
with a demeanor of confidence, intent upon finishing him off. With each 
step Toji moved back slightly, gauging the distance between himself and the 
courtyard wall. His hands flexed, uncurling and clenching into fists once 
more. Water sheened upwards to form a rippling barrier in front of himself, 
interposing between the two fighters.

"Stop wasting my time," Keiya muttered, his uniform whipping in the wind 
around him. "If you're going to fight me, you should at least be a challenge."

Toji felt himself smirking at that, ragged confidence tearing through the 
uncertainty that was wringing coldly upon his thoughts. "I haven't even 
started yet," he said, bringing his fists together. The surface of the 
water wall rippled a tiny bit, edging outwards into hundreds of thin 
needles that twisted and reformed upon themselves with a constant, fluid 
motion.

Keiya looked slightly amused. "And this is... what? An attack?"

"You're using your Guardian, so I suppose I should do the same," Toji shot 
back, feeling Liquis' power course through his arms as he brought them 
around and out. The sheet of water rippled again as hundreds of needles 
flexed in a graceful wave. "Liquis!"

Water burst outwards in a tight, regulated stream consisting of thousands 
of needles, all swerving on a tight, unerring path towards Keiya. Droplets 
scattered in a wide spray around him as he lifted his hand casually to 
deflect the attack... which reformed itself from behind, sweeping back 
around to stab at his back. That managed to catch him off-guard, and he 
barely turned around in time to block, the countless needles shredding away 
the sleeves of his uniform. Keiya moved away quickly, his Guardian flaring 
to life about him as he leapt rapidly across the courtyard, leaving Toji 
gritting his teeth with effort as his own Guardian continued to work, 
ribbons of water snaking through the air in pursuit.

The wind Host darted upwards through the air and perched upon an overhang 
neatly, the ragged flaps of his sleeves fluttering in the breeze 
surrounding his form. Moments later, Toji appeared in front of him, landing 
in a low crouch before him. Water flowed around his body, gathering around 
his shoulders to flick outwards behind him in long, transparent scarf, 
leaving the rest to reform about his forearms protectively.

"It's a pity you're useless without water," Keiya said immediately, peeling 
off the ruined uniform neatly to reveal the plain white shirt underneath. 
"Where is your other friend, boy?"

Toji's eyes narrowed. "You aren't going to lay a finger on her," he spat out.

"I won't have to." With that, Keiya's muscled arms snapped forward, each 
bearing a massive blade of air behind it, intent on shearing the water Host 
in half.

But Toji leapt forward at the last second, fingers splaying wide as he 
reached forward with his right hand. Water curled from his trailing scarf, 
swirling rapidly about his wrist and spiking outwards into a rippling blade 
that hummed through the air in a vicious slash for Keiya's shoulder. Wind 
kicked up at a ferocious tempo just before the edge cleaved through skin, 
and the liquid sword dispersed into thousands of prismatic droplets against 
the barrier, leaving Toji momentarily defenseless. That was when Keiya 
chose to launch himself upwards with a shoulder-check aimed for his chest, 
knocking him clear off the overhang to land hard on his back upon the concrete.

Toji was slower this time as he clambered back onto his feet, lifting his 
fists wearily upwards to prepare himself against an impending attack. Water 
floated in the air about him, taking upon various ragged and disorganized 
shapes; Liquis was tired and hurting, and he knew that as soon as he 
stopped using his Guardian, its exertion would transfer onto him. Not that 
he had any intention of fighting Keiya without Liquis...

... and Keiya, for the most part, seemed completely unruffled even now, 
shoving one hand into the pocket of his trousers as he floated down from 
the overhang to stand in front of Toji. "Is that all?" he intoned lightly, 
smirking triumphantly.

"No, it's *not!*"

Both men shifted around to see who had spoken.

Standing behind Keiya was Minaki, the skirt of her Hoshimi uniform 
fluttering lightly in the wake of a gentle, pulsing aura of golden light 
filtering about her limbs. Toji blinked in confusion, and a few seconds 
later he realized that Kalciane was nowhere to be found. Minaki had simply 
not called her out; she was channeling her Guardian's energy through 
herself instead.

"That is not all," Minaki continued calmly, walking up to stand besides 
Toji. Her soft hands curled into fists as her arms moved outwards to mirror 
Toji's stance, her feet shifting outwards to balance herself.

"Minaki - " he began uncertainly.

But she only nodded once, smiling at him from his side. "Don't worry, 
Toji..." she murmured. And with that, the two turned back to face Keiya, 
fingers clenching in anticipation.

Keiya lifted one brow in amusement, as if contemplating their courage on 
one hand and their folly on the other. "I see..." he murmured, his smirk 
turning into a grin. "Very well. I will just have to defeat both of you, then."

_____


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